Results 3,741-3,760 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Administration (20 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (20 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The publicly-stated policy on patronage divesting is to use existing educational infrastructure to facilitate provision of diversity in areas where there is no demographic imperative to establish new schools. My Department can approve start-up divesting schools in commercial properties only where there is reasonable certainty of a school building or State-owned property coming on stream...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Review (20 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is finalising a nationwide demographic review to determine where additional post-primary school places might be needed from 2017 onwards. This includes an examination of the areas in County Kildare where the schools referred to by the Deputy are located. On foot of this review, arrangements will be made to provide additional post-primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ministerial Correspondence (20 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: A response issued recently to the representation to which the Deputy refers.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (20 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support, which are set out in my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (20 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy will be aware, in July last I announced that an additional 610 Special Needs Assistant (SNA) posts are being made available to the National Council for Special Education to allocate to schools to support children with special educational needs for the current school year. From the beginning of September, there are 11,820 whole time equivalent SNA posts available in Primary,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (20 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Since the beginning of the financial crisis, there has been a need to enact a number of measures to reduce public expenditure. The previous Government reduced the salaries and allowances payable of all new entrants to public service recruitment grades (including teachers) by 10% with effect from 1 January 2011 and required that such new entrants would start on the first point of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Institutions (20 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 601 and 602 together. Furthering inter-institutional collaboration was a major objective of the National Strategy 2011 and substantial progress has been made in this regard. In 2013, following the receipt of advice from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) on the future landscape of higher education, my predecessor set out the policy framework for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service Staff (20 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can inform the Deputy that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychology service to all primary and post primary schools through an assigned NEPS psychologist and in some cases through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA), full details of which are on the Department's website. Under this scheme schools can have an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (20 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to schools are published annually on the Department's website. 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 arrangements for the coming school year 2015/16 are set out in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Expenditure (20 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that funding for special education provision in 2016 will amount to some €1.5bn billion, which is equivalent to 17.6% of the gross overall current allocation for education and training. As well as providing funding to meet the full year costs in 2016 of Resