Results 1,341-1,360 of 19,559 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (15 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (15 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of my Department. In the 2019/2020 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Supply Panels (15 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: The Roadmap for the Full Return to School provides for comprehensive supports across a range of areas to allow for the safe reopening of schools. Among the supports provided is the extension of the Substitute Teacher Supply Panel. The scheme has been expanded from a pilot scheme consisting of 6 base schools to over 100 base schools, providing substitute cover to over 2,000 schools across the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (15 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: The decision to adopt a model of Calculated Grades by my Department was a direct result of COVID-19, which prevented the state from running the conventional Leaving Certificate Examinations. The design of the Calculated Grades model was informed by advice from a Technical Working Group comprising experts drawn from the State Examinations Commission, the Inspectorate of my Department, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (15 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: The decision to adopt a model of Calculated Grades by my Department was a direct result of COVID-19, which prevented the state from running the conventional Leaving Certificate Examinations. The design of the Calculated Grades model was informed by advice from a Technical Working Group comprising experts drawn from the State Examinations Commission, the Inspectorate of the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (15 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has no record of receiving correspondence in relation to the matter to which she refers at the school in question.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (15 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department has published a suite of helpful guidance for the safe and sustainable reopening of schools, in line with public health advice, including guidance on the completion and implementation of a Covid-19 response plan by primary, special and post-primary schools. Each school is required to have a COVID-19 Response Plan in place. Covid-19 response plans are the means through which...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (15 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 412 to 414, inclusive, together. School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (15 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme (15 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: In late 2019, details of the schools that are eligible to receive funding for the 2020 Summer Works Scheme in respect of applications submitted for "Life Safety Systems projects" (Category 1) were announced. Commensurate with the level of funding set aside for the scheme, applications are being assessed on a top down basis in accordance with the prioritisation criteria outlined in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (15 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (15 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: The permanent school building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is being delivered under my Department's Design and Build programme. A pre-planning meeting was held with Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council earlier in the year and this is informing the design for the project. Lodgement of the Planning Application will be the next key milestone in the progression of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (15 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: A building project to provide a new school building for the school referred to by the Deputy is included in my Department’s building programme. My Department is exploring the potential to masterplan the site in question, which is in my ownership, to accommodate two primary schools and will be in contact with the patron as this process progresses.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (15 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (15 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of my Department. In the 2019/2020 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Schooling (15 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: Home schooling is a matter which is dealt with by Tusla and parents can access information in relation to home schooling via My Department is aware that some parents and children will have concerns about returning to school. My Department has developed and prepared a comprehensive response to supporting the wellbeing of school communities at this time. NEPS will work with schools to support...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (15 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: 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.  The staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally irrespective of location. The staffing schedule includes an appeals...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (15 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: I am very conscious of the staffing schedule and the need to prioritise teacher allocations in primary schools given their vital role in communities around the country. I am looking at how best to make further progress in reducing the primary teacher ratio in the context of the  Programme for Government implementation. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (15 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department received advice from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) on the use of face coverings in educational settings on the 6th August 2020.It is a requirement for face coverings to be worn by teachers, staff in schools and students attending post primary school. However Public health advice also provides that cloth face coverings should not be worn by any of the following...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (15 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department has been in contact with the school in relation to the issue raised by the Deputy and will continue to engage with the school until the matter is resolved. My Department received advice from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) on the use of face coverings in educational settings on the 6th August 2020. It is a requirement for face coverings to be worn by teachers,...