Results 14,561-14,580 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Institutions Staff (17 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available in my Department. Officials of my Department have requested the information from the Higher Education Authority and it will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it is available.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (17 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As previously advised, the decision on eligibility for new student grant applications is a matter for the centralised grant awarding authority, SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland). When considering whether a student meets the conditions to be assessed independently of his or her parents, grant awarding authorities are obliged to satisfy themselves beyond doubt that an acceptable degree...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Data (17 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 572 and 574 together. The current estimated cost of employing an entry grade teacher, including the cost of Employer's PRSI, is: primary school - €46,000; and secondary school - €48,800. Teachers appointed for the first time to a fixed term or permanent position have generally worked in a casual capacity previously. This is reflected in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (17 Dec 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. The staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disability Support Services Expenditure (17 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Disability Access Route to Higher Education (DARE) scheme is managed by the Irish Universities Association. Information on annual budgets for the DARE scheme can be sought from the DARE-HEAR shared services unit in the IUA (Tel. 01 799 60 24).

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Physical Education (17 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: In accordance with the Rules and Programme for Secondary Schools, all second level schools should provide Physical Education as part of the curriculum. The junior cycle and senior cycle programme that each school plans and delivers should be based on the Department's approved syllabuses and the teaching hours should be registered on the school timetable. The Rules and Programme provide that a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (17 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy will be aware that 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. As acknowledged in the Report, there is an overall context that many of the Rules are outdated and have been overtaken in whole or in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (17 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that the purpose of the Special Needs Assistant (SNA) scheme is to provide schools with additional adult support staff who can assist children who have significant special educational care needs, in an educational context, in recognised primary and post primary schools. The criteria by which SNA support is allocated to pupils is set out in my Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service Staff (17 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can inform the Deputy that the direct costs of employing an additional 100 psychologists to the National Educational Psychological Service would be approximately €7m per annum.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home-School Liaison Scheme (17 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The role of the HSCL is set out in my Department's circular 0056/2013. This is available on my Department's website at . Special schools are intended to cater for children with special educational needs from 4 to 18 years of age. All special schools receive enhanced pupil teacher ratios ranging from 6-1, to 12-1, depending on the disability categorisation of pupils attending. These enhanced...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training Provision (17 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Under the Teaching Council Act, the Teaching Council, as statutory regulator and standards body for the teaching profession sets criteria and procedures for probation of newly qualified teachers, since 1 September 2012. Newly qualified teachers are required to undergo a period of post-qualification professional practice before they may be fully registered with the Teaching Council. In the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Appointments to State Boards (17 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 582 and 583 together. The information requested on the number of appointments made to State boards, including details relating to chairpersons appointments, is outlined in the following table. Eleven of the relevant Chairpersons appeared before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection between March 2011 and November 2015. Under...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Commencement of Legislation (17 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The information that the Deputy has requested is set out in the following table. Act Sections yet to be commenced Details Teaching Council Act 2001 Sections 7(2), 39, 41-47, 60, The provisions which are not yet commenced relate to two areas, fitness to teach and continuing professional development Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2007 Sections 1,2,4, 6-8. Section 1 relates to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Agencies Funding (17 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: In 2012, the National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE) merged with the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) and is now known as the Professional Development Service for Teachers (Technology in Education) - PDST-TIE. My Department has provided in excess of €25m to the PDST-TIE (formally NCTE) since 2009. Funding for the years in question is set out as...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (17 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative (MLPSI) was introduced into 550 primary schools in September 1998. It involved the introduction of Italian, Spanish, German and French for 5th and 6th classes. The MLPSI was a pilot scheme with an annual budget of approximately €2.5m. The decision to end the MLPSI was taken in the context of a very challenging budgetary environment...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (17 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Guidance on the use of CLIL (content and language integrated learning) will be included in the materials being developed by the NCCA to support the implementation of the new Primary language curriculum for infants to second classes. This will be introduced to primary schools from September 2016. In fact, the new curriculum for language was launched on line at www.ncca.ie last Tuesday. A...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (17 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As part of the revised Junior Cycle, a short course has been prepared by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) in Physical Education, and has been available for schools since September 2014. A draft Senior Cycle P.E. framework has been designed by the NCCA to provide schools with a framework within which they can design a P.E. programme for those students who do not...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Management (17 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: There are limited alleviation arrangements in place for schools that are acutely affected by the impact of the moratorium at Assistant Principal level. These arrangements are mainly focused at post-primary level. However, it is fair to say that before the moratorium, notwithstanding the fact that one out of every two teachers held a management allowance the workload issue and the pressures on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (17 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: There are no plans at the moment to include the topic of farm safety in the primary school curriculum. Education and information about farm safety is provided by the Health and Safety Authority who have a specific area on their website (www.hsa.ie) that aims to promote safe practice in agriculture and forestry.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (17 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department officials have been progressing the accommodation requirements of the school to which the Deputy refers on an ongoing basis. The school is located in rented pre-fab accommodation on land rented by the Department for this purpose in Douglas, Cork. Many factors impact on the delivery of suitable school accommodation, including the availability of suitable options in an...