Results 13,521-13,540 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (1 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 226, 234 and 235 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (1 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts is published annually on the Department website. 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 September. There is no change to the staffing of the school referred to by the Deputy for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (1 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy recently made an application to my Department for capital funding for the provision of additional accommodation. The application is currently being considered and a decision will be conveyed to the school as soon as the assessment process has been concluded.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Redeployment (1 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department has no direct involvement in the deployment of teachers within individual Education and Training Boards (ETBs). Teacher allocations to all ETBs are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment and, in accordance with these rules, each ETB is required to organise its subject options within the limit of its approved...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (1 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The building project referred to by the Deputy is included in the Five Year Construction Programme to proceed to Tender and Construction. The original design team appointed to the project had reached completion of Stage 1 of Architectural Planning. As part of that work and following an assessment of the current accommodation, it was agreed by the Department that extensive additional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (1 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I have not considered any proposal for the provision of a free laptop to every child over five years of age in the State. The Digital Strategy for Schools will be published shortly and sets out an ambitious five year plan to further embed ICT in teaching, learning and assessment. Under this Strategy my Department will identify a set of funding priorities annually over the lifetime of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (1 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Teacher allocations to all schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The staffing schedule at primary level operates on the basis of 1 classroom teacher for an average of every 28 pupils, with lower thresholds for DEIS Band 1 schools. Each one point adjustment to the current 28:1 schedule at primary level is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (1 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As part of the Budget 2012 decisions, the number of pupils required to gain and retain a classroom teaching post in small primary schools was gradually increased between September 2012 and September 2014. An appeals process was made available to schools that are affected by this measure. The cumulative savings achieved to date from the 2012 small schools budget measure are of the order of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Expenditure (1 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that on 21st May, 2015, I announced that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) will increase its allocation of Resource Teacher Posts to schools by over 9% for the start of the 2015/16 school year. The NCSE has allocated 6,454 resource teacher posts to schools for September 2015, an increase of 554 posts - or 9.4% - since September 2014. Even in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Expenditure (1 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Circular 25/02 which is available on the Department website outlines the number of days that teaching principals may take as release time in a school year in order to assist them fulfilling their principal duties. Under these arrangements my Department pays for a substitute teacher to be employed by a school to facilitate administrative functions to be undertaken by the teaching principal....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Expenditure (1 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Since September 2012 at post primary level guidance provision is organised by school management from within the staffing schedule allocation. Guidance is a whole school activity and schools have autonomy on how best to prioritise their available resources to meet the requirements in relation to guidance and the provision of an appropriate range of subjects to students. The budget measure...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Assistance Fund (1 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The objective of the Student Assistance Fund is to assist students in a sensitive and compassionate manner who might otherwise, because of financial reasons, suffer severe hardship or be unable to continue their third-level studies. The Fund for Students with Disabilities provides grants towards the provision of services, purchase of equipment and provision of academic supports for students...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (1 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Due to economic circumstances, a number of difficult expenditure reduction measures were taken in recent budgets. A decision in Budget 2012 has meant that new students entering postgraduate courses from the 2012/13 academic year onwards are not entitled to maintenance payments under the Student Grant Scheme, but may qualify in some circumstances for limited fee support. Those who meet the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (1 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The funding arrangements made by my Department for post primary schools reflect the sectoral division of our second-level system. At the core of all arrangements is reliance upon capitation as the principal determinant of funding. My Department provides funding to Community and Comprehensive schools on a budget basis that is based mainly on pupil numbers, but also take into account...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (1 Oct 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...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Data (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I understand the Deputy's question refers to the allocation of resource teachers. The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, identified that the current model for allocating resource teachers to schools is potentially inequitable because access to professional assessments is not always readily available to those who cannot afford to access them privately. The proposed new model...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Data (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: On the Deputy's specific question about the pilot schools, 47 schools will take part. A total of 28 primary and 19 post-primary schools have agreed to participate in the pilot project. They were initially selected by the Educational Research Centre and efforts were made to include schools of different sizes, different levels of disadvantage and gender differences. One of the commitments...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Data (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Department has consistently increased the number of special needs assistants and resource teaching hours in recent years. The increases this year were especially significant, and we also increased the number of NEPS psychologists. This year, for the first time, every school has access to a NEPS psychologist. Every school is allocated a specific number of psychological assessments and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The full-year cost of a one-point reduction to the primary staffing schedule is estimated to be €18 million. Therefore, the full-year cost of a five-point reduction would increase the annual primary teacher pay costs by an estimated €90 million per annum. Across the five-year period of reduction, the cumulative increase in pay provision is estimated at €270 million....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: In terms of the capital allocation and based on demographic changes, we expect we will need 19,000 more places in primary schools and 43,000 more places in post-primary schools over the next six years. I acknowledge the Deputy is asking about a five-year period, but we have done the figures for six because that is the length of the capital programme. That is the demographic rise. In terms...