Results 9,841-9,860 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Circulars (4 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 878 and 879 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that the criteria by which SNA support is allocated to pupils is set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014, which issued to schools on 10th April 2014 and is available on my Department's website at www.education.ie. This Circular clarifies and restates the purpose of the SNA scheme i.e. to provide...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Springboard Programme (4 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The information requested by the Deputy is contained in the spreadsheet. The Higher Education Authority (HEA), which is managing Springboard on behalf of the Department of Education and Skills, monitors and evaluates the outcomes of the Springboard programme on an ongoing basis. A recent Trend Analysis on Springboard 2011 to 2013 compiled by the HEA shows that 52% of Springboard 2012-2013...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Programmes (4 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The total trainees supported under the first two rounds of Skillnets funding (i.e. 1999-2001 and 2002-2005) are reflected on a cumulative basis in the attached spreadsheet i.e. total trainees during Round 1 (1999-2001) was 12,815, and the total trainees during Round 2 (2002-2005) was 19,500. All trainee totals from 2006 onwards represent annual outputs. The cost data provided in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff Remuneration (4 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Public Service Stability Agreement 2013 – 2016 (Haddington Road Agreement) provides that revised salary scales shall be prepared for same grade entrants to the public service (including for example both teachers and special needs assistants) to incorporate the revision of salary scales introduced in 2011, in order to address the imbalance between those who entered the Public...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (4 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: International Students (4 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 884 and 894 together. As the Deputy will be aware, a number of private colleges have closed in 2014. The first priority of both the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Justice and Equality has been to find a reasonable accommodation for genuine students affected by those closures. This accommodation must have regard to the fact that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Contractors (4 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: School building projects which are funded from public monies, are required to use the forms of contract provided under the Capital Works Management Framework which includes a suite of public works contracts, standard conditions of engagement, model forms, suitability assessment questionnaires and guidance notes published by the Office of Government Procurement (OGP). The OGP is an office...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Child Abuse (4 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department is currently considering the review of day school abuse cases undertaken by the State Claims Agency, in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General and the State Claims Agency. I expect to be reporting back to Government in the coming weeks on this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Gaelscoileanna Issues (4 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department is in receipt of a submission in relation to the establishment of a Gaelcholáiste for the north Kildare area. This is being examined as part of a nationwide review of demographics to determine where additional school infrastructure will be needed at post-primary level from 2016 onwards. My Department's five-year construction plan is focused on meeting demographic demands...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Minor Works Scheme Expenditure (4 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Circular Letter 0062/2013, which was published as the minor works grant for the school year 2013/2014 issued last November, stated that the grant will only be paid in future years as funding permits. Under my Department's Infrastructure and Capital Investment Programme 2012-2016 the primary focus is on meeting demands for additional school places. My Department's capital allocation for 2015...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (4 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Apprenticeship in Ireland is driven by employer demand and SOLAS has no role in the recruitment/advertisement of apprentice positions. All employers wishing to recruit apprentices must first be approved by SOLAS. When a SOLAS approved employer submits an application to the local Education and Training Board 'Services to Business' office to register their employee as an apprentice, and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Reading Recovery Programme (4 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Reading Recovery is a literacy initiative that was initially made available for DEIS Band 1 and Band 2 schools only as part of Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) the Action Plan for Educational Inclusion, which was launched in May 2005. Each of these schools was given an opportunity to have a teacher trained as a Reading Recovery teacher. In some areas where training took...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (4 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Educational Welfare Services (EWS) of the Child and Family Agency is the statutory agency which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The EWS may be able to offer assistance and advice on securing a school placement within the pupil's area. The contact details for the EWS Child and Family Agency Head Office, 16-22 Green Street,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Statistics (4 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Circular Letter 10/2011 issued by my Department outlines the procedures regarding the career break scheme for registered teachers in recognised primary and post primary schools. The main objectives of this scheme is for managerial authorities of schools,wherever possible to facilitate applicants in the areas of personal development, voluntary service overseas, accompany spouse/partner on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Discipline (4 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Section 24 of the Education Act 1998, as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012, provides that the appointment, suspension and dismissal of teachers are the responsibility of Boards of Management of recognised schools. Under Circulars 71/2014 and 60/2009 (Revised Procedures for Suspension and Dismissal of Teachers) procedures are set out in regard to professional competence issues. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (4 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 895 and 896 together. My Department's over-riding objective is to ensure that every child has access to a physical school place and that our school system is in a position to cope with increasing numbers. In that regard, the highest priority has been assigned to school building projects serving rapidly developing areas where there is no existing school or...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Data (4 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: It is the function of the Department's Forward Planning Section to determine where additional school infrastructure might be needed. In this regard, it uses a Geographical Information System to analyse demographic data in order to determine the locations where additional school accommodation might be required. A variety of data sources are used in this analysis, including census data,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (4 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that all primary schools currently receive an allocation for learning support/resource teaching under the General Allocation Model (GAM) to support children who have mild general learning difficulties or learning support needs. Over 4,200 Learning Support/Resource Teachers have been allocated to schools for this purpose. The GAM is updated annually, based on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Payments (4 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: As part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (4 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The NCCA is developing a new specification for Irish at Junior Cycle. It is proposed to introduce the new specification for implementation from September 2016. In addition, the NCCA will be developing a short course that will allow students in Irish-medium schools, including Gaeltacht schools, to study and gain credit for an enriched engagement with aspects of the language. At Senior...