Results 2,221-2,240 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — School Placement: School Placement (6 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Section 29 of the Education Act 1998, provides parents with an appeal process where a Board of Management of a school refuses enrolment to a student. A Section 29 appeal recently took place in respect of a refusal to enrol this child to a school in Leixlip. This appeal was not upheld. Only where an appeal under Section 29 is upheld can the Secretary General of my Department direct a school...

Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (6 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Forward Planning Section of my Department has carried out a study of the country to identify the areas where, due to demographic changes, there may be a requirement for significant additional school provision at both primary and post-primary levels over the coming years. This study has been conducted using data from the Central Statistics Office, the General Register Office and the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (6 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The project for the school referred to by the Deputy has been approved to progress to tender and construction and is currently at an early stage of architectural planning. In late April, the Department issued detailed comments on the stage 2a submission (developed sketch design) and requested additional information from the design team relating to the project. This was received in June and...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (6 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The recruitment, selection and appointment of staff whether for teaching or other positions in a school rests with Boards of Management as employer. The Statistics section of my Department's website now contains data at individual primary school level, including the number of teachers in each school for the 2008\2009 school year. However it does not contain information on the number of...

Written Answers — School Management: School Management (6 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I have already expressed my very great concern regarding the serious weaknesses that were identified in the WSE report in relation to the school in question. Officials in my Department have held further meetings with the management of the school over the summer period. At the last meeting the chairperson of the school reported that the board had appointed a fully qualified teacher to serve...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (6 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to advise the Deputy that the acquisition of the site in question will be considered in the context of the Department's Multi- Annual School Building and Modernisation Programme.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (6 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The project to which the Deputy refers was recently tendered. The school's Design Team is currently preparing the Tender Report. When this report is completed and submitted to my Department, the project will be considered for progression to the next stage i.e. the award stage.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (6 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I can confirm that it is my Department's intention to facilitate the rationalisation of primary school provision in the area to which the Deputy refers. Applications for building projects from the schools to enable this have been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and assigned an appropriate band rating. Information in respect...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (6 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I can confirm that it is my Department's intention to facilitate the rationalisation of primary school provision in the area to which the Deputy refers. Two building projects are needed to facilitate this, one of which is currently in the early stages of architectural planning. Information in respect of the current school building programme along with all assessed applications for major...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (6 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Final tenders for the second bundle of Primary/Post Primary schools consisting of six schools were received by the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) on the 1st July 2009. The tender evaluation process is nearing completion and it is expected that the preferred bidder will be announced shortly. Subject to the planning process it is envisaged that construction work on all six schools...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (6 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The project to which the Deputy refers has been tendered and a preferred bidder identified. Officials in my Department recently authorised the Board of Management to commence the award process. The first stage of this process is to request the preferred bidder to submit various documents such as his insurances, bond, tax clearance etc. If\when the preferred bidder submits these documents and...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (6 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As you may be aware, a wide-ranging review of the provision of temporary school accommodation is underway in my Department. Part of that review is the development of standardised designs and specifications and associated documentation for the procurement of temporary accommodation. In progressing this element of the review, the firm of specialists engaged to assist with this review has...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (6 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to advise the Deputy that Special Educational Needs Organisers are employed by the National Council for Special Education which prescribes the following qualifications and experience required for appointment to these positions: a third level qualification, preferably at degree level, or a professional qualification relevant to the provision of services to children with disabilities;...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (6 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy will be aware, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants to schools to support children with special needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. While the NCSE recognises that the...

Written Answers — Appointments to State Boards: Appointments to State Boards (6 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Special Education Appeals Board was established under the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act, 2004 to hear and determine appeals under the Act. The Appeals Board comprises a Chairperson, Ms Fionnuala Kilfeather, and two ordinary members, Mr Páid McGee and Mr Patrick O'Keeffe, all of whom have a special interest in, or knowledge of, education and in...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (6 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1222 to 1226, inclusive, together. The Statistics section of my Department's website now contains data at individual primary school level, including the number of teachers in each school for the 2008/2009 school year. The Primary Census for the 2009/2010 school year will be carried out in the Autumn and the final outcome will be made available when this...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (6 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1227 to 1231, inclusive, together. Teacher allocations to second level schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. At the level of individual schools, the budget changes in relation to the allocation of teaching posts will impact in different ways, depending on whether enrolment is...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (6 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) forms a mandatory part of curriculum provision in primary schools and in junior cycle. The overall aim is to help develop students' confidence and self esteem, and promote the skills for living, for responsible decision making, and for mental, physical and emotional health and wellbeing. The implementation of these programmes in schools is supported...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (6 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1233 to 1237, inclusive, together. Class size data for primary schools for 2009/2010 is not yet available. The source of this data is the Annual Census of Primary Schools which is carried out in the Autumn. Data will become available when returns for all schools have been processed.

Written Answers — Departmental Correspondence: Departmental Correspondence (6 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The correspondence to which the Deputy refers was received in my Department last week. The issues raised in this correspondence will be referred to the patron of the school concerned.