Results 2,281-2,300 of 19,414 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (9 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: We expect to publish class data shortly for academic year 2023/24 shortly and we will revert to the deputy when the data is available. Please note that class data for academic year 2024/25 will only be available at the end of academic year 2024/25.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (9 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, including over 135,000 pupils travelling 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 to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Administration (9 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: In the three previous Budgets, I prioritised reducing the pupil teacher ratios in primary schools which has brought the teacher allocation ratio to an average of 1 classroom teacher for every 23 pupils in all primary schools, the lowest level ever seen at primary level. A 3-point reduction in the retention schedule, which I introduced in 2021, assists schools that would otherwise be at risk...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Standards (9 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: Overall, my Department will spend almost €2.8 billion on special education in 2024, supporting students across mainstream and specialised settings. Almost 1,300 new special classes have been sanctioned over the last four years. For the coming school year, there will be over 3,000 special classes operating in primary and post-primary schools. Seven new special schools have been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (9 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: During my time as Minister for Education I have shown a strong commitment to addressing educational disadvantage. My Department’s Statement of Strategy, sets out the vision and mission of the Department for an educational system where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential. It sets as a goal to ensure equity of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (9 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: This year my Department published “Forbairt 2024 Annual Statement of Priorities”, a statement of priority actions to be delivered in 2024 that elaborates upon and develops the strategic actions set out in the Statement of Strategy 2023-2025, which sets out the vision, mission and strategic goals that guides the Department’s work programme for the 2023-2025 period. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (9 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that officials from my Department's Professional and Technical Section visited the schools in question on 21 May 2024. On foot of this visit, recommendations were provided to the Building Officer of Educate Together. The Department has requested Educate Together, as patron of the school in question, to work with the school to fulfil the agreement made with the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (9 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, the accommodation arrangements for the school in question are in place only until the school can take up full residence of the Greenhills building. At that time the placement of the special classes can be considered further for full integration purposes. In the interim, it will be a matter for the school authorities to manage integrating the special class pupils...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (9 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that the school in question was approved as a single-stream, eight class primary school and accommodated in a property leased by the Department. The agreement from the outset was that the GP hall was to be shared by the school in question and the other school which shares the building, until their new school building project has been completed. Although...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (9 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The large scale capital project at the school referred to by the Deputy is at Architectural Planning Stage 4 - Construction. Works commenced on site in June 2023 with an estimated completion timeframe of 18 months. However, due to a number of unforeseen site issues, and additional delays in relation to the relocation of ESB wires, which were outside the control of my Department, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (9 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware, the project for this school has been devolved for delivery to the school authority. It includes an extension to the existing school buildings, decanting if required, necessary to satisfactorily develop the post primary school on its existing site to cater for an enrolment of 700 pupils The Stage 2b architectural report has been received and reviewed by my Department....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (9 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: School Funding (9 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The main purpose of the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) is to ensure the availability of funding to provide for unforeseen emergencies that impact on school buildings that are in need of resources as a result of an emergency situation. An emergency is a situation which poses an immediate risk to health, life, property or the environment, which is sudden, unforeseen and requires immediate...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (9 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The provision of funding to schools to purchase their own vehicles is not a feature of the School Transport scheme.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (9 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The Additional School Accommodation project for Mary Queens of Angels 2, Ballyfermot is to provide for a 2 Classroom Special Education Needs base and a toilet for assisted users. The project was devolved for delivery to the school authority who appointed a design team to progress the project through the necessary architectural stages of design, statutory approvals, procurement and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (9 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The school to which the deputy refers submitted an Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) application for funding for asbestos works which were originally approved in June 2022. As there was another EWS project for Universal Access Works being completed at the school at that time, it was necessary for the works in question to be delayed until 2023. In January 2023, the school submitted a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (9 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The school referred to by the Deputy was approved to enter the departments pipeline of school buildings for a project to provide 2 SET rooms in 2019 and 1 mainstream classroom and in 2020. The project has been devolved for delivery to the school authority. A Stage 3 (tender report) has been received by my Department which is currently being reviewed. All projects, including this one,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Administration (9 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (9 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department recently issued a survey to all schools with grant-funded secretaries who originally opted-out of the agreement detailed in Circular 0036/2022 - Revision of Salaries and Annual Leave Arrangements for School Secretaries employed in Recognised Primary and Post-Primary Schools and who are now being given a further chance to accept the agreement and to join my Department's payroll...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (9 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, including over 135,000 pupils travelling 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 to...