Results 2,161-2,180 of 19,412 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (11 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: Education Standards (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, almost 30 years have elapsed since the National Convention on Education chaired by the late Prof. John Coolahan. The 1990’s saw a significant period of strategic thinking, planning and implementation that culminated in several pieces of primary legislation that set the stage for the significant reforms that all levels of the system have experienced since....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The project referred to by the Deputy is a campus based project for the provision of a new 16 classroom primary school and a new 400 pupil post primary school both of which also include special education classrooms. The project is devolved for delivered by Galway Roscommon Education and Training Board which has appointed a design team to develop the design, procure and manage the construction...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I can advise the Deputy that the review of the accommodation needs of the school in question and of the other schools in the school planning area is on-going. By way of background, my department received an application under the Additional Schools' Accommodation (ASA) Scheme in 2021 from the school in question. The application was for funding for the provision of three special education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (11 Jul 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. At a national level, Ireland has been experiencing growth in overall post primary enrolments and this is projected to continue in many parts of the country for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: Prior to 2022, principal release days were allocated on the basis of the number of mainstream teachers in the school. As part of Budget 2022 measures, I ensured that all schools with a teaching principal have a minimum of 37 Principal Release Days. i.e. one administrative day per week. This was a very significant increase for many schools, with some schools receiving 16 additional days...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 97, 116 and 240 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (11 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 Kilcoole, and the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Insurance Coverage (11 Jul 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 and general up-keep, and the Ancillary grant to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: Following the commencement of the National Vetting Bureau [Children and Vulnerable Persons] Act of 2012 by the then Minister for Justice and Equality on the 29 April 2016 (other than section 20) the Department issued Circular 31/2016 to all school Authorities and Education Training Boards advising of the statutory obligations placed on school authorities to obtain a vetting disclosure from...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: Work is ongoing in my Department at present to develop a new policy for Irish-medium education outside of the Gaeltacht. This new policy will build on the significant achievements of the Policy on Gaeltacht Education. In order to inform the development of the policy, a comprehensive public consultation process was conducted to seek the views of stakeholders including young people,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bullying in Educational Institutions (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I launched Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying on 1st December 2022. Cineáltas is my Department’s whole-education approach to preventing and addressing bullying in schools. Cineáltas is dedicated to the prevention and addressing of bullying, cyber bullying, racist bullying, gender identity bullying and sexual harassment, among other areas, in schools. It is centred...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Citizens' Assembly (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The Citizens’ Assembly on the Future of Education is of high importance to me and the Department of Education as is including the voice of children in the process. The Programme for Government commits to establishing a Citizens’ Assembly on the Future of Education ensuring that the voices of young people and those being educated are central. The establishment of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that my department received an application under the Additional Schools' Accommodation (ASA) Scheme in 2021 from the school in question. The application was for funding for the provision of three special education needs classrooms on foot of the sanction of three ASD special classes by the NCSE in February 2021. Funding was approved for prefab replacement in 2022...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: Section 44 of the Education and Training Boards Act 2013 provides that an education and training board may establish committees to – (a) perform such one or more of its functions as, in its opinion, could be better or more conveniently performed by a committee, or (b) advise it in relation to the performance by it of any of its functions. Section 44 provides that a committee...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I would like to advise the Deputy that, in order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, using data from a range of sources, including Child Benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government commits to high quality Physical Education (PE) in primary and secondary schools. The appointment of Thomas Byrne TD as Minister of State with special responsibility for Sport and Physical Education reflects this commitment. My Department also continues to work closely with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) with regard to curricular...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Mental Health Services (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department is committed to supporting the emotional wellbeing of all children including those who may have experienced trauma. In June 2023 I launched a €5 million pilot of counselling and wellbeing supports in primary schools in selected counties. This Counselling in Primary Schools Pilot is in addition to the range of mental health and wellbeing supports already being...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: At present, the majority of primary and post-primary schools receive assistance to provide for caretaker services under ancillary grant funding. Under the February 2022 agreement the implementation of revised salary and annual leave entitlements for school secretaries is now fully operational, and lessons learned from that process are now playing a key role in the drafting and implementation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: Under the provisions of the Education Act, 1998 the board of management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school and the principal is responsible for the day-to-day management of the school, including arrangements for co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. The decision taken to become involved in organised school sports is a matter for each school. However, the...