Results 2,541-2,560 of 19,925 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (23 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. As the Deputy may be aware, in order to plan for school place needs my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 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 2 classroom Special Education Needs base, 2 mainstream classrooms and a technical graphics room. The project has been devolved for delivery to the school authority. A Stage 2B architectural report by the school's design team was received and has been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: My department is constantly reviewing demographics areas to analyse further accommodation requirements or projects that need to be added to our building programme. My department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System (GIS), using data from a range of sources, including Child Benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: 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, using data from a range of sources, including CSO Census data, Child Benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise and where additional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, the State Examinations Commission (SEC) has responsibility for the operation, delivery and development of the State examinations and within that remit, for the RACE scheme. In the context of Senior Cycle Redevelopment, the SEC has commenced work on a comprehensive system wide review of the RACE Scheme and I welcome the SEC's intention that there will be extensive...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (23 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: School Facilities (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that investment and expenditure on General Purpose (GP) rooms and PE Halls is an element of the overall School Building Programme. The provision of GP rooms and PE Halls, at primary and post primary level respectively, and outdoor hard play areas, form part of the accommodation brief for all new school buildings. This is also the case where a major building or...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Reports (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department undertakes a range of evaluations annually, utilising external partners to do so, as appropriate. This ensures that evaluations are undertaken by suitably experienced and independent teams. External evaluations undertaken in each of the past five years, and commenced to-date in 2024, are set out below. Year of Evaluation Area of Evaluation Body undertaking the research...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Bodies (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: Information on the State boards under the remit of my Department, including details of the persons currently serving on each board, their basis of appointment and whether the person has been reappointed for a subsequent term is set out in the attached document. For the Deputy's information, details of the State Bodies that fall under the remit of my Department, are also available on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware, in March 2022, I announced an ambitious programme of work for a reimagined Senior Cycle of education. I have set out a clear vision for the redevelopment of all Senior Cycle programmes, including the Leaving Certificate Established (LCE), the Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA), Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) and Transition Year (TY) programmes....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Policies (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: In my Department, responsibility for policy research rests primarily with the lead policy section. The Central Policy Unit includes Irish Government Economic and Evaluation staff (IGEES) which can assist with the research requirements of individual policy sections when requested. These staff have contributed to various key pieces of policy research since 2019, as detailed below: Title ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Reports (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: In the period January 2019 to June 2024, my Department’s Inspectorate completed 466 whole-school evaluations (WSE) in primary and post-primary schools. This comprised 314 WSEs in primary and special schools and 152 WSEs in post-primary schools. During this period, 2,915 school self-evaluation (SSE) advisory visits were completed in primary, post-primary and special schools. These...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Programmes (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware, the Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027 was published in April 2022 following an extensive consultation process involving schools, parents, learners, management bodies, and industry which assisted in the identification of key objectives and actions for inclusion in the Strategy. The Strategy continues to advance the embedding of digital technologies across teaching,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The target for multi-denominational provision is the Programme for Government commitment of 400 multi-denominational primary schools by 2030. In the last number of years there has been considerable progress towards increasing the number of multi-denominational schools with 51 of the 52 new primary schools and 45 of the 51 new post-primary schools established since 2011 having a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Programmes (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: Over recent years, additional resources have been made available to our schools, including through the delivery of thousands of extra teaching and Special Needs Assistant posts, increased capitation in schools and investment in school transport services, enhanced supports for school leadership and management, additional supports for special schools, reduced class sizes in primary schools,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Bodies (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: My officials have been in contact with the agencies under the remit of my Department in regard to the Deputy’s query. The information requested is set out in the table at the link.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Programmes (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department undertakes a range of evaluations, utilising external partners to do so as appropriate. This ensures that evaluations are undertaken by suitably experienced and independent teams. Details of evaluations undertaken in each of the past five years, and commenced to-date in 2024, are set out in the table at the link.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I invited the OECD Education for Inclusive Societies project to review Ireland’s current policy approach for the allocation of resources to support students at risk of educational disadvantage. The aim of the review was to firstly examine the structures that determines how schools are included within the DEIS programme, how these schools are supported to meet the needs of students at...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (23 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 educational...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 768 and 771 to 773, inclusive, together. 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...