Results 14,741-14,760 of 15,994 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (3 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: My department is leading an ambitious sustainability agenda and has progressed a wide array of measures to improve the overall sustainability of our school buildings as part of our work towards 2030 and 2050 climate targets. This performance has been recognised at both National and International level with sustainable energy awards for excellence in design, specification and delivery. My...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (3 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year, over 172,500 children, are transported daily in approximately 7,900 vehicles across 10,300 routes daily to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. These daily trips cover over 100 million kilometres. This figure includes...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (3 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: Circular 0034/2021 sets out the entry criteria for the Gaeltacht Entry Route to Primary B.Ed. programmes. The Gaeltacht Entry Route is a separate CAO entry route to the Primary B.Ed (English medium) Initial Teacher Education programmes in State-funded higher education institutions. Up to 10% of places in these programmes are reserved for candidates from the Gaeltacht, who normally reside...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Artificial Intelligence (3 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: There is a need to ensure careful consideration about the use of AI in all aspects of teaching, learning and assessment, and that teachers and school leaders have the necessary resources and information to support them. While AI has the potential to enhance education and inclusion, there are also issues and challenges with its use. Education and training have a key role to play in promoting...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: After-School Support Services (3 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department encourages schools to facilitate the opening of after-school facilities, wherever possible, for activities such as afterschool clubs. Decisions on the use of school facilities lies with the relevant school authority in consultation with the property owner. Under the provisions of the Education Act, 1998 the Board of Management is the body charged with the direct governance of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (3 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year, over 172,500 children, are transported daily in approximately 7,900 vehicles across 10,300 routes daily to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. These daily trips cover over 100 million kilometres. This figure includes...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (3 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year, over 172,500 children, are transported daily in approximately 7,900 vehicles across 10,300 routes daily to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. These daily trips cover over 100 million kilometres. This figure includes...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (3 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The furniture and equipment (F&E) area within my Department deals with the provision of furniture and equipment across a number of different streams including the replacement of specialist F&E, to which the issue the deputy has raised refers. As part of the planning for the provision of F&E generally, there has to be a balance between the volume of demand, and the ability of my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (3 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 172,500 children, are transported daily in approximately 7,900 vehicles across 10,300 routes to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. These daily trips cover over 100 million kilometres. This figure includes over...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (3 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 224, 225 and 226 together. The Programme for Government acknowledges that education should be inclusive of all students, recognising that particular students may need particular supports. It commits to continue work to tackle all forms of disadvantage in education and promote inclusivity and to provide free schoolbooks to all children in the free education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (3 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: 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 process contains an appeals mechanism for schools to submit a staffing appeal under certain criteria to an independent Primary Staffing Appeals Board. The school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disadvantaged Status (3 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: Tackling educational disadvantage and supporting students to fulfil their full potential in life is a key priority for me as Minister for Education, and for the Government. The DEIS programme is a key policy of Government to tackle concentrated educational disadvantage at school level. It provides a targeted range of supports and is additional to the universal supports provided to all...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Funding (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Government and I as Minister for Education are committed to increasing funding to support all schools. This has already seen a €30 million permanent increase in capitation funding to assist schools now and in the longer term with increased day-to-day running costs through budget 2025. This represents an increase of approximately 12% on current standard rates and enhanced rates...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Funding (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I have also spoken to teachers and principals and I fully accept we need to do more. There is a clear commitment in the programme for Government to do more. However, the Deputy has to accept that, in the past two years alone, there has been a 22% increase in capitation across primary and post-primary as well as an enhanced rate for special schools or where support is needed in DEIS schools....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Funding (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: With all due respect, the Deputy's party called for multiple different variations of €150 million. We have to work within a budget and we have to make sure we prioritise where the need is most. I fully accept the need is here in education and that we need to provide more, but there is no school that will be let go to the wall because funding is not being provided. I cannot be any...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Funding (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: If we start allocating budgets outside of the budget every month, then we do not have a budget.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Funding (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: We have to work within the budget that has been provided, and what has been provided is 22% of an increase. I am absolutely committed to providing more. It could not be any clearer in the programme for Government. There is no school that will be let go to the wall because there is no funding being provided. We will always provide funding to schools.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Education Policy (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy for raising what is a very important issue and something we all have a responsibility to try to deal with to support our young people, to educate them and to protect them insofar as possible from many of the challenges they face online. In respect of the mobile phones during school time, the pouches were just one of a number of measures that have been recommended and will...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Education Policy (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: So much work is being done. I mentioned Webwise and the different programmes that are being rolled out. The change in the curriculum has taken a number of years but it is now being rolled out and will be mandatory for leaving cert students. The ban that has initially come into our primary schools is absolutely fantastic but we all have a role here. There is more that schools can do, such...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Education Policy (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: To outline the action to date, phones have been banned in schools, and in primary schools in particular, which is only right. Young people are still being educated through the reform of the RSE programme. On post primary, a directive was issued by the Minister for Education urging schools to have restrictive mobile phone use in place, and we can see that being implemented in many of the...