Results 14,441-14,460 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

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

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating 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, which is set out in my...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: The school to which the Deputy refers will open in September 2016 to meet the demographic needs of the Tallaght area, including the areas referred to by the Deputy. While school authorities are responsible for their school's enrolment policy, as new schools are being established to meet the needs of a defined geographic area, enrolment policies are expected to be consistent with the criteria...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: The School Building Project to which the Deputy refers has recently been granted planning permission by the Planning Authority. Following the grant of planning permission, revised design options have been explored to satisfy the requirements for enhanced drop off and a pedestrian crossing as requested by the Local Authority. A preferred option has been developed for an enhanced drop off area...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: The major building project for the school to which the Deputy refers is at an advanced stage of architectural planning – Stage 2b. This stage includes the applications for Planning Permission, Fire Cert and Disability Access Cert and the preparation of Tender Documents. As the Deputy is aware on Tuesday 17th November 2015 I announced details of the major school building projects where...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: As part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are allocated to Special Schools and to mainstream Primary and Post Primary schools to assist children with special educational needs who also have additional and significant care needs. Such support is provided in order to facilitate the attendance of those pupils at school and also to minimise disruption to class or teaching...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. However, SEC does not identify candidates by category of schools. The SEC would not identify DEIS schools within their system. Neither does the SEC retain details of what candidates do after they complete their Leaving Certificate examination. This is not, nor has...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: The information requested by the Deputy is available in the following table. Number of primary schools in each county and a breakdown by their ethos/denomination County Catholic Church of Ireland Inter-Denominational Multi-Denominational Presbyterian Muslim Jewish Methodist Quaker Total Carlow 38 3 1 42 Cavan 65 10 1 76 Clare 109 1 3 113 Cork 316 20 8 344...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service Data (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can inform the Deputy that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychology service to all primary and post primary schools through an assigned NEPS psychologist and in some cases through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA). Under this scheme schools can have an assessment carried out by a member of the panel of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (9 Dec 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 criteria for the allocation of posts are communicated to school managements annually and are available on the Department website. The Deputy will be aware that I have made provision in Budget 2016 for some 2,260 additional teaching posts for...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department has a number of strategies and initiatives in place to ensure that education and training meets the skills requirements of the workplace. SOLAS, with the assistance of relevant experts such as the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), employers and local and national organisations, have published a five year strategy for the further education and training sector which...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy is aware, I announced details on 17th November last, of the major school building projects that are scheduled to proceed to construction over the next six years, as part of the Government's €2.8 billion capital investment programme. The intention also, is to replace all purchased prefabs with permanent accommodation over the lifetime of the programme. This investment...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 178 to 180, inclusive, together. As the Deputy is aware my Department provides for a range of placement options and supports for schools which have enrolled pupils with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), including Asperger's Syndrome, in order to ensure that, wherever a child is enrolled, they will have access to an appropriate education. Children with ASD may...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: The Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2015, which was published in April of this year and is on the Government's legislative programme for enactment in this session, introduces a number of important changes to make enrolment policies fairer and more transparent. These changes include new powers for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and the Child and Family Agency to...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: The Programme for Government gave a commitment to more to a more pluralist system of patronage for our schools. This commitment is being progressed on a number of fronts. Firstly, 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...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: I am very aware of the importance of small schools to rural communities and particularly the most dispersed and remote communities. In this regard, I made two particular improvements to the staffing schedule for small schools this school year. The first measure provides for improved teacher retention thresholds for schools of 1 - 4 teachers. The second measure is an improved teacher...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: The Government fully appreciates the concerns regarding the availability of accommodation for students and the report, Student Accommodation: Demand & Supply, which I published recently sets out clearly that the demand for student accommodation outstrips supply in certain areas and will continue to do so in the coming years. There are 13 useful recommendations in this report some of...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy will be aware that my Department published new anti-bullying procedures for all primary and post primary schools at the beginning of the 2013/14 school year. The procedures are designed to give direction and guidance to school authorities and school personnel in preventing and tackling school-based bullying behaviour amongst its pupils. They include specific requirements in...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: On the 17th November last I announced the details of the new schools to be provided nationwide in 2017 and 2018. I also announced, in view of the anticipated enrolment numbers in the Irish-medium Aonad of Maynooth Community College and the continued support for a Gaelcholáiste in the North Kildare area, that a Gaelcholáiste will be established in 2019, subject to sufficient...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: SUSI has received almost 108,000 student grant applications for the 2015/16 academic year. This figure includes 16,500 applicants which were received after the Priority Processing deadline. 93,000 (86%) of these applications have been processed to completion. Of which 74,500 applications have been awarded a grant and 18,500 have been refused or cancelled. Of the 15,000 pending applications,...