Results 2,421-2,440 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department makes a specific allocation of teaching posts in respect of guidance to schools in the second level system. This allocation is based on the pupil enrolment in September of the preceding school year. As a result of the decision to allocate an additional 100 posts to guidance from September 2005 an enhanced guidance allocation provision has been put in place from the commencement...

Written Answers — Road Safety: Road Safety (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I believe that schools have a role to play both in teaching students about road safety issues and in helping them to develop the attitudes necessary to promote safe behaviour on the roads. The Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) programme, which is mandatory in primary schools and at junior cycle level, provides a framework under which the generic values and skills which underpin...

Written Answers — Stay Safe Programme: Stay Safe Programme (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Continuing Professional Development to support the implementation of the Stay Safe programme is provided by the Child Abuse Prevention Programme (CAPP). Results of a survey on the uptake of Stay Safe carried out by CAPP and my Department in 2006 showed that at that time: 2,514 schools (84.19%) were providing the programme; 472 (15.81%) were not providing the programme; and 263 schools (8.8%)...

Written Answers — Student Councils: Student Councils (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Education Act, 1998 provides for the establishment of student councils, intending them to play an integral and important role in the post-primary school community. Student councils provide a representative structure through which students can debate issues of concern and undertake initiatives of benefit to the school and wider community. Section 27 of the Act, requires Boards of...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The NCCA proposals for reform envisaged re-structuring of senior cycle programmes into subjects, short courses and Transition Units, a strengthening of practical project and portfolio assessment, a spread of assessment events with subjects having two assessment components, and embedding of key skills into subjects. In response, the then Minister Mary Hanafin. T.D. welcomed the embedding of...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The proposals of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment for reform of senior cycle envisaged a re-structuring of programmes into subjects, short courses and transition units. The Council proposed the development of Transition Units as 45 hour units of study which would provide a broad range of experiences for learners, incorporating innovative methodologies and supporting the...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As part of the multi-annual school building programme, the Government has invested heavily in the modernisation of school facilities throughout the country including science facilities in post-primary schools. Provision of science facilities is an intrinsic part of all major projects at post-primary level. Schools have also received devolved capital grants under the Summer Works and...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Schools at both primary and second level use strategies such as curriculum differentiation, curriculum enrichment and acceleration to facilitate the development of pupils who are exceptionally able. Recently devised syllabi and curricula for second-level schools have been designed in such a way to enable teachers cater for the wide range of pupil ability. The revised primary curriculum, which...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: There are currently 221 schools/centres offering the Junior Certificate School Programme (JCSP), and the Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) is currently offered in some 380 schools/centres and taken by around 6% of students each year. The DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) Action Plan for Educational Inclusion provides for extended access to the JCSP for second-level schools...

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: With regard to the summer courses in Irish for primary school children in designated disadvantaged schools, these commenced on a pilot basis in 2007 and are referred to as Campaí Samhraidh. Children's command of Irish is improved through participation in a range of activities, including music, arts and crafts and games, conducted through the medium of Irish. The programmes are developed by...

Written Answers — Information and Communications Technology: Information and Communications Technology (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The curriculum in schools is devised on the basis that ICT is not a subject but rather a tool to be integrated into the teaching and learning of all subjects. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment has developed an ICT framework which sets out a structured approach to ICT in curriculum and assessment. This sets out the types of learning appropriate for students during the period...

Written Answers — Literacy Levels: Literacy Levels (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department issued Circular 0138/2006 in December 2006 to primary schools requesting that they ensure that standardised testing is implemented on an annual basis for all pupils in English reading and Mathematics at the end of first class or the beginning of second class, and at the end of fourth class or the beginning of fifth class, beginning in the calendar year 2007. The introduction of...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The National Educational Psychologist Service currently has a staffing complement of 159 psychologist staff distributed over some 22 regional and local offices nationwide. As the Deputy is aware, in regard to further improving the service to schools, I was pleased to announce recently, an increase in the funding available to NEPS which will allow for the recruitment of additional...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1190, 1191 and 1203 together. The Deputy will be aware that a significant number of sections of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act, 2004 have been commenced, principally those establishing the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and those promoting an inclusive approach to the education of children with special...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: A key priority for the Government over the past decade has been to improve the provision of additional resources for all pupils with special educational needs (SEN), including those attending post-primary schools. Second level schools should be informed and guided in their support of students with SEN by the guideline document "Inclusion of Students with Special Educational Needs:...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: In light of the Budget 2009 decision in relation to language support my Department has published a circular for schools which sets out how the new arrangements will operate for the allocation of language support teachers from September 2009. The circular sets out a structured and transparent approach for the operation of the alleviation measures that were announced in the budget for schools...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The capacity of higher education institutions to address key national objectives, including increasing access and participation, is supported through core and strategic funding allocated under the Human Capital Priority of the NDP. The Social Inclusion Priority of the NDP also supports increased participation by disadvantaged groups through funding allocated through the higher education...

Written Answers — Third Level Fees: Third Level Fees (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The implementation of this Programme for Government commitment will be considered in the context of the development of policies on how best to meet the future funding requirements of the higher education sector, having regard to available resources.

Written Answers — Third Level Sector: Third Level Sector (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department, together with the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI) and the Higher Education Authority (HEA) supports the work of third level institutions in broadening routes of access to higher education. The National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education 2008–2013, which I launched in July 2008, seeks to encourage the broadening of entry routes to higher...

Written Answers — Third Level Sector: Third Level Sector (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: In the two years 2007 and 2008, the Government has invested in excess of €300m in developing the country's higher education infrastructure. In 2009 an additional €200m is being invested. Investments since 2007 have enabled the Government to expend €82m on dedicated research projects under Cycles 3 and 4 of the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRLTI) thereby advancing...