Results 14,421-14,440 of 19,666 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2022/23 school year, over 149,000 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. In addition, school transport scheme services are being...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Schemes (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: It is open to the school to make an application under the Summer Works Scheme (SWS) for funding for this request. The purpose of the SWS is to devolve funding to individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works which, ideally, can be carried out during the summer months or at other times that avoid disrupting the operation of the school. The SWS operates on a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2022/2023 school year, over 149,000 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. In addition, school transport scheme services were provided...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The Irish language is an integral part of the primary school curriculum and teachers are required to be competent in addressing this element of the curriculum, which is based on a communicative approach and places particular emphasis on developing children’s listening and speaking skills. My Department specifies minimum entry requirements in core subjects: Maths, English and Irish...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The Teaching Council is the professional standards body for the teaching profession, which promotes and regulates professional standards in teaching. The Teaching Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and in line with the Teaching Council Registration Regulations, 2016. . The Council registers teachers under five routes of registration namely, Route 1 -...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools of Music (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: Cork Education and Training Board (ETB) is one of a number of ETBS which receive funding from my Department for the provision of non-mainstream music education. Cork ETB School of Music provides instrumental music education to individual and small group cohorts of students in a multi-campus model. As the information sought is detailed, Cork ETB will respond directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Psychological Assessments (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: My Department’s National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychological support to all primary and post-primary and special schools. The NEPS service provides access for all schools to:Psychological support in the event of a Critical IncidentA Casework Service for individual children where there is a need for intensive consultation and assessment via a NEPS...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: Since 2020 we have invested in the region of €3.5 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of over 690 school building projects with construction currently underway at approximately 300 other projects. School building projects at construction involve an overall State investment of over €1.2 billion. We also have over 200 modular accommodation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy may be aware, for school planning purposes, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System (or GIS) to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including Child Benefit Data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity is used for this purpose. In addition,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The Teaching Council is the professional standards body for the teaching profession, which promotes and regulates professional standards in teaching. The Teaching Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and in line with the Teaching Council Registration Regulations, 2016. The minimum registration requirements for each route are set out in the Schedule of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The relevant section within my Department has been in previous communication with the property owner's solicitor in relation to this case. In order for the request to legally surrender my interest in the property, as Minister for Education, a number of documents have been requested and are awaited. The surrender request can be examined once the necessary documents are received by my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. As part of the management of the scheme, Bus Éireann manages the procurement tender process and contract management arrangements to include services provided by contractors under the School Transport Scheme. There are currently in the region of 7,000 vehicles...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2022/2023 school year, over 149,000 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. In addition, school transport scheme services were...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Teacher Training (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: I know we took the opportunity to do so yesterday at the education committee, but I again offer what I know is the unified solidarity, support and sympathy of the entire House. We are particularly mindful of the children and their carer who were involved in an incident in proximity to a school on Parnell Square. I can confirm for the House that our NEPS psychologists, our school...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Teacher Training (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: At post-primary level it is the higher education institute that determines the number of places in accordance with its own available resources and arrangements. A total of 1,650 teachers graduate from these programmes each year. As regards the overall enrolments on the initial teacher education programmes, 2022-23 is the most recent year for which confirmed data is available. There were...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Teacher Training (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: I thank Deputy Clarke and I appreciate her personal engagement on this issue. More than 10,700 places have been provided by State-funded providers. There are 1,800 places with a private enterprise. With regard to the point made about fees and the difficulties with them, I was very pleased in budget 2024 to announce that, for those taking a postgraduate course in teaching, a bursary of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Staff (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: I thank Deputy Ó Ríordáin. I acknowledge his personal engagement with me, and the engagement from throughout the House, on the incident on Parnell Square. Ensuring every child's experience in school is positive and that they have qualified, engaged teachers available to support them is a priority. Budget 2024 contains a range of measures that demonstrate commitment to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Staff (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: I thank Deputy Ó Ríordáin. I want to be very clear that I do not underestimate the extraordinary challenges, in particular areas, and it is in particular areas, for school leadership to fill posts. There is no doubt about this. We are a country at near full employment. The issues we face in education are reflected in so many other areas, whether it be hospitality, health or...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Staff (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: I thank Deputy Ó Ríordáin. I reiterate that we are being proactive and very open to working with partners in education for other initiatives. We are open to looking at everything. For example, I record our gratitude to the more than 3,400 trainee teachers who have registered with the Teaching Council and made themselves available for substitute cover in schools. This is a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Accommodation (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: Since 2020, the Department of Education has invested in the region of €3.5 billion in our schools, involving the completion of more than 690 school building projects, and with construction under way at approximately 300 other projects. School building projects at construction involve an overall State investment of in excess of €1.2 billion. We also have 200 modular...