Results 2,681-2,700 of 19,925 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (11 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. The Department has been aware of pressures for post primary school places for the 2024/25 school year in Greystones and Kilcoole, and the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Insurance Coverage (11 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: School Staff (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: Following the commencement of the National Vetting Bureau [Children and Vulnerable Persons] Act of 2012 by the then Minister for Justice and Equality on the 29 April 2016 (other than section 20) the Department issued Circular 31/2016 to all school Authorities and Education Training Boards advising of the statutory obligations placed on school authorities to obtain a vetting disclosure from...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: Work is ongoing in my Department at present to develop a new policy for Irish-medium education outside of the Gaeltacht. This new policy will build on the significant achievements of the Policy on Gaeltacht Education. In order to inform the development of the policy, a comprehensive public consultation process was conducted to seek the views of stakeholders including young people,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bullying in Educational Institutions (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I launched Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying on 1st December 2022. Cineáltas is my Department’s whole-education approach to preventing and addressing bullying in schools. Cineáltas is dedicated to the prevention and addressing of bullying, cyber bullying, racist bullying, gender identity bullying and sexual harassment, among other areas, in schools. It is centred...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Citizens' Assembly (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The Citizens’ Assembly on the Future of Education is of high importance to me and the Department of Education as is including the voice of children in the process. The Programme for Government commits to establishing a Citizens’ Assembly on the Future of Education ensuring that the voices of young people and those being educated are central. The establishment of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (11 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: Education and Training Boards (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: Section 44 of the Education and Training Boards Act 2013 provides that an education and training board may establish committees to – (a) perform such one or more of its functions as, in its opinion, could be better or more conveniently performed by a committee, or (b) advise it in relation to the performance by it of any of its functions. Section 44 provides that a committee...

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

Norma Foley: I would like to advise the Deputy that, in order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, using data from a range of sources, including Child Benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will...

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

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government commits to high quality Physical Education (PE) in primary and secondary schools. The appointment of Thomas Byrne TD as Minister of State with special responsibility for Sport and Physical Education reflects this commitment. My Department also continues to work closely with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) with regard to curricular...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Mental Health Services (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department is committed to supporting the emotional wellbeing of all children including those who may have experienced trauma. In June 2023 I launched a €5 million pilot of counselling and wellbeing supports in primary schools in selected counties. This Counselling in Primary Schools Pilot is in addition to the range of mental health and wellbeing supports already being...

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

Norma Foley: At present, the majority of primary and post-primary schools receive assistance to provide for caretaker services under ancillary grant funding. Under the February 2022 agreement the implementation of revised salary and annual leave entitlements for school secretaries is now fully operational, and lessons learned from that process are now playing a key role in the drafting and implementation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: Under the provisions of the Education Act, 1998 the board of management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school and the principal is responsible for the day-to-day management of the school, including arrangements for co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. The decision taken to become involved in organised school sports is a matter for each school. However, the...

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

Norma Foley: At present, the majority of primary and post-primary schools receive assistance to provide for caretaker services under ancillary grant funding. Under the February 2022 agreement the implementation of revised salary and annual leave entitlements for school secretaries is now fully operational, and lessons learned from that process are now playing a key role in the drafting and implementation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The main purpose of the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) is to ensure the availability of funding to provide for unforeseen emergencies that impact on school buildings that are in need of resources as a result of an emergency situation. An emergency is a situation which poses an immediate risk to health, life, property or the environment, which is sudden, unforeseen and requires immediate...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Amalgamation (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that my department has received a request from the patron of the schools under reference for the amalgamation of the two schools. As the Deputy will be aware the decision making authority for school amalgamations belongs to the patron or trustees of a school, and this is subject to the approval of the Minister for Education. Any proposed change must involve...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I can assure the Deputy that requirements for school places are kept under ongoing review in the context of available information on population, enrolments and residential development activity. My Department is aware of enrolment pressures and demand for additional school places in some areas and Department officials have been working very closely with patrons, management bodies and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department is in receipt of an application for capital funding, under the Additional Schools’ Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school in question. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has a statutory function to plan and co-ordinate the provision of education and support services to children with special educational needs, in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: In accordance with Section 14 of the Education Act 1998, it is the duty of the Patron to appoint, where practicable, a Board of Management. The Board of Management is the body of persons or the person appointed by the Patron to manage the school on his/her behalf, including issues surrounding health and safety. While the Department of Education has statutory functions in the setting of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (11 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 mainstream classrooms, 1 special education teaching room and the refurbishment of 4 existing classrooms into 2 mainstream classrooms. The responsibility for delivery of the project has been devolved to the school authority. The initial architectural...