Results 1,121-1,140 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: For the purposes of post-primary education provision, the country is divided into catchment areas, each of which has its own post-primary education centre. The catchment boundaries were determined following consultation with local educational interests, and the intention was that certain primary schools would feed exclusively into each centre. My Department provides accommodation to meet the...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: For the purposes of post-primary education provision, the country is divided into catchment areas, each of which has its own post-primary education centre. The catchment boundaries were determined following consultation with local educational interests and the intention was that certain primary schools would feed exclusively into each centre. My Department provides accommodation to meet the...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: An application is currently being considered from this school to improve accommodation in September.

Written Answers — Boards of Management: Boards of Management (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: To expedite the appointment of a principal to oversee the commencement of the school to which the Deputy refers, it is essential that a board of management is appointed immediately. This board must be constituted in accordance with the existing model which does not, at this point in time, allow for parent or teacher representation. This board, however, will be replaced by a board that will...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: A report on this case has been requested from Bus Éireann. The Deputy will be advised of the position when the report has been received and assessed.

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 213 and 214 together. My Department is aware that Balbriggan is a rapidly developing area and it is taking a number of measures to address this situation. Under the capital programme for 2005, sanction has been given for temporary accommodation at St. Molagas national school, Scoil Peadar agus Pól national school and St. George's national school to cater for...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Every effort is made to ensure that children with special educational needs receive an education appropriate to their needs. Decisions regarding the most appropriate model of response in each particular case are based on the professionally-assessed needs of the individual child. Children who have been assessed as having special educational needs have access to a range of special support...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The school referred to by the Deputy currently has the services of one shared learning support teacher and two resource teachers. In light of the reality that pupils in the high incidence disability categories of mild and borderline mild general learning disability and dyslexia are distributed throughout the education system, my Department, in consultation with educational interests,...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The review of the school transport scheme within my Department is at an advanced stage. The steps required to bring the matter to an early conclusion are under active consideration at present.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has already undertaken the preparation of guidelines for special needs provision in post-primary schools. These guidelines have been prepared in consultation with representatives of special education departments engaged in providing training to teachers in the area of special needs education at second level. The draft guidelines are currently being edited and discussions will...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Every effort is made to ensure that children with special educational needs receive an education appropriate to their needs. Decisions regarding the most appropriate model of response in each particular case are based on the professionally-assessed needs of the individual child. Children who have been assessed as having special educational needs have access to a range of special support...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: In light of the reality that pupils in the high incidence disability categories of mild and borderline mild general learning disability and dyslexia are distributed throughout the education system, my Department, in consultation with educational interests, developed a general model of resource teacher allocation to schools to support students in these disability categories. This model, which...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: In the case of secondary schools, my Department provides funding towards the cost of secretarial services under two separate schemes. The first of these is the 1978-79 scheme for the employment of school secretaries in secondary schools, under which my Department meets the full cost of salary. Pension scheme arrangements apply since 1985 to secretaries employed under this scheme. The 1978-79...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The process of reviewing the thresholds for eligibility and the grant levels for the 2005-06 academic year is currently ongoing. Decisions on the 2005 schemes will be announced as soon as this process is completed.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The school concerned has the services of two full time special needs assistants, SNAs, including the SNA referred to by the Deputy. The Deputy will be aware that a review of SNA provision in primary schools is continuing. The review is concerned with the level and deployment of SNA posts in mainstream classes. The intention is to ensure that the level of approved SNA support in schools, and...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (3 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Under the terms of the primary school transport scheme, children are eligible, subject to conditions, for free transport to their nearest national school or school of amalgamation. Pupils not attending their nearest national school may, subject to conditions, avail of concessionary fare-paying transport to another school, subject to spare accommodation being available on the bus and provided...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (3 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 185 and 186 together. In the light of the reality that pupils in the high-incidence disability categories of mild and borderline mild general learning disability and dyslexia are distributed throughout the education system, my Department, in consultation with educational interests, developed a general model of resource teacher allocation to schools to support...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (3 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: An application for refurbishment has been received from the school to which the Deputy refers. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria, which were revised following consultation with the education partners. Progress on the project is being considered in the context of the school building programme. In that regard, the Deputy will be aware...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (3 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that approval has recently been given for the design team to invite tenders, subject to some amendments being made to the tender documentation, for the new school project to which she refers. Construction will commence as soon as possible thereafter subject to a satisfactory outcome to the tender process.

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (3 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy should note that significant improvements have been made in this area in recent years. The pupil-teacher ratio, which includes all the teachers in the school including resource teachers, has fallen from 22.2:1 in the 1996-97 school year to 17.44:1 in 2003-04. Over 4,000 additional teachers have been employed in our primary schools since 1997. These additional teaching posts have...