Results 16,761-16,780 of 21,076 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (29 May 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 arrangements for the 2024/25 school year are set out in Circular 0011/2024. The staffing process contains an appeals mechanism for schools to submit a staffing appeal...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (29 May 2024)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the state examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

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...

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

Norma Foley: For school planning purposes the Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical Information System to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including Child Benefit data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity is used for this purpose. Additionally, Project Ireland 2040 population...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (29 May 2024)

Norma Foley: The major project for St Mologa's SNS has recently completed Stage 2(b) of the architectural design process. Stage 2(b) involves securing all statutory approvals, detailed design and the preparation of tender documentation. The next stage, subject to relevant Stage 2(b) approvals, will be Stage 3, tender stage. Projects are subject to relevant due diligence by the Department at each...

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

Norma Foley: As the Deputy has been advised the policy on patronage divesting is to use existing educational infrastructure to facilitate provision of diversity in areas where there is no demographic imperative to establish new schools. As part of the process of identifying a suitable accommodation solution which would facilitate the establishment of the school, my Department liaised with Cork...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (30 May 2024)

Norma Foley: In 2024 over €47 million is allocated to continue implementation of the free 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 all pupils enrolled in recognised primary and special schools. More than 555,000 pupils enrolled in approximately 3,230...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (30 May 2024)

Norma Foley: New schools are only established in areas of demographic growth as the resources available for school infrastructure have to be prioritised to meet the needs of areas of significant population increase so as to ensure that every child has a school place. The arrangements in this regard include criteria which place a particular emphasis on parental patronage and language preferences and an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (30 May 2024)

Norma Foley: The projects to which the Deputy refers have been devolved to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) for delivery as part of a programme of school building projects. There are six projects in Project Boyne. They are all currently at Stage 2b of the architectural design process. They have all received planning permission from their local authority, and the Design Team for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (30 May 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. Improvements to teacher allocations in recent budgets has seen the average allocation to schools reduce to 23:1 while allocations to DEIS Urban Band 1 schools, such as the one referred to by...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (30 May 2024)

Norma Foley: The school under reference in Fermoy was established in 2018 under the patronage divestment process. Fermoy was one of a number of areas surveyed in 2012/13 under the patronage divesting process, where there was sufficient parental demand supporting changes in school patronage. The areas surveyed were areas where demographics were not growing and therefore it was unlikely that a new...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (30 May 2024)

Norma Foley: In 2024 over €47 million is allocated to continue implementation of the free 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 all pupils enrolled in recognised primary and special schools. More than 555,000 pupils enrolled in approximately 3,230...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools of Music (30 May 2024)

Norma Foley: I wish to inform the Deputy that Newpark Academy of Music is a private school that does not fall under the remit of the Department of Education. It was using an old vacated building on a secondary school campus that is in State ownership. This building has not had investment in recent years and has significant issues with its condition. These condition issues were most recently assessed by...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (12 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area. In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998. Parents have the right to choose which school to apply to and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (12 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: The projects to which the Deputy refers have been devolved to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) for delivery, as part of a programme of school building projects referred to as ‘Project Boyne’. The six large scale projects are being delivered across schools in counties Carlow, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow. In the last week, I announced the progression of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (12 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: The Department of Education engages closely with the National Council for Special Education in relation to the forward planning of new special classes and additional special school places. This work involves a detailed review of statistical data in relation to forecasting demand for special class places, an analysis of available school accommodation, consideration of improved data sharing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (12 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: As the deputy has referred to, my Department has received a number of applications for funding under the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) in addition to an application for a new school building. Given the extensive nature of the works requested, officials in my Department are currently exploring options in respect of identifying the most appropriate solution and delivery mechanism for this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: EU Meetings (12 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: There have been ten Education Councils, one Informal Ministerial meeting and three informal video Education Ministerial Conferences since 27th June 2020 until present day. I have attended two Informal video conferences of Education Ministers on the 19th February 2021 and the 16 March 2022. I attended the Education Council meeting of 28th November 2022. Outlined in tabular format below is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Flexible Work Practices (12 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: The majority of staff in the Department of Education are availing of remote working since 2020. The Department of Education’s Blended Working Policy was introduced at the end of 2023 and allows staff members to make applications to work remotely for up to 3 days per week. We are now accepting applications from staff members to formalise their blended working arrangements and to date,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (12 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: The purpose of the Remote Area Boarding Grant scheme is to give students who are disadvantaged because of their remoteness from schools an opportunity to attend school on the same basis as students not so disadvantaged. The terms of this scheme are set out in Circular 16/2016 which is published on my Department’s website at: gov.ie - . Under the terms of the scheme, a second-level...