Results 13,061-13,080 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (8 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 207 and 208 together. As the Deputy may be aware I have recently begun a process to renew the DEIS programme. This process involves a number of strands including: a consultation process with education partners, which commenced in April with a closing date of 22nd May 2015, to inform development of appropriate interventions to tackle educational...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pension Provisions (8 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Based on available information it appears that the person to whom the Deputy refers has a pension entitlement in respect of service as a Special Needs Assistant. In order for a member of a pension scheme administered by my Department to claim pension payment it is necessary to make application to my Department. Specific application forms for this purpose are available on my Departments...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Draft Educational Research Centre (Establishment) Order 2015: Discussion with the Minister for Education and Skills (8 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I welcome the opportunity to brief committee members on the establishment of the Educational Research Centre, ERC, Drumcondra as a body corporate under section 54 of the Education Act 1998. The ERC was founded on the initiative of the Department of Education and St. Patrick’s College in the 1960s. Since its foundation, the ERC has been an internationally recognised centre of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Draft Educational Research Centre (Establishment) Order 2015: Discussion with the Minister for Education and Skills (8 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: All of the members who contributed spoke about the importance of the independence of the centre, which is crucial, as well as the confidence people have in its independence and also in its excellence. That was a common thread in the contributions. Deputy O'Brien asked about the board and the plan. I will appoint the board in the near future. The number we intend to appoint is five. I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Draft Educational Research Centre (Establishment) Order 2015: Discussion with the Minister for Education and Skills (8 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: It will be around the area of reporting back to parents on the school-based assessment and the reporting mechanism that will be adopted. Tests on numeracy and literacy are regularly reported to parents as well. It is that type of advice with regard to how exactly we report on the progress of students. The junior cycle has to go to a ballot of the teaching unions, but the discussion is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Draft Educational Research Centre (Establishment) Order 2015: Discussion with the Minister for Education and Skills (8 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: It draws on a very wide range of research across the world in terms of comparators. It also uses the longitudinal studies and all of the material available in Ireland, whether that is from Pobal, the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, or other sources of research. It has done a great deal of work in early years, for example, which would not necessarily be under the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (9 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. The criteria by which SNA support is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (9 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Student Grant Appeals Board considered an appeal from the student referred to by the Deputy and upheld the original decision by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) on the grounds that the student's reckonable income was over the limit of €22,703 and she was therefore not eligible for the award of the special rate of grant. Income from participation in Tús and Gateway...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (9 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that my Department provided grant aid to the school in question under the 2012 Prefab Replacement Scheme to construct three mainstream permanent classrooms. I understand that this building project has now been completed. The school has recently submitted a further application for capital funding to my Department. My officials have been in contact with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (9 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that officials in my Department have been working with officials from Meath County Council in relation to the identification and acquisition of a suitable permanent site for the school to which she refers. Subsequent to appraisal of options, a suitable site option has been identified and is being progressed. Given the commercial sensitivities associated with land...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Applications (9 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers has recently applied to my Department for large scale capital funding to provide a new school building. My Department has been in recent contact with the School in respect of their proposal and will be in a position to assess the proposal further when a response to the queries raised is received.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (9 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to schools is published annually on the Department's website. The staffing process includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeals Board. The staffing arrangements for the 2015/16 school year (Circular 0005/2015), provides details for schools wishing to make an appeal. As set...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (14 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to firstly advise the Deputy that the 1998 Education Act requires Boards of Management of each school to publish the policy of the school relating to participation by students with special educational needs, including students who are exceptionally able. The measures schools take in this regard are required to be stated in the school plan. It is the duty of the Board of Management to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (14 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: In accordance with the Rules and Programme for Secondary Schools, to be eligible to be admitted to the Junior Certificate Examination, a student must have followed an approved Junior Certificate course of not less than three years' duration. Likewise, to be eligible for admission to the established Leaving Certificate Examination, a student must have followed an approved established Leaving...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil Data Collection (14 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The data requested by the Deputy on average class size in primary schools is available on my Department's website at the following link: Due to the moveable nature of classes at post-primary level depending on subject choices, class size data is not available at post-primary level.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions Entry Requirements (14 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) is a college and university admissions scheme which offers places on reduced points and extra college support to school leavers from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The scheme is operated by a number of higher education institutions and not by my Department. Admissions to the institutions are regulated by the institutions themselves....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (14 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy will be aware, a set of proposals for a public service agreement were put forward by the Labour Relations Commission which now form the Public Service Stability Agreement 2013-2016 (the Haddington Road Agreement). One aspect of this Agreement relates to supplementary assignment arrangements for Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) and as both Unions that represent SNAs namely, SIPTU...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Postcode System Implementation (14 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Business areas within my Department are drawing up implementation plans to include Eircodes on key databases, i.e. those holding addresses of school employees, schools, Boards of Management, suppliers etc. Development work needed to support Eircodes will be scheduled along with other changes to our systems to minimise costs and disruption to the everyday work of the Department.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Amalgamation (14 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy will be aware, the Patron of the schools to which he refers has determined that the new amalgamated school should be located on the site and buildings of one of the schools in question. In reaching this decision, the Patron and schools had available to them an independent technical report that reviewed the curricular capacity of both school buildings and sites. A separate...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (14 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: A devolved grant was approved to the school in question earlier this year to construct an additional mainstream classroom. The school subsequently sought additional funding to complete associated works and I am pleased to advise the Deputy that funding was recently approved to the school for this purpose.