Results 10,281-10,300 of 19,632 for speaker:Norma Foley

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Díolúintí i leith Staidéar na Gaeilge sa Mheánscolaíocht: Plé (Atógáil) (26 Oct 2022)

Norma Foley: Tá an-áthas orm a bheith anseo le Comhchoiste na Gaeilge, na Gaeltachta agus Phobal Labhartha na Gaeilge chun plé a dhéanamh ar dhíolúintí ó staidéar a dhéanamh ar an nGaeilge. Tá an cás a bhaineann le díolúintí teanga casta agus níl aon réitigh shimplí ar fáil ina leith. Feidhmíonn an Roinn...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Díolúintí i leith Staidéar na Gaeilge sa Mheánscolaíocht: Plé (Atógáil) (26 Oct 2022)

Norma Foley: Ar an gcéad dul síos, níl sé sin ceart ó thaobh na dtíortha eile. There are exemptions for languages in other countries, such as the UK, Poland and Italy. Specifically with regard to students who have an exemption, we are moving away from a diagnostic-led situation. We have invited schools to work to support students over a prolonged period of time, most...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Díolúintí i leith Staidéar na Gaeilge sa Mheánscolaíocht: Plé (Atógáil) (26 Oct 2022)

Norma Foley: On the supports, I want to be very clear that there are considerable supports being provided in our schools for students who are in receipt of special education. For example, we currently have almost 40,000 staff in our schools dedicated to supporting children who have a particular special education need. That is considerable support. It is a massive support given where we were heretofore....

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Díolúintí i leith Staidéar na Gaeilge sa Mheánscolaíocht: Plé (Atógáil) (26 Oct 2022)

Norma Foley: Chun an fhírinne a rá, ní dóigh liom go bhfuil sé sin ceart. I do not think that is 100% correct because the adjudication will only be made after a number of years of intervention by the school team. That includes the SET allocation and in some instances the pastoral team. The sign-off may well come from the principal but it will be a decision that has been reached...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Díolúintí i leith Staidéar na Gaeilge sa Mheánscolaíocht: Plé (Atógáil) (26 Oct 2022)

Norma Foley: That process may well have begun at primary school level. It is a two-year intervention. We have strong distributed leadership in our schools. One in three staff members within our schools are now post holders. Many of them hold posts in the area of special education. It is not a unilateral decision made by the principal, and nor would I want it to be. It is a shared decision which is...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Díolúintí i leith Staidéar na Gaeilge sa Mheánscolaíocht: Plé (Atógáil) (26 Oct 2022)

Norma Foley: Ar an gcéad dul síos, tá an ceart ag an Teachta. Tá réimse an-leathan ann. The very wide range of special education needs is largely due to the fact that we know so much more now in terms of special education than we did in 1998 when special education was first recognised. At that time we had 104 special education teachers and 229 special needs assistants, SNAs, in...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Díolúintí i leith Staidéar na Gaeilge sa Mheánscolaíocht: Plé (Atógáil) (26 Oct 2022)

Norma Foley: It is never envisaged that students should fall out of the loop as it were. Even when students receive an exemption, it is very clear that they are encouraged to continue to experience Irish in the school and class and to participate and be part of Irish. The agenda is not for students to fall out of the loop. The works under way via the Department are quite considerable. We have our...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Díolúintí i leith Staidéar na Gaeilge sa Mheánscolaíocht: Plé (Atógáil) (26 Oct 2022)

Norma Foley: I cannot speak to the Deputy's experience but I also have considerable experience in the school sector. I know that schools must be in a position to produce the portfolio showing the interventions over a two-year period; for example, where there has been engagement with the special education teacher and the various interventions introduced into the school. When the inspectorate visits a...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Díolúintí i leith Staidéar na Gaeilge sa Mheánscolaíocht: Plé (Atógáil) (26 Oct 2022)

Norma Foley: In the first instance, aontaím leis that there is a dual agenda here. One is to support children with special educational needs, and the second is to support the growth and advancement of the Irish language. We are on the same page in respect of that. With regard to the supports we provide to children and young people with special educational needs, and I referenced it earlier, we...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Díolúintí i leith Staidéar na Gaeilge sa Mheánscolaíocht: Plé (Atógáil) (26 Oct 2022)

