Results 15,001-15,020 of 19,666 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: The project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved for delivery to Kildare & Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB). It is currently at Stage 2b of the process, which allows for detailed design/planning, obtaining the necessary statutory permissions and the preparation of tender documents. When this stage is finalised, the next stage is tendering for a contractor and then...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: Since 2020, my Department has invested in the region of €4.3 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of over 750 school building projects with construction currently underway at approximately 300 other projects, which includes 34 new school buildings. School building projects at construction involve an overall State investment of over €1.2...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (23 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that it is not possible to commit to a date or a new round of funding at this time. As the Deputy will be aware, any future funding is contingent on the budgetary resources available to the Department.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training (23 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: Under Section 38 of the Teaching Council Act, all initial teacher education programmes must be accredited by the Teaching Council for registration purposes. The Council reviewed its policy on standards for programmes of initial teacher education and published updated standards in Céim Standards for Initial Teacher Education in October 2020. These standards ensure that graduates from...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (23 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department has a strong track record of delivery of school building projects and this was achieved again in 2023 notwithstanding the wider construction sector environment of high inflation, labour shortages and supply chain issues. Under Project Ireland 2040, we are investing over €5 billion during the period 2021 to 2025, to add capacity and develop and upgrade school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: The project referred to by the Deputy has been devolved for delivery to Donegal Education and Training Board (DETB). The Design Team is currently progressing through Stage 1 of the architectural planning process, which involves developing options for both school buildings. DETB will submit a Stage 1 report to the Department once all viable options for the site have been assessed in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (23 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: Please find attached requested data. Please note data provided is for academic year 2022-2023, the latest year we have final enrolment data. We expect to publish final enrolment data for academic year 2023-2024 in June 2024. ">Info

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (23 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: PISA is designed to give large scale population level results and is not designed to assess individual student or school performance. Each school that takes part in PISA receives their own feedback from the Educational Research Centre which shows their own results in comparison to the national study but no school has access to another school’s results. It would not be appropriate...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (23 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: As stated in a recent reply, my Department shares data with other organisations for varied purposes such as compliance with employee tax obligations, organisation of the State exams, to support children with special educational needs or those at risk of educational disadvantage, in connection with legal proceedings, reporting of child protection concerns, provision of school transport, audit...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: The department is required to manage the overall school building programme so that we target and prioritise areas that are under greatest pressure for additional school places. This reflects the department’s fundamental objective of ensuring the availability of a school place for every child. As outlined in Parliamentary Question No. 590 of 17 January 2024, the main focus of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (24 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I can assure the Deputy that the provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs is an absolute priority for my Department. As the Deputy may be aware, while there can be enrolment pressures and demand for additional school places in some areas, it is important to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (24 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy may be aware, while there can be enrolment pressures and demand for additional school places in some areas, it is important to note sometimes this may not be as a result of lack of accommodation, but may be driven by the following factors: Duplication of applicationsSchool of choiceSingle sex schoolsExternal drawNotwithstanding the above, in some areas demographic pressures and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (24 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: The Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027 was published last year and is underpinned by an investment of €200m to support its implementation, committed to under Ireland’s National Development Plan (NDP). The first tranche of €50m issued to all recognised primary and post-primary schools in late 2021. The previous Digital Strategy for Schools 2015 to 2020 saw overall...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (24 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: 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 161,600 children, including over 135,000 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 19,800 pupils with special educational needs, and 6,800 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine are transported on a daily basis to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (24 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: The project to which the Deputy refers, was approved a project under my Department’s Additional School Accommodation Scheme (ASA) in January 2024 for the provision of 1 mainstream classroom and 2 class SEN base. This project has now been devolved to the school authorities for delivery.The school authority is now required to appoint a Design Team to prepare a Stage 1 design report,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (24 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that it is not possible to commit to a date or a new round of funding at this time. As the Deputy will be aware, any future funding is contingent on the budgetary resources available to the Department and the priorities and demands relating to the budget.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (24 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that as set out in Parliamentary Question No. 680 of 17 January 2024 a lottery was run but then the application from each school selected in the lottery was assessed on a case by case basis. The applications were read again by the evaluation team, to ensure they met the requirements as set out in the grant call. School status was one of the considerations taken...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (24 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that the school referred to was approved for a project under my Department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme. The project will provide the following accommodation at the school - 2 classroom SEN base, 12 SET rooms and reconfiguration of an existing staff room to provide HSCL room and new staff room. This project has been devolved for delivery to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (24 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 117 and 120 together. My Department implemented theoutcome of the public service-wide review of allowances and premium payments(September 2012) by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform whichmeans that many allowances, including this one, were no longer payable to“new entrant” Teachers. Circular 0008/2013 outlines the effect of this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (24 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: The Department is aware of pressures for school places for the 2024/25 school year in Newcastle_Rathcoole School Planning Area. A critical next step for the Department is to establish the actual number of additional first year places required for 2024 in order for an appropriate solution to be put in place. In that context, schools in a number of areas of enrolment pressure, including Town,...