Results 2,601-2,620 of 7,283 for speaker:Josepha Madigan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (31 Mar 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 558 and 559 together. Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education appropriate to their needs is a priority for this Government. The Department of Education will spend approximately €2 Billion or over 20% of its total educational budget in 2021 on making additional provision for children with special educational needs this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (31 Mar 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I want to assure you the Deputy that I am conscious of the fact that closing schools has hugely adverse consequences at individual, family and societal level and that the effect on children with complex special educational needs can be even greater. For this reason, special schools were prioritised to reopen on 11 February on a 50% attendance basis and a supplementary programme was also put...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (31 Mar 2021)

Josepha Madigan: Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) play a huge role in helping to ensure the inclusion of pupils with significant care needs in education and in school life. This was acknowledged in the Comprehensive Review of the Special Needs Assistant Scheme (SNAs) published by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) in 2018. The Review made a number of recommendations regarding SNAs and the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (31 Mar 2021)

Josepha Madigan: Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) play a huge role in helping to ensure the inclusion of pupils with significant care needs in education and in school life. This was acknowledged in the Comprehensive Review of the Special Needs Assistant Scheme (SNAs) published by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) in 2018. The Review made a number of recommendations regarding SNAs and the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (31 Mar 2021)

Josepha Madigan: It is my belief that children with special educational needs should receive their education in placements which are appropriate to their needs alongside their peers wherever possible unless such an approach would be inconsistent with the best interests of the individual child or other children in the school. This approach is consistent with the provisions of the Education for Persons with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (31 Mar 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I wish to advise the Deputy that therapy services, such as Speech and Language Therapy Services, are under the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Health and the service is provided by the Health Service Executive (HSE). The Deputy will be aware that a demonstration project to provide in-school and pre-school therapy services was introduced, for a number of schools in the Community...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (31 Mar 2021)

Josepha Madigan: A core recommendation of the National Council for Special Education’s (NCSE) Review of the Special Needs Assistant (SNA) scheme concerned a change in the way that SNAs are allocated to mainstream classes in both primary and post primary schools and called for the greater proportion of SNAs in these classes to be allocated on the basis of an educational profile of each school before the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Vaccination Programme (31 Mar 2021)

Josepha Madigan: The National Immunisation Advisory Council’s recommendation, adopted by NPHET, is that the remainder of the population after Group 9 will be completed on an age basis from those aged 64 years and younger, and that this decision will replace the previous groupings in the original plan. This decision has implications for many sectors including school staff and will result in those...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Psychological Assessments (31 Mar 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I wish to advise the Deputy that Special Education Teachers support the mainstream class teacher by providing additional teaching support for pupils with special educational needs, or additional learning needs, in schools. DES Circular 007/2019 for primary schools and 008/2019 for post primary schools set out the details of the model for allocating special education teachers to schools. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (31 Mar 2021)

Josepha Madigan: A core recommendation of the National Council for Special Education’s (NCSE) Review of the Special Needs Assistant (SNA) scheme concerned a change in the way that SNAs are allocated to mainstream classes in both primary and post primary schools and called for the greater proportion of SNAs in these classes to be allocated on the basis of an educational profile of each school before the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (31 Mar 2021)

Josepha Madigan: Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education appropriate to their needs is a priority for this Government. The Department of Education will spend approximately €2 Billion or over 20% of its total educational budget in 2021 on making additional provision for children with special educational needs this year. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE)...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (31 Mar 2021)

Josepha Madigan: Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education appropriate to their needs is a priority for this Government. The Department of Education will spend approximately €2 Billion or over 20% of its total educational budget in 2021 on making additional provision for children with special educational needs this year. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE)...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (31 Mar 2021)

Josepha Madigan: A significantly expanded Summer Programme was provided in 2020 for children with the complex needs as a discrete response to Covid-19. The programme provided either in-school, or home-based supports by teachers and special needs assistants (SNAs) during the summer holidays to help to prevent regression among children with SEN. The programme's aim was to support children to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (31 Mar 2021)

Josepha Madigan: Provision of Grant Aid towards the provision of specialist equipment solely for use in the home or for sensory rooms in a private dwelling is outside the remit of my Department and should instead be addressed to the Health Service Executive (HSE). Parents can access information in this through their local Health Centre, contact information is available on www.HSE.ie. My Department...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (31 Mar 2021)

Josepha Madigan: The School Inclusion Model (SIM) is based on policy advice from the National Council for Special Education based on the principle of providing the right support at the right time delivered by a range of personnel with relevant qualifications and skill-sets. Its purpose is to help students achieve better outcomes. Independent evaluation is a central part of the project and the outcome will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Communications (31 Mar 2021)

Josepha Madigan: Very significant levels of financial provision are made to ensure that all children with special educational needs, including children who are deaf/hard of hearing, can be provided with an education appropriate to their needs. The State currently spends approximately €2 Billion - almost a fifth - of its annual educational and training budget on making additional provision for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (31 Mar 2021)

Josepha Madigan: At the outset, I wish to acknowledge the seriousness of the issues raised in the recent RTE Investigates programme. I want to assure the House and the families of children with special educational needs that my Department has never unlawfully collected or passed on the sensitive educational information of children involved in court cases. My Department is currently reviewing case files in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Records (31 Mar 2021)

Josepha Madigan: At the outset, I wish to acknowledge the seriousness of the issues raised in the recent RTÉ Investigates programme. I also want to assure the House and the families of children with special educational needs that my Department has never unlawfully collected or passed on the sensitive educational information of children involved in court cases. My Department is currently reviewing case...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Special Educational Needs (26 Mar 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I am happy to address the specific concerns raised by Senator Pauline O'Reilly about the Department of Education, in which I am a Minister of State. The Department is not aware of any instance of inappropriate sharing of information, nor does it take lightly any decision to defend cases concerning children with special educational needs and the rights of the child to an appropriate education...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Special Educational Needs (26 Mar 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I assure the Senator that, as the first dedicated Minister of State with responsibility for special education, I am doing everything I can to ensure the rights and best interests of children with special needs are at the forefront of everything we do. The unprecedented funding of €2 billion is an acknowledgement of that. My list of action priorities includes a review of the Education...