Results 16,741-16,760 of 21,076 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (28 May 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 my Department. My Department is aware of pressures for primary and post primary school places for the 2024/25 school year in North Kildare. As part of planning for September 2024,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (28 May 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 the Department. While there can be enrolment pressures in some areas, it is important to note sometimes this may not be as a result of lack of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (28 May 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 Prosperous_Clane School Planning Area. As part of planning for September 2024, data...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (28 May 2024)

Norma Foley: The school referred to by the Deputy was approved to enter the Department’s pipeline of school buildings for a project to provide a 16 classroom primary school with a 2 classroom SEN base. The project has been devolved to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) for delivery as part of a bundled school building programme. The school will be delivered as part of a campus...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (28 May 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 reflects this Government’s commitment to ongoing investment in the education system through various measures: Introduction of a professional master’s of education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Pensions (28 May 2024)

Norma Foley: I wish to inform the Deputy that an official from my the Payroll Division of my Department has reviewed the overpayment referred to in this case. The review has found that the circumstances and value of the overpayment is correct. The person referred was notified in November 2020 of the value of the overpayment but no repayment plan agreement was put in place at the time. As in line...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (29 May 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department is committed to providing funding to recognised primary and post-primary schools in the free education scheme by way of per capita grants. The two main grants are the Capitation grant to cater for day to day running costs such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance, general up-keep etc. and the Ancillary grant to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (29 May 2024)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 63 and 64 together. At primary level, teachers are allocated to schools at an average of 1 classroom teacher for every 23 pupils, the lowest level ever seen at primary level. DEIS Urban Band 1 schools receive an average allocation of 17:1, 21:1 and 19:1 for junior, senior and vertical schools respectively. Each one point improvement in the staffing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (29 May 2024)

Norma Foley: The Junior Certificate School Programme (JCSP) is a national programme sponsored by the Department of Education and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. Introduced in 1996, it is a social inclusion programme that is aimed at students who are identified as being at risk of being socially or academically isolated or at risk of early school leaving before the (then) Junior...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (29 May 2024)

Norma Foley: The Junior Certificate School Programme (JCSP) is a national programme sponsored by the Department of Education and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. Introduced in 1996, it is a social inclusion programme that is aimed at students who are identified as being at risk of being socially or academically isolated or at risk of early school leaving before the (then) Junior...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (29 May 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 are being transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. This figure includes over 135,000 children on mainstream services, 19,800 on children with special educational needs,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (29 May 2024)

Norma Foley: Teacher allocations to all schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The criteria for the allocation of posts are communicated to school managements annually and are available on the Department website. The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (29 May 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). As...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (29 May 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department can confirm that the school referred by the Deputy was announced as a single stream school. This means the school has permission to enrol one junior infant class each year and to grow by one class group each year until it becomes an 8-classroom school. My Department has approved works to facilitate the extra class for 2024/25. I can confirm that this school has recently...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (29 May 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 traveling 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 Staff (29 May 2024)

Norma Foley: As you may be aware, the majority of primary and post-primary schools receive assistance to provide for cleaning services under grant schemes. Where a school employs a staff member to support those functions those staff members are employees of the individual schools and as such responsibility for terms of employment and their rate of pay rests with the school or Board of Management. In...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service (29 May 2024)

Norma Foley: The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) is part of the Department of Education. NEPS provides a comprehensive, school-based educational psychological service to all primary, post primary schools and special schools. Through the application of psychological theory and practice, NEPS psychologists support the wellbeing, and the academic, social and emotional development of all...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (29 May 2024)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 83 and 84 together. In Budget 2024 over €47 million was allocated to continue implementation of the schoolbooks scheme at primary level. On the 8th May I announced details of year 2 of the Primary Schoolbooks Scheme which provides at a minimum free schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks to pupils in recognised primary and special schools. More than...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (29 May 2024)

Norma Foley: I wish to inform the Deputy that a member of my payroll staff has been in contact with the individual referred to and also with the Revenue Commissioners to rectify the matter.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (29 May 2024)

Norma Foley: As Minister for Education I believe it is crucially important that all children and young people are actively supported to access education in its fullest forms. Since June 2020, and over the past four Budgets, I have secured funding to support measures aimed at achieving that goal. One of the most important policies in this regard has been the establishment of Ireland’s first...