Results 3,621-3,640 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. The State Examinations Commission operates a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations in the Certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Administration (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Under the provisions of the Education Act, 1998, the Board of Management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school. It is a matter for each individual school to devise its own policies around the types of food that are permissible on the school premises and such policies should be driven by the needs and welfare of the pupils. In that regard, it is important that all...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department uses a Geographical Information System (GIS) to identify where the pressure for additional school places will arise. The GIS uses data from the Central Statistics Office, Ordnance Survey Ireland and the Department of Social Protection in addition to information from the Department's own databases. It also uses data from the local authorities. With all of this information, my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: International Students (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The USA is the single largest origin of international students in the Irish higher education system. In the past ten years, we have welcomed over 60,000 US students to our shores. Irish universities and institutes of technology have forged active study abroad partnerships with US universities and colleges over the past 20 years and the strength of these partnerships is evidenced in our...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Tuition Scheme (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy will be aware that the purpose of the Home Tuition Scheme which is administered by the Special Education Section of my Department is to provide a compensatory educational service for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme also provides a compensatory educational service for children with special educational needs...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Establishment (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The new school establishment process is initiated by my Department identifying the requirement to establish a new school in a particular area in order to meet demographic demand in that area. Once the requirement is established, my Department then conducts a process to allow for different patrons/bodies to be considered as the patron of the new school. A school patron has significant...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Data (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The policy of my Department is that children with special educational needs, including children with autism, should be included where possible and appropriate in mainstream placements with additional supports provided. In circumstances where children with special educational need require more specialised interventions, special school or special class places are also available. The Deputy...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: While there has been a moratorium on recruitment across other sectors in the public service, this has not applied to teaching and shows the commitment this Government has to educating our future generations. We have a growing population of young people in this country and despite the difficult financial circumstances we face as a country, we prioritised education so that the number of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Council for Special Education (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has recommended the introduction of a new resource allocation model for schools, which will allow schools to allocate resources to pupils taking into account their individual learning needs, as opposed to being based primarily on a diagnosis of a particular disability. A pilot of this new resource allocation model...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Schooling (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department's Circular 0058/2013 "Assignment of Home School Community Liaison Coordinators within DEIS schools" governs the procedures that must be followed by participating DEIS schools in relation to Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) assignments. The contents of this Circular were agreed with the Teacher Unions and Management Bodies. The circular in question directs schools to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Languages Programme (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 938 to 941, inclusive, together. The level of extra teaching support provided in respect of language support to schools is determined by the numbers of eligible pupils enrolled and the associated levels of those pupils' language proficiency. Budget decisions since 2009 have reduced significantly the number of language support posts provided to schools....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I fully support the Programme for Government commitment to move towards a more pluralist system of patronage for our schools. The Deputy will be aware that a Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector was established to look at how schools could cater for diversity and ensure an inclusive environment for all their pupils. Work is continuing on implementing the Action Plan...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Multidenominational Schools (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: New schools are established to meet demographic need. In the past ten years the total pupil enrolment in first and second level schools has risen by almost 100,000 pupils. Enrolment levels are still rising annually at both levels and are projected to rise by some 44,000 pupils in 2018/19 compared with current levels. This level of increase has meant that the available financial resources...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Funding (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 945 and 994 together. I can confirm that my Department approved a devolved grant to the school referred to by the Deputy in January 2014 for the provision of 2 classrooms and 2 resource rooms to replace prefabs. The school authorities contacted my Department in July 2015 seeking funding for additional building works to the original project approved....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that the Board of Management of Canal Way Educate Together school has confirmed that the school will continue to accept two junior infant streams. I understand that it is the school's intention to apply to my Department for additional accommodation.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that I am not aware that this school has been offered to my Department for any educational purposes.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The decision on eligibility for new student grant applications is a matter for the centralised grant awarding authority, SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland). The Deputy will appreciate that in the absence of all of the relevant details that would be contained in an individual's application form it would not be possible for me to say whether or not a student should qualify for a grant...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: To satisfy the terms and conditions of the student grant scheme in relation to progression, a student must be moving from year to year within a course having successfully completed the previous year or be transferring from one course to another where the award for the subsequent course is of a higher level than the previous course. The objective of this policy is to help as many students...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Contractors (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: A building project is a complex arrangement of contractual relationships between the client, the main contractor, specialist sub-contractors, domestic sub-contractors, suppliers of materials, suppliers of plant etc. In general all sub-contractors employed on education sector building projects are employed directly by the Main Contractor or indirectly by the Main Contractor through other...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further Education and Training Colleges (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As outlined to the Deputy in response to Parliamentary Question No. 656 of 6th October 2015, providers of QQI validated education and training programmes are required to establish procedures which are fair and consistent for the assessment of enrolled learners. While the current guidelines and regulations in respect of Further Education and Training (FET) programmes contain provisions in...