Norma Foley: Regarding the supports that are being provided to children and young people, I will be very clear. I have referenced it a number of times and do not wish to repeat it but instances of a derogation or an exemption being provided for Irish only happen after two years of intervention in the school where particular supports have been put in place, whether it is differentiated learning or...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Díolúintí i leith Staidéar na Gaeilge sa Mheánscolaíocht: Plé (Atógáil) (26 Oct 2022)

Norma Foley: In terms of the monitoring, I want to be very clear. When the inspectorate, whose representatives are more at liberty here to give the detail, visits a school, whether for a subject inspection, a whole-school evaluation, WSC, or whatever type of inspection, the data on exemptions being provided are available to its officials and are then obviously available within the Department. It is...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Díolúintí i leith Staidéar na Gaeilge sa Mheánscolaíocht: Plé (Atógáil) (26 Oct 2022)

Norma Foley: In fairness, when looking at that increase, we are talking about 1.9% at primary level, and when compared to 2017, when it was at 3.3%, it is a significant decrease at primary level. Compared with the figures from 2017 at post-primary level, they are almost static at 10.5% currently and 9.4% in 2017. We are seeing changes in the education system too, which we need to acknowledge. We are...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Díolúintí i leith Staidéar na Gaeilge sa Mheánscolaíocht: Plé (Atógáil) (26 Oct 2022)

Norma Foley: That is the aidhm. That is the objective, in as far as possible if the student can access that. If an exemption has been given previously, it has been given on the strength of two years of intervention and working with the student. There is an ultimate recognition that the student is particularly challenged in this area and that it is creating certain difficulties in not allowing them to...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Díolúintí i leith Staidéar na Gaeilge sa Mheánscolaíocht: Plé (Atógáil) (26 Oct 2022)

Norma Foley: The policy for outside the Gaeltacht areas is progressing and it will go to public consultation before the end of this week. That is important. The Deputy referred to daoine ag féachaint ar an nGaelainn mar fhadhb, looking at Irish as a problem as opposed to a gift or a positive. I want to be very clear. Within the Department, we look upon it as integral to our identity and our...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Díolúintí i leith Staidéar na Gaeilge sa Mheánscolaíocht: Plé (Atógáil) (26 Oct 2022)

Norma Foley: With regard to the increase in the number of students applying for or receiving exemptions, we have an increase in the number of students who are coming from abroad and a significant increase in the number of students who are presenting with a special educational need. Therefore, in acknowledgement of that, we will see an element of increase in the exemptions. We have also introduced a...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Díolúintí i leith Staidéar na Gaeilge sa Mheánscolaíocht: Plé (Atógáil) (26 Oct 2022)

Norma Foley: Everybody who comes before a committee will have their own breadth of vision and experience. What I will say is that I have an obligation to balance the needs of all of the children and young people in the education system. We have actually seen a decrease in exemptions at primary school level to 1.9% compared to 3.3% in 2017. At post-primary level, we are talking about 9.4% in 2017 and...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Díolúintí i leith Staidéar na Gaeilge sa Mheánscolaíocht: Plé (Atógáil) (26 Oct 2022)

Norma Foley: It will go to public consultation. I cannot give the Deputy the exact date of when it will be completed but it is a very positive step forward that it will go to public consultation. With regard to students taking another language, I wish to be very clear that if it has been identified after a series of interventions that a student cannot access the Irish language, it is identifiable. I...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Díolúintí i leith Staidéar na Gaeilge sa Mheánscolaíocht: Plé (Atógáil) (26 Oct 2022)

Norma Foley: Tá brón orm ach tá cruinniú eile agam.

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Díolúintí i leith Staidéar na Gaeilge sa Mheánscolaíocht: Plé (Atógáil) (26 Oct 2022)

Norma Foley: Is é sin an t-am a tugadh dom. That was the time that was given to me. Tá brón orm.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Schools Amalgamation (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputies for raising this matter as it gives me the opportunity to outline for the House the position with regard to the amalgamation of St Vincent's Secondary School and North Presentation Secondary School in Cork. St. Vincent's Secondary School is a post-primary school for girls under the patronage of the Religious Sisters of Charity. It had 215 students in the 2021-2022...