Results 12,041-12,060 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (16 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: My Department is taking a number of actions to minimise the impact on schools due to the Covid 19 crisis. Following the school closures in March 2020 my department developed and published a series of guidance to ensure continuity of learning for students while out of school. This guidance includes guidance to primary and post-primary schools to support the continuity of teaching and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: English Language Training Organisations (16 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: y Department is conscious of the issues in the English language education sector arising from the Covid-19 outbreak and has established a specific Working Group for this sector. This group is comprised of representatives of relevant Government Departments and representatives of both students and English language education providers. As part of this process, the representative bodies for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (16 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: There are no plans to introduce a standardised online learning platform of the nature described by the Deputy.  Schools are best placed to determine how best to support the learning needs of their students based on their own context and circumstances. Central to this is the role of the teacher in ensuring that continuity of engagement, regardless of the mechanisms chosen for that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (16 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: The Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment will not affect student grants in the academic year 2019/20. Students will continue to receive their maintenance grants as normal and the duration or value of the grant will not change. For the 20/21 academic year student grant applications will be assessed based on gross income from all sources for the period 1st January 2019 to 31st December 2019....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: I wish to inform the Deputy that there were a number of issues with the final stages of the tender process in respect of the projects in question including issues with the documentation provided to my Department by the school authority. These matters have now been addressed and the school authority has been given approval to proceed to construction in that context. 

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (16 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: My Department has published details of a summer programme for children with special educational needs enrolled in special schools, special classes and mainstream classes.  The programme incorporates some aspects of the July Provision of previous years.  Summer Provision 2020 – Reconnecting with Education, is a significantly expanded programme for children with complex...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Health Promotion (16 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: My Department supports Agri Aware’s Incredible Edibles programme, a healthy eating initiative for Primary School pupils. The programme is also supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Department of Health. It encourages schools across the country to grow carrots, lettuce, potatoes, strawberries, turnips and herbs. Schools are supplied with grow packs,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (16 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: As part of the calculated grades process, where a student is not satisfied with their calculated grade it can be appealed to my Department.  The appeals process is set out in the information available on my Department’s website. The appeals mechanism will ensure that each step in the process leading to the generation of a calculated grade has been followed correctly and that all...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: The Deputy will be aware that the project to which he refers has been devolved to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) for delivery as part of a programme of school building projects. The NDFA is currently undertaking the second phase of the process of appointment of multi-disciplinary technical advisors (design teams) for these projects. Thereafter, it will ensure that the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: English Language Training Organisations (16 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: I am aware of the challenges that are being encountered in the English language education sector and the substantial impact that the Covid-19 outbreak has had on students, teachers and providers in this sector.   The timeline and arrangements for the safe re-opening of English language education providers will be guided by public health advice applicable at a given time. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (16 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: As the Deputy is aware, the provision of new accommodation for the school in question is included in my Department’s capital programme.  The project to provide this school accommodation requires the acquisition of a suitable site and this has proved to be extremely challenging to date. I can confirm that Donegal County Council, acting on behalf of my Department under the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (16 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: My Department has published details of a summer programme for children with special educational needs enrolled in special schools, special classes and mainstream classes.  The programme incorporates some aspects of the July Provision of previous years.  Summer Provision 2020 – Reconnecting with Education, is a significantly expanded programme for children with complex...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (16 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: On Friday my Department published the report to Government “Planning for reopening schools in line with the Roadmap for reopening society and business” . The report sets out the clear ambition to develop a sustainable plan to fully reopen schools at the start of the next school year in late August/September in line with normal timeframes.   The report also sets out in brief...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (16 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: My Department has published details of a summer programme for children with special educational needs enrolled in special schools, special classes and mainstream classes.  The programme incorporates some aspects of the July Provision of previous years.  Summer Provision 2020 – Reconnecting with Education, is a significantly expanded programme for children with complex...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home School Community Liaison Scheme (16 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: I propose to answer Questions Nos. 235 and 276 together. It is currently not possible for the school referred to by the Deputies to avail of the services of a HSCL Coordinator within a HSCL cluster due to the school’s geographic location to other DEIS schools.  As an alternative provision, the school is in receipt of annual financial support in lieu of the services of a HSCL...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (16 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: Ensuring that every child has a suitable school placement is a key objective of my Department.  Significant resources are allocated each year to ensure that appropriate supports are available for children with special educational needs. Since 2011, the number of special classes in mainstream schools has increased almost threefold, from 548 to 1,618 for the 2019/2020 school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: I can inform the Deputy that a project has been approved for funding for the school in question under my Department's Additonal Accommodation Scheme 2018 and has been devolved for delivery to the school authority in that context. I can also inform the Deputy that my Department has approved this project to proceed to planning on the basis of a project to include one mainstream...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Institutions (16 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: As part of the collaborative response to this pandemic with key tertiary education stakeholders, the Department has established working groups composed of experts to assess and respond to the impacts of Covid 19 across the Sector.  These working groups members are reviewing specific and acute needs within Tertiary Education including the financial impacts and challenges for International...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (16 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: I propose to answer Questions Nos. 240 and 241 together. My Department has published details of a summer programme for children with special educational needs enrolled in special schools, special classes and mainstream classes.  The programme incorporates some aspects of the July Provision of previous years.  Summer Provision 2020 – Reconnecting with Education, is a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (16 Jun 2020)

Joe McHugh: Where a student is studying one or more subjects outside of a recognised school, the Guide for Schools on Providing Estimated Percentage Marks and Class Rank Orderings, published by my Department, states that every effort should be made by the school to provide an estimated mark where the principal is confident that there is sufficient evidence of the student’s achievement to make an...