Results 1,641-1,660 of 19,559 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 502 and 503 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that draft guidelines have been developed to provide clarity to schools around reduced timetables and to set out the procedures to be followed by schools where such an option is being considered and used. The guidelines provide for TUSLA Education Support Service to be notified if a reduced timetable is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Data (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: The P-POD database provides information on enrolment at post-primary school level. Other purposes of P-POD include the basis for the allocation of teachers and capitation grants. My Department received approval from the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) to introduce a question on ethnic and cultural background (based on the question in the national census), in data returns made by individual...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Traveller Education (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: A key objective of Traveller education policy in recent years has been the phasing out of segregated Traveller provision and the inclusion of Traveller children and young people in mainstream education. Funding for segregated Traveller provision has been incorporated into overall school and other funding streams in order to provide supports for Traveller pupils in mainstream schools. Such...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: 2019-20 is the most recent year we have published data for on the DES website. Class data, including average class size, for the academic year 2020-21 will be available in June 2021. This figure is based on mainstream classes in mainstream schools and are collated from the relevant Class Size tables published on the DES website and can be found at the link...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: There were 1737 schools with teaching principals in the 2019/20 school year. The staffing arrangements, including the criteria for Administrative Principal and the number of Principal Release Days allocated to schools, are set out in Department circulars and apply to all schools equally. Appendix B of Circular 18/2020 sets out the criteria for Administrative Principal to a primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: The school to which the Deputy refers was granted funding under the Additional Accommodation Scheme 2018 to provide one Mainstream classroom with en-suite toilets and one WC Assisted User toilet. A one classroom SEN Base was also approved under the Additional Accommodation 2020 scheme. The Department received a request for additional funding to provide a new boiler to facilitate both...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department is committed to the provision of a new school building for the school referred to by the Deputy. A new site is required to faciliate this and my Department is considering a potential option in this regard. It is not possible to indicate a timeline for the construction of a new school building at this stage. My Department will update the school authorities on any developments...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Meetings (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: The ASTI recently announced an intention to ballot members for industrial action in relation to certain issues relating to school re-opening.  The reopening of schools has been a very important milestone for Irish children and society. The safety and wellbeing of staff, students and the whole school community has been of paramount importance in the Government’s planning...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: Covid-19 has had a major impact on our daily lives and we have all had to adjust and adapt in the face of significant challenges in the course of 2020.  From the outset of this pandemic the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) has continued to deliver a psychological service to schools within the context of public health advice. In addition, NEPS has remained proactive...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 516 and 517 together. From Monday 28 September, students who received Leaving Certificate Calculated Grades have been able to obtain access to their subject rank order in their class. This is facilitated via the Calculated Grades Student Portal, by students clicking the button on screen labelled “Submit a request to access your personal...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: The Calculated Grades Student Portal reopened on 14 September to allow students to view their estimated percentage mark and calculated mark to allow students to consider this data if they were considering an appeal of their Calculated Grade. The appeals process is a process review focussed on looking for errors in the transmission and processing of student data through the process. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education.  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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: In accordance with its Delegated Sanction Agreement with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform my Department is required to effectively manage its staffing numbers and associated pay bill. My Department has authority to fill positions other than those above Principal Officer Standard Scale through recruitment or promotion, subject to certain conditions including adherence to agreed...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (30 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: The specific information requested by the Deputy regarding the number of primary and post-primary school that have access to or have recently gained access to hot water is not readily available within my Department. The Deputy might wish to note health guidance which states that, while warm running water is preferable for handwashing, cold water is sufficient.  In schools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (30 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: The level of staffing in individual schools is determined by Department circulars.  In primary schools, staffing is allocated in accordance with the published staffing schedule for the 2020/21 school year. Primary schools are currently provided with class teachers on the basis of one teacher for every 26 pupils which is at its historically lowest level.   My Department has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (30 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: The use of reusable plastic lunch boxes was not prohibited under guidelines issued previously by the DCCAE. It is the use of single-use plastic cups and straws and other single-use plastic items that was prohibited. These guidelines on the elimination of single-use plastics in the interest of environmental sustainability have not been changed. However, these guidelines were issued prior to...