Results 2,601-2,620 of 19,414 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (11 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: The Leave of Absence following Assault Scheme, which is contained in the Department’s Circular Letter 0061/2017 for teachers and 0062/2017 for SNAs, provides for special leave with pay (subject to specified limits) to a teacher or special needs assistant who is unable to perform their duties due to a physical injury following an assault that happened in the course of their duties and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (11 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for individual school authorities, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012). In that regard, there are more than 3,000 individual employers at primary level (boards of management of primary schools as well as ETBs). The core function...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (11 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: The Leave of Absence following Assault Scheme, which is contained in the Department’s Circular Letter 0061/2017 for teachers and 0062/2017 for SNAs, provides for special leave with pay (subject to specified limits) to a teacher or special needs assistant who is unable to perform their duties due to a physical injury following an assault that happened in the course of their duties and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (11 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: Transition Year is a valuable programme for students that offers opportunities for life skills, personal, social and academic development and experience of adult and working life. Transition Year has a unique and important value in the life of students. I am a huge fan of Transition Year based on my own experience in teaching. I think we should never underestimate the importance of it. As...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (11 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that the school in question was granted initial approval for modular accommodation project under my Department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme. The Department has a significant modular accommodation programme in place to assist schools in the provision of additional capacity, including in respect of facilitating the establishment of special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (11 Jun 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: School Funding (11 Jun 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. Schools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (11 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that the school in question has submitted an application for capital funding, under my department's Additional Schools' Accommodation (ASA) Scheme for reconfiguration of existing school accommodation to provide for one special education classroom. The purpose of the Additional Schools' Accommodation scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Child Abuse (11 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: A range of measures have been put in place to implement the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgement in O’Keeffe v Ireland. These include the commencement of the Children First Act 2015 which provides for mandatory reporting by key professionals; Implementation of the Vetting Acts 2012 -2016 which set out statutory vetting requirements for persons working with children and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (11 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: In Budget 2024 over €47 million was allocated to continue implementation of the schoolbooks scheme at primary level. On the 8thMay I announced details of year 2 of the Primary Schoolbooks Scheme which provides at a minimum free schoolbooks, workbooks, and copybooks to pupils in recognised primary and special schools. More than 555,000 pupils enrolled in approximately 3,230 primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (11 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: In Budget 2024 over €47 million was allocated to continue implementation of the schoolbooks scheme at primary level. On the 8thMay I announced details of year 2 of the Primary Schoolbooks Scheme which provides at a minimum free schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks to pupils in recognised primary and special schools. More than 555,000 pupils enrolled in approximately 3,230 primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (11 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: The current position in respect of the joint major building project referred to by the Deputy is as follows; The Design Team submitted their Stage 2(a) Submission report to my Department in January 2024 for review, in advance of the Stakeholders meeting, which was scheduled for Wednesday 14th February 2024. Upon review, some key concerns were identified by Department officials, and the school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (11 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: The school to which the deputy refers has submitted an application for funding under the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) within my Department. The EWS operates on the basis of a minimal scope of works required to remedy an emergency situation, and accordingly, a revised scope of works and associated itemised cost breakdown was requested from the school. This was recently received and the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (11 Jun 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. Schools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (11 Jun 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. Schools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (11 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The staffing process contains an appeals mechanism for schools to submit a staffing appeal under certain criteria to an independent Primary Staffing Appeals Board. The appeal submitted by...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (11 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: The Department has adapted to the dynamic landscape of student enrolment. This has been particularly effective in the context of the pace and volume of newly arrived students fleeing the war in Ukraine and the ongoing increase in students, who require EAL supports to fully access the curriculum. The Department has prioritised enhancing English as an Additional Language (EAL) support,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (11 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: Since 2020, the Department of Education has invested around €4.5 billion in schools throughout the country. Around 800 school building projects have been completed and 300 other projects are under construction. This level of construction rollout recognises the priority that Government puts on investment in education. School building projects under construction involve an overall State...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (11 Jun 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 Building Projects (11 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: The large scale capital project at the school referred to by the Deputy, is at Architectural Planning Stage 3 – Tender Action and Award and is included in my Department’s Construction Programme which will be delivered under the National Development Plan (NDP) as part of Project Ireland 2040 framework. The project brief includes a new extension and the refurbishment of the...