Results 2,321-2,340 of 19,414 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (4 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: At primary level, teachers are allocated to schools at an average of 1 classroom teacher for every 23 pupils, the lowest level ever seen at primary level. DEIS Urban Band 1 schools receive an average allocation of 17:1, 21:1 and 19:1 for junior, senior and vertical schools respectively. Each one point improvement in the staffing schedule at primary level for DEIS and non-DEIS schools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Costs (4 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, my Department was voted over €10.9bn gross expenditure in the annual REV for 2024. This represents a substantial investment in our education system and in our children and young people. There are many different aspects to a child progressing through our school system and costs associated with these. These include school books, school uniforms, school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Costs (4 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: Education Costs (4 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: Education Costs (4 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, my Department’s voted estimate for capital and current expenditure for 2024 stands at over €10.9 billion. This represents an increase of over €2.8 billion or 35% since 2019. This is the third largest budget across Government, and the largest ever investment in our schools. This indicates the strong commitment to investment in education by...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Costs (4 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: Education Costs (4 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I recognise the key role school leadership has in promoting a school environment which is welcoming, inclusive and accountable Budget 2017 allowed for the commencement of restoration of middle management posts as part of an agreed distributed leadership model and meant lifting the rigidity of the longstanding moratorium on these posts. The equivalent of approximately 1,300 middle...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (4 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The NEPS service provides access for all schools to: Psychological support in the event of a Critical Incident, A Casework Service for individual children where there is a need for intensive consultation and assessment via a NEPS psychologist or through the Scheme for the Commissioning of Psychological Assessments (SCPA), A school staff Support and Development Service, to build school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Meetings (4 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The school referred to by the Deputy was approved to enter the Department’s pipeline of school buildings for a project to provide a new four class primary school with one class special education needs base. It also involves the renovation and extension of an existing former school building. This would provide a general-purpose room, a library and resource area, a principal’s...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (4 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: Under the Education Act 1998, the legal responsibility for transferring patronage rests with the current school patron in the first instance. A school patron may write to me, as the Minister for Education, to request a voluntary transfer of patronage to another school patron under Section 8 of the Education Act 1998 in relation to a particular school and requesting that the patron register...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (4 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The project for the first school referred to by the Deputy will deliver a new 8 classroom primary school and accommodation, including 2 classrooms for children with special educational needs. The project currently has planning permission and will, along with a number of other projects, be brought to the level of employer-led design with a Design Team assigned to do so under the supervision...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (4 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 traveling 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: Departmental Schemes (4 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: Departmental Funding (4 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I wish to inform the Deputy that Newpark Academy of Music is a private entity that does not fall under the remit of the Department of Education. Any proposal to allow the Academy of Music to use school property after school hours is for school management to deal with. Any agreed arrangements must be in line with the Department’s ‘Procedures on use of School Buildings and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (4 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy may be aware, the purpose of the Summer Works Scheme is to devolve funding to individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works which, ideally, can be carried out during the summer months or at other times that avoid disrupting the operation of the school. The Summer Works Scheme plays an important role in the maintenance and upgrade of the condition of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (4 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 my Department. In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (3 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 86 and 87 together. Please find attached requested information. Lucan SPA has 17 primary schools. The projected peak year for enrolments was 2018/19 with enrolments decreasing thereafter. Lucan SPA has 8 Post primary schools. The projected peak year for enrolments is 2024/25, with enrolments decreasing thereafter. Please note that data provided is for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (3 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that requirements for school places is kept under on-going review in the context of available information on population, enrolments and residential development activity. 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,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (3 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The school referred to by the Deputy was approved to enter the Department’s pipeline of school buildings for a project to provide 2 classroom SEN base under the Additional School Accommodation Scheme. A subsequent request to add 2 mainstream classrooms and 1 SET was approved. The project is currently at Stage 3 (tender stage) and the school authority was requested to provide a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (3 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, for...