Results 12,701-12,720 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (18 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The inclusion of children with additional needs at all levels of the education system is an integral element of government policy. Government investment in early childhood care and education services is funded primarily through the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. The Early Childhood Care and Education programme, which is funded by that Department, includes a number of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (18 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I am aware that concerns have been raised by students about the content of the ordinary level Leaving Certificate Mathematics paper 1. I have asked the State Examinations Commission to bring these concerns to the attention of the Chief Examiner for the examination. Commentary and correspondence on the examination from teachers, professional bodies and other interested parties is considered by...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: European Court of Human Rights Judgments (18 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The position in relation to those cases that were not progressed for a number of reasons, including those which might have been discontinued after receiving letters from the State Claims Agency is that I asked the Agency to undertake a review to clarify the exact position as to whether the cases had been formally discontinued or not. The Agency has completed its review and my Department...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (18 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can confirm that a joint technical inspection of a number of potential site options for a proposed campus development in Buncrana has been conducted by officials from my Department and officials from Donegal County Council. A technical report is currently being compiled by the professional and technical staff from my Department. When the technical report has been completed, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Secondment (18 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions 241 and 242 together. My Department, through the teacher support services and education centres, engages teachers on a full time basis annually for the provision of continuing professional development (CPD) through secondment from their schools. Secondments are always subject to annual review and renewal. The arrangements provide flexibility and ensure that the...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Oibreacha Feabhsúcháin do Scoileanna (18 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to clarify the current position on the school in Carraroe, County Galway. The Senator will be aware of the demographic challenge facing the education system in the coming years. Primary enrolments, which have already risen substantially in recent years, are projected to rise by over 36,000 pupils by 2016 and are set to continue to rise, with a likely peak at around 574,000 pupils to...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Oibreacha Feabhsúcháin do Scoileanna (18 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The coming days are relatively soon and if there is any delay I am sure the Senator or the school will contact me and let me know. With regard to the funding, I imagine it will not have to wait for the next five year capital funding programme, which will be from the beginning of 2016. Issues such as this, with regard to needed accommodation can be considered in the meantime so it would not...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Child Abuse (23 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Government agreed that out of court settlements be offered in those cases of school child sexual abuse being brought against the State where the cases come within the terms of the ECHR judgment and satisfy the Statute of Limitations. The State Claims Agency is engaging with plaintiffs' solicitors to clarify the position in cases and to make settlement offers where appropriate. In pursuing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Children First Guidelines (23 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department has issued "Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools" based on the "Children First – National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2011" and which apply to all primary and post-primary schools. The purpose of the procedures is to give direction and guidance to school authorities in the implementation of Children First when dealing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Planning Issues (23 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department is currently considering all the options available to it in light of the refusal of planning permission by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council for the access road to the site in question. My Department is currently engaging with the key stakeholders in that respect and has also lodged an appeal of the decision to An Bord Pleanala. The school in question continues to be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (23 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Design Team on the project for the school referred to by the Deputy has recently completed stage 2(a) and has been authorised to progress to Stage 2(b), which includes the application for planning permission and other statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documents. Following the completion of stage 2(b) the project will then be authorised to proceed to tender and construction...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (23 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Officials in my Department, through the Chief State Solicitor's Office, are currently working with the Solicitors acting on behalf of the landowners concerned on the legal procedures and mechanisms required to facilitate the transfer to the Minister of the property referred to by the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Guidance Counsellors (23 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Up until September 2012, an ex-quota allocation was provided for guidance in addition to the standard teacher allocation to post primary schools. This resource was allocated in accordance with pupil enrolment. 42% of second-level schools at the time were allocated at least 22 hours per week in respect of guidance (22 hours being the equivalent of one teaching post) while the remainder of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Eligibility (23 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has no record of receiving an application from the school to which he refers for the works outlined. The works in question are appropriate to the Summer Works Scheme, the purpose of which is to devolve funding to individual school authorities to facilitate carrying out small and medium scale capital works that will improve and upgrade...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (23 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The last Budget included an increase in spending on education for the first time in recent years, amounting to additional funding of €60m during 2015. That increase has provided funding for 1,700 additional teachers and SNAs to be recruited for our schools, as well as funding important reforms. However, it was not possible to secure the funding which would be required to also increase...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (23 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The staffing arrangements for primary schools for the 2015/16 school year are set out in Department Circular 0005/2015 which is available on my Department's website. The circular sets out the improvements to the staffing schedule for the 2015/16 school year for small schools. These improvements are improved retention thresholds for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th classroom teacher and also the improved...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (23 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take questions 523 and 524 together. The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to primary schools is published annually on the website of the Department of Education and Skills. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (23 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Provisional data on the number of mainstream pupils in the 2014/2015 school year is available by individual primary school on my Department's website at the following link . This includes information on the number of mainstream class teachers.Final data in relation to the 2014/15 school year will be published later in the current school year.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Minor Works Scheme Expenditure (23 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy is aware the Minor Works Grant for the school year 2014/2015 was issued to all primary schools last December. For the first time the grant issued to schools with provisional recognition only. As I said on 4 March 2015 before the Select Committee on Education and Skills with regards to the Minor Works Grant 2015/2016, the normal practice is for that to be announced later in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service Administration (23 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can inform the Deputy that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychology service to all primary and post primary schools through an assigned NEPS psychologist and in some cases through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA), full details of which are on the Department's website. Under this scheme schools can have an...