Results 1,801-1,820 of 19,559 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Programmes (13 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: The Department has a large pipeline of projects for delivery under the school building programme currently involving 373 large-scale projects and circa. 800 projects for delivery under the Department’s Additional Accommodation Scheme. This pipeline continues to be monitored to ensure it is aligned with the objectives of Project Ireland 2040. The current status of projects being...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Staff (13 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: The provision of an occupational injury scheme for teachers is the subject of a claim brought by the Teacher Unions to the Teachers' Conciliation Council. Discussions are taking place under the auspices of the TCC, to which the Department, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, school management and teacher unions are all party. As the proceedings of the TCC are confidential, it...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Support Schemes (13 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: The Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020, sets out a plan to embed the use of digital technology in teaching, learning and assessment, and affirms that the use of digital technology can enhance the teaching and learning experience. The Strategy recognises however that schools require investment in their ICT infrastructure. Funding of €210m has been committed to support the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (13 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: A specification for the new Leaving Certificate Computer Science (LCCS) subject was introduced on a phased basis in September 2018, to be offered by schools as an additional optional subject. The subject is available for national rollout from September 2020. The structure of the LCCS specification and the nature of the assessment components, as summarised below, does require that the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (13 Oct 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 of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (13 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate 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: Third Level Admissions (13 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: The Leaving Certificate system has a well-established practice of not reducing the marks or grades of students who have not appealed their results, but who through an appeal by another student or other systemic check are identified as somebody who received higher marks or grades than were merited. In keeping with that principle, and mindful of the fact that the mistake was not the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (13 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts is published annually on the Department website. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (13 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, my Department has acquired a greenfield site for the construction of permanent accommodation for the school in question. My Department's architectural staff have recently undertaken a technical visit to the site in the context of the scoping exercise associated with the development of the new school. The outcome of the site visit is currently been considered...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (13 Oct 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. In the absence of these examinations, every effort has been made to make the system as fair as possible for as many students as possible. The process of national standardisation, which forms a key...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (13 Oct 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 30th September. However, the staffing arrangements for primary schools also includes the provision whereby schools experiencing rapid increases in enrolment can apply for additional permanent...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (13 Oct 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 of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Libraries (13 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: An arrangement was made through An Chomhairle Leabharlanna in 1971, whereby the local authority librarians would provide services for schools. At that time my Department made a grant available for this purpose based on the number of pupils enrolled in the schools in the local authority areas. The amount of the grant payable to each local authority was based on the number of pupils in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (13 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: The decision to adopt a model of Calculated Grades by my Department was a result of COVID-19, which prevented the State from running the conventional Leaving Certificate Examinations. The purpose of this process was to allow as many students as possible to progress to employment, further education and training, or higher education. The use of Junior Cycle data in the Calculated Grades model...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (13 Oct 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. In the absence of these examinations, every effort has been made to make the system as fair as possible for as many students as possible. The process of national standardisation, which forms a key...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (13 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: The Calculated Grades Student Portal reopened on 14 September to allow students to view their estimated percentage marks and calculated marks and to submit an appeal for any of their Calculated Grades. The appeals process is a process review focussed on looking for errors in the transmission and processing of student data through the process. It is not possible to appeal the information...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (13 Oct 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 of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Management (13 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 230 and 277 together. Boards of Management should continue to meet remotely. Alternative solutions are required to meet and operate and make important decisions in relation to the functioning of the schools. The Governance Manual for Primary Schools 2019 – 2023 provides for the use of conference calls to facilitate board meetings. This is not...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (13 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 231 to 234, inclusive, together. The decision to adopt a model of Calculated Grades by my Department was a result of COVID-19, which prevented the State from running the conventional Leaving Certificate Examinations this year. The statistical model underpinning the system of Calculated Grades is a complex and sophisticated bespoke development. Developing a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (13 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: On registration for the Calculated Grades Student Portal, students were linked to a Privacy Notice for Students - Calculated Grades for Leaving Certificate 2020 in light of the postponement of the Leaving Certificate examinations. This privacy notice detailed the categories of personal data that would be utilised in the processing of Calculated Grades. A copy of this privacy notice is...