Results 3,041-3,060 of 7,283 for speaker:Josepha Madigan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (3 Nov 2020)

Josepha Madigan: There are published criteria in place for determining the staffing level of a school and these are outlined in circulars issued by my Department from time to time. Special schools may appoint an Administrative Deputy Principal on the basis of a teaching staff complement of Principal + 15 or more class teachers, as set out in Department Circular 0032/2019. The school referred to does not...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (3 Nov 2020)

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 (3 Nov 2020)

Josepha Madigan: The NCSE has responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs including the allocation of SNAs and reviews. My Department does not have a role in making individual school determinations. Accordingly, the question has been referred to the NCSE for direct reply. The Special Needs Assistant (SNA) scheme is designed to provide schools with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (21 Oct 2020)

Josepha Madigan: The NCSE has responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs including the allocation of SNAs and reviews. My Department does not have a role in making individual school determinations. Accordingly, the question has been referred to the NCSE for direct reply. The Special Needs Assistant (SNA) scheme is designed to provide schools with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (20 Oct 2020)

Josepha Madigan: I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) is responsible for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports. SENOs also make recommendations to my Department where assistive technology is required. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (20 Oct 2020)

Josepha Madigan: I would like to reassure the Deputy that ensuring that every child has a suitable school placement is an ongoing priority for my Department.  While the NCSE continues to experience difficulty in securing special school placements in certain areas of Cork, I am aware that a placement had been secured for this child in a special school.  I also understand that the local Special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (20 Oct 2020)

Josepha Madigan: The NCSE has responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs including the allocation of SNAs and reviews. The Special Needs Assistant (SNA) scheme is designed to provide schools with additional adult support staff who can assist children with special educational needs who also have additional and significant care needs. Such support...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (20 Oct 2020)

Josepha Madigan: Budget 2021 provided for an additional 990 additional SNAs for allocation to schools, bringing the total numbers to 18,000 by December 2020. This allocation of SNAs is to meet the care needs of pupils in 2021 and will enable the establishment of new special classes, creation of new places in special schools, support children in mainstream classes and the transition to the new allocation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Council for Special Education (20 Oct 2020)

Josepha Madigan: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is an independent statutory agency which has been established in accordance with the provisions of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004. The Act sets out the responsibility of the NCSE to coordinate and plan for the provision of education for children with special educational needs nationwide and to advise the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (20 Oct 2020)

Josepha Madigan: It has been a priority of this Government to ensure that schools could reopen in a way that is safe and sustainable. A financial package of over €375 million has been provided to support the reopening of schools, which includes provision for additional staffing, reconfiguration of classes, enhanced cleaning, Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE) and access to additional psychological...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Tuition Scheme (15 Oct 2020)

Josepha Madigan: Ensuring that every child has a suitable school placement is a key objective of this Department. Significant resources are allocated each year to ensure that appropriate supports are available for children with special educational needs. It is the policy of my Department that all children with Special Educational Needs can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (15 Oct 2020)

Josepha Madigan: The provision of education for children with special needs is an ongoing priority for Government. The numbers of special classes, special education teachers and Special Needs Assistants are at unprecedented levels. My Department will spend approximately €2 Billion, or over 20% of its total educational budget on making additional provision for children with special educational needs in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (15 Oct 2020)

Josepha Madigan: Ensuring that every child has a suitable school placement is a key objective of this Department. Significant resources are allocated each year to ensure that appropriate supports are available for children with special educational needs. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for co-ordinating and advising on the education provision for children nationwide; has...

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs (14 Oct 2020)

Josepha Madigan: It is actually about the increasing numbers of special needs pupils at primary level as well as about Covid-19. I will mention briefly that, obviously, substantial supports were given regarding Covid-19. With regard to Dublin, the letters of second notice of section 37A under the Education Act 1998 are going out today to 26 different schools to ensure they provide special class places...

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs (14 Oct 2020)

Josepha Madigan: It is important to stress that the allocation of SNAs for this year was frozen. It will remain unchanged until September 2021 and then the front-loading allocation system will kick in. No SNA was taken away from any school. The Deputy is right that there is an exceptional review process. That is available for schools if they need to challenge the fact they need additionality in terms of...

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs (14 Oct 2020)

Josepha Madigan: The Deputy has raised two questions today, neither of which were in regard to the questions he tabled. Speech and language therapy provided by the HSE is slightly outside of my remit but nevertheless within the school inclusion model we have put in place a pilot project in 150 schools and we now have received investment to roll that out in 200 schools. We will be using speech and language...

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs (14 Oct 2020)

Josepha Madigan: I can give a commitment that I will bring the Deputy's concerns to the attention of the Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities and the Minister for Health. I want to be clear in regard to the school inclusion model and the therapists within a school environment. They are not in lieu of a service that should be provided by the HSE. They are a complementary service which...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs (14 Oct 2020)

Josepha Madigan: Clearly, many of the issues Deputy Naughten is raising are under the remit of the Minister for Health and probably the Minister of State with responsibility for disability as well. I accept what Deputy Naughten is saying. We cannot have delays that are in any way going to adversely affect a child obtaining speech and language services. That is a separate matter to the school setting, as I...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs (14 Oct 2020)

Josepha Madigan: If parents have concerns about particular schools, they should contact the NCSE. If schools have difficulties, they can contact the NCSE or the Department. As I said, the guidance is very detailed and clear. I have said clearly today that pupils in special classes should continue to interact or integrate with mainstream classes. Obviously that number will have to be minimised. What is...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs (14 Oct 2020)

Josepha Madigan: I assure the Deputy I am acutely aware of the sensitivities about special education. This is why when we are in a position to front-load the new special needs assistants model in September 2021 - we could not do it this year because of Covid - we will, in tandem, be rolling out the school inclusion model. As the Deputy knows, through investment in the budget, I am in a position to recruit...