Results 2,041-2,060 of 19,412 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The target for multi-denominational provision is the Programme for Government commitment of 400 multi-denominational primary schools by 2030. In the last number of years there has been considerable progress towards increasing the number of multi-denominational schools with 51 of the 52 new primary schools and 45 of the 51 new post-primary schools established since 2011 having a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Programmes (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: Over recent years, additional resources have been made available to our schools, including through the delivery of thousands of extra teaching and Special Needs Assistant posts, increased capitation in schools and investment in school transport services, enhanced supports for school leadership and management, additional supports for special schools, reduced class sizes in primary schools,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Bodies (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: My officials have been in contact with the agencies under the remit of my Department in regard to the Deputy’s query. The information requested is set out in the table at the link.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Programmes (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department undertakes a range of evaluations, utilising external partners to do so as appropriate. This ensures that evaluations are undertaken by suitably experienced and independent teams. Details of evaluations undertaken in each of the past five years, and commenced to-date in 2024, are set out in the table at the link.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I invited the OECD Education for Inclusive Societies project to review Ireland’s current policy approach for the allocation of resources to support students at risk of educational disadvantage. The aim of the review was to firstly examine the structures that determines how schools are included within the DEIS programme, how these schools are supported to meet the needs of students at...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department provides a wide range of supports to all schools, DEIS and non-DEIS, to support the inclusion of all students and address barriers to students achieving their potential. Supplementing the universal supports available to all schools, the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) Programme is a key policy initiative of my Department to address concentrated educational...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 768 and 771 to 773, inclusive, together. My department provides a wide range of supports to all schools, DEIS and non-DEIS, to support the inclusion of all students and address barriers to students achieving their potential. Supplementing the universal supports available to all schools, the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) Programme is a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy may be aware, the purpose of the Summer Works Scheme (SWS) is to enable individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works on a devolved basis and, ideally, can be carried out during the summer months or at other times that avoid disrupting the operation of the school. The SWS operates on a multi-annual basis for categories of works such as roof works, window...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I am aware that the costs associated with accessing primary and post-primary education place a financial burden on many families each year. A number of measures are in place to support those families most in need including the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Scheme and the School Meals Programme. For the 2024/2025 school year I have secured over €68 million in funding to provide...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school. Under the current terms of the School Transport Schemes children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kms from and are attending their nearest national...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (23 Jul 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 schools throughout the country. This figure comprises over 135,000 pupils travelling on mainstream services, 19,800 pupils with special educational needs, and 6,800 pupils who...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: Significant progress has been made by my Department in implementing the Policy on Gaeltacht Education, and the Department is now progressing work on the development of a new policy on Irish-medium education outside of the Gaeltacht. In addition to this work, a new unit has been established within the Department recently to develop a policy framework and action plan to support the teaching of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The project to which the Deputy refers is devolved for delivery to Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB). My Department approved a submission from the school authority to increase the original brief in the context of a significant increase in projected new enrolments in the area. This allowed for a project to cater for a 1,000 pupil school plus 6 special education needs...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently at an advanced stage of Architectural Planning - Stage 2(b) – Detailed Design, where the Design Team secure all statutory applications and prepare the tender documents. The Board of Management and their Design Team lodged the application for planning permission in September 2023, and received a request for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) for delivery as part of a programme of school building projects. This school is in the bundle referred to as ‘Project Boyne.’ This project will provide a large extension to increase capacity for a long-term projected enrolment of 1,000 pupils and includes a 4 class SEN...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently at an advanced stage of Architectural Planning - Stage 2(b) - Detailed Design, which includes the application for statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documents. All Statutory Approvals have been secured, and the Stage 2(b) Submission has been received in my Department for review. Following the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The major project referred to by the Deputy is being delivered under my Departments ADAPT Programme. ADAPT is an acronym for "Accelerated Delivery of Architectural Planning and Tendering". The ADAPT programme uses a professional external Project Manager to co-ordinate and drive the Design Team to achieve the best possible timeframe during the stages of architectural planning. The brief for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, using data from a range of sources, including CSO Census data, Child Benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise and where additional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: As the deputy will be aware, my department is progressing the acquisition of a site at Fassaroe, Bray, Co. Wicklow as a permanent location for the school to which he refers. In that context, the project brief for a new 1,000 pupil school building for the school in question is currently being finalised by my department and it is our intention to progress the project into architectural planning...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (23 Jul 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. The Department has been aware of pressures for post primary school places for the 2024/25 school year in Greystones and has had extensive...