Results 1,541-1,560 of 19,559 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (23 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department received advice from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) on the use of face coverings in educational settings on the th August 2020. This advice is available at here It is a requirement for face coverings to be worn by teachers, staff in schools and students attending post primary school. However Public health advice also provides that cloth face coverings should...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (23 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department has published a suite of helpful guidance for the safe and sustainable reopening of schools. This guidance was developed in line with public health advice issued by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), the government’s Roadmap for Society and Business, and follows comprehensive and intensive engagement with education stakeholders including the school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: The major building project for the new school referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of the tender process. The Design Team has finalised its engagement with the preferred bidder and the preferred bidder is in the process of putting in place the required bond. It is anticipated that the supplementary tender report with the fully executed bond should be received in the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: I can confirm for the Deputy that the Department is currently finalising a site identification exercise in order to technically appraise suitable sites within the relevant school planning areas, for the post primary school to which you refer. This exercise has been progressed during the past months, in line with restrictions in place due to the covid-19 pandemic, nevertheless, my officials...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is included in my Department’s Construction Programme which is being delivered under the National Development Plan. The project is currently at Stage 1 of architectural planning which entails preliminary site surveys, location suitability and initial sketch scheme. A review in 2019 of the demand for post-primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (23 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: The NCSE has responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs including the allocation of SNAs and reviews. My Department does not have a role in making individual school determinations. Accordingly, the question has been referred to the NCSE for direct reply. The Special Needs Assistant (SNA) scheme is designed to provide schools with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (23 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: On 21 August, I announced a series of changes that would be made to assessment arrangements for both Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate examinations for 2021. This announcement was accompanied by a published document detailing these changes, Assessment Arrangements for Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate Examinations 2021, which forms part of the overall Roadmap for the Full Return to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Costs (23 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: The information requested by the Deputy in relation to full year cost of measure is set out in the table below. Details Estimated Full Year Cost €m Indicative estimate of providing free primary and post-primary school books to all pupils across all fully publicly funded schools based on a survey by Barnados €40 ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (23 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department wrote to school principals on 8 September requesting a mobile number for a designated contact, preferably the School Principal, who can be contacted in the event of a suspected case. As of Friday 18 September 2020, my Department has had receipt of mobile phone numbers for 2,360 primary schools and 474 post primary-schools. Where schools have yet to respond, my Department will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (23 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 the Teaching Council is the body with the statutory authority and responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession in Ireland including the registration of teachers in the State. The Council registers teachers in accordance with the Teaching Council Acts and the Teaching Council (Registration) Regulations 2016, as amended. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (23 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department has published a suite of helpful guidance for the safe and sustainable reopening of schools. Each school is required to have a COVID-19 Response Plan for the safe operation through the prevention, early detection and control of COVID-19 in line with public health advice. This guidance is focused on the practical steps schools must take to minimise the risk of transmission of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (24 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: The decision to adopt a model of Calculated Grades by my Department was a direct result of COVID-19, which prevented the state from running the conventional Leaving Certificate Examinations. The purpose of this process is to allow as many students as possible to progress to employment, further education and training, or higher education in a way that is fair and equitable to all Leaving...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (24 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: The position is that decisions on the use of school facilities lies with the relevant school authority in consultation with the property owner and priority has to be given to the interests of the school, teachers and pupils. My Department's policy is to encourage the use of school facilities, where possible, for community, training and education related activities such as homework clubs. My...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (24 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: 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 types of schools equally irrespective of location. The staffing schedule includes an appeals...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Correspondence (24 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department has received the correspondence referred to by the Deputy and is in direct contact with the sender regarding the matter.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (24 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department received advice from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) on the use of face coverings in educational settings on the 6th August 2020. This advice is available at here It is a requirement for face coverings to be worn by teachers, staff in schools and students attending post primary school. However Public health advice also provides that cloth face coverings should...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (24 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: Physical Education (PE) is important and students should be encouraged to participate in PE in schools. As part of the return to school plans my Department has published guidance for practical subjects in Post Primary Schools, including guidance for PE. This guidance is based on Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) guidance for the return to sports activities for children and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (24 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 140 and 148 together. At second-level, a voluntary redeployment scheme has operated on a pilot basis in specific regions for a number of years as part of the redeployment process of surplus teachers. Permanent teachers employed in these regions were given an opportunity to volunteer for a transfer to other areas if such a transfer would free up a vacancy...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (24 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (24 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that capital funding has been approved, for the school in question, to provide essential mainstream classroom accommodation. The project is currently devolved to the school authority. The immediate priority of my Department is providing 20,000 new and replacement school places each year, to ensure that every child has access to a physical school place. ...