Results 14,401-14,420 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Data (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: There are currently 34,896 primary teachers employed in either a permanent, fixed term , Contract of Indefinite Duration or Regular -Part-Time capacity in recognised primary schools paid on my Department payrolls. The corresponding figure for post primary teachers employed in Voluntary Secondary and Community / Comprehensive schools is 18,859.These figures include those who are job sharing....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Designation (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The school referred to by the Deputy participates in the Urban Band 2 category of DEIS. The school was selected for this category following an extensive identification process to select schools for inclusion in DEIS which was conducted in 2005. As the Deputy will be aware, a process for the review of the DEIS Programme which I announced earlier this year, is currently underway in my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: In September 2014 implementation of the Junior Cycle commenced with a new specification in English and the availability of a number of short courses. The 2015 Junior Cycle Framework was published in August 2015. Agreement was reached with the leadership of the two unions in May 2015 on revised reform proposals and on supporting implementation resources in July 2015.Following a ballot of...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of architectural planning. The Design Team appointment was finalised in July 2015 and the project was authorised to proceed to Stage 2(a) which is the developed design stage. Prior to the appointment of the Design Team my Department had already secured planning permission for the project using in-house...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Programme for Government gives a commitment to move towards a more pluralist system of patronage for our schools. In this context, the Government established a Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector. The Forum advised on how the education system can provide a sufficiently diverse number and range of primary schools catering for all religions and none and on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Addiction Prevention Programmes (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: There are a number of ways in which education on addiction prevention is addressed in schools. Schools have a role in supporting students to develop the key skills and knowledge to enable them to make informed choices when faced with a range of difficult issues, including drugs and alcohol. This is mainly done through the Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) programme, which has a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Since the beginning of the financial crisis, there has been a need to enact a number of measures to reduce public expenditure. These measures were implemented at a time of very difficult financial and budgetary circumstances for the State. Since first entering Government, we have been committed to achieving such reductions through negotiation. The Haddington Road Agreement, to which teacher...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Skills Development (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Further Education and Training Strategy and the Higher Education Strategy have a major focus on employer engagement being responsive to the skill needs of the economy. Both sectors are closely engaged in the establishment of new Regional Skills Fora to engage with employers and inform the shape of education and training provision. The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, which is funded...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: This year 11,940 SNAs are available for allocation to primary and secondary schools, which is an increase of 13% in the number of posts available since 2011. The NCSE has allocated 6832 Resource teaching posts to mainstream schools this year, which is an increase of 29% since 2011. In addition, over 150 new Special Classes have been opened for the 2015/16 school year, which means there are...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: The NCSE has allocated 6832 Resource Teaching posts to mainstream schools this year. This is an increase of 29% in the allocation since 2011. 3965 of these posts have been allocated to primary schools, which is an increase of 11% over the allocation made last year. The General Allocation Model (GAM) is now updated annually for all primary schools, to take account of increased enrolments. 4273...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: All mainstream schools are allocated additional teaching resources to cater for children with High Incidence special educational needs, including Specific Learning Disabilities, of which Dyslexia is one such SLD. The Special Educational Support Service provides training courses for schools in the area of Dyslexia as well as support for in-school seminars and attendance at relevant...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy will be aware DEIS – Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools, is my Departments main policy instrument for tackling educational disadvantage. Every effort is made to prioritise funding and support the objectives of improved educational outcomes through the DEIS programme, which includes additional funding and teaching resources in DEIS schools. The Deputy may also...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: It is difficult to make precise comparisons between the levels of grants paid and the actual costs of running schools at primary and post primary levels. However it is self-evident that the maintenance and running costs for second level schools are much greater on a unit cost basis than those in primary schools. In general, second level schools are larger than primary schools and have a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Data (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: During the 2013/2014 school year a total of 9,421 teaching days were worked by 537 retired teachers: 302 retired Primary school teachers worked 5,259 days and 235 retired Voluntary Secondary and Community and Comprehensive schools teachers worked 4,162 days. During the 2014/2015 school year a total of 10,391 teaching days were worked by 560 retired teachers: 320 retired Primary school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Health Promotion (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The manner in which the challenge was taken in this case is a matter for the schools involved. I would like to commend the school for prioritising the health of their students in deciding their school policy on this matter. Schools and the wider education sector have a vital role to play in contributing to the Government's 'Healthy Ireland' agenda set out in the Framework for Improved Health...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Policy Reviews (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Extensive consultation has taken place since I launched my Department's Policy Proposals on Gaeltacht education last May. The consultation has provided a valuable opportunity to hear the opinions of schools, stakeholders and Gaeltacht communities. The consultation included a survey, written submissions, public meetings in three Gaeltacht areas, and meetings with a range of stakeholder groups....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Under the Equal Status Act, schools are not permitted to discriminate in admission on any of the grounds set out in the Act. However the Act contains an exemption which permits schools in which the objective is to provide education that promotes certain religious values, to admit a student of a particular religion in preference to others. The Deputy will be aware of the many positive...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Data (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: All mainstream schools have been allocated additional teaching resources to cater for children with High Incidence special educational needs, including Specific Learning Disabilities, of which Dyslexia is one such SLD. My Department therefore does not hold details of the number of children attending primary and post-primary schools who have been diagnosed with Dyslexia, as schools are not...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy will be aware, the Report of the Advisory Group to the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector was published in April 2012. The Report recommended a review and updating of the Rules for National Schools and in particular, Rule 68.I believe that the language and tone of Rule 68 is archaic and doesn't reflect the reality of today's primary education sector and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The State Examinations Commission (SEC), which has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations, has provided me with the following information. The SEC has a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations designed to assist candidates with special needs at the examinations.Within the context of the RACE scheme the term 'special need' applies to candidates...