Results 16,181-16,200 of 20,909 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (17 Apr 2024)

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

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (17 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: Due to improvements brought about in recent budgets, the teacher allocation ratio is at an average of 1 classroom teacher for every 23 pupils in all primary schools, the lowest level ever seen at primary level. A three point reduction in the retention schedule, which I introduced in 2021, assists schools that would otherwise be at risk of losing teaching posts. The staffing of a school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (17 Apr 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training (17 Apr 2024)

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 Teaching Council is the professional standards body for the teaching profession, which promotes and regulates professional standards in teaching. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (17 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for individual school authorities, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012). In that regard, there are more than 3,700 individual employers (boards of management of primary schools and post-primary schools, as well as ETBs). My...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (17 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for individual school authorities, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012). In that regard, there are more than 3,700 individual employers (boards of management of primary schools and post-primary schools, as well as ETBs). My...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (17 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 55, 56 and 58 together. The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for individual school authorities, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012). In that regard, there are more than 3,700 individual employers (boards of management of primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (17 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The definitive numbers expected to retire by 8 September 2024 is not available. It is difficult to predict the numbers who will retire each year, while most teachers retire at the end of the academic year, applications to retire are received throughout the course of the year. The decision to retire is a personal decision with most teachers choosing to retire before their compulsory...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (17 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: Since 2020, my department has invested in the region of €4.5 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of over 800 school building projects and with construction currently underway at approximately 300 other projects, which includes 31 new school buildings. These 300 projects currently at construction involve a total State investment of over...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (17 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: Since 2020, the Department of Education has invested in the region of €4.5 billion to add capacity and develop and upgrade school facilities across the country for the almost one million students and over 100,000 staff that learn and work in our schools every day. The Minor Works Grant is one important element of this record level of capital investment in school infrastructure. My...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (17 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The below table sets out the funding provided under the Summer Works Scheme divided into a per county breakdown for the years 2020 through 2023 as per the Deputy's request: Total funding provided under the Summer Works Scheme for each county in 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2023 County 2020 2021 2022 2023 Carlow € ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (18 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: 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 the Department. My Department is aware of pressures for school places for the 2024/25 school year in Kildare county. As part of planning for September 2024, data on applications for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (18 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 175 and 176 together. I can confirm for the Deputy that a project to deliver a new 1,000 pupil school building is planned for the school in question. The school has an enrolment of 256 pupils in 2023/24. In that context, this project will provide very significant additional capacity to address the post-primary demand in South Kildare, including the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (18 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: Ensuring that every child's experience in school is positive and that they have qualified, engaged teachers available to support them in their learning is a priority area of action for the Government. Budget 2024 contained a range of measures, including the introduction of a professional master’s of education (PME) incentive payment scheme, that demonstrates my commitment to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (18 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: School Planning Areas and school catchment areas are not the same. The Department uses School Planning Areas to plan for school place provision nationally. The country is divided into 314 School Planning Areas for these purposes. The Department uses a Geographic Information System, drawing data from a range of sources, including Child Benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (18 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The project which the Deputy refers to was approved a project under my Department’s Additional School Accommodation Scheme (ASA) for the provision of 2 SEN base and central activities room. I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has received a Stage 2b (post planning approval) report from the school. This report is currently being reviewed from both a technical and cost...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (18 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: I can assure the Deputy that the major building project for Scoil Chiaráin Special School is a significant priority for my Department. While the original project brief was to deliver a new extension and refurbishment of the current school building, it was agreed, following a review by the Design Team to revise the project scope to deliver a new replacement school at the current site...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (18 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The Government recognises the importance of a strong education system in supporting access for all students to Irish language and culture and its significant role in the revitalisation and maintenance of Irish in Gaeltacht communities and beyond. As the Deputy will be aware, the Irish language is a core subject in the national curricula for recognised primary and post-primary schools and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (18 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The project to which the Deputy refers was approved a project under my Department’s Additional School Accommodation Scheme (ASA) for the provision of 2 general classrooms. I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has received a Stage 2b (post planning approval) report from the school. This report is currently being reviewed from both a technical and cost perspective in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (18 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: As you are aware in early March, I announced details of a new ground-breaking scheme which provides free schoolbooks to Junior Cycle students in post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme. To support its implementation my Department published guidance for schools on the new Junior Cycle Schoolbooks Scheme. More than 213,000 students enrolled in approximately 670 post-primary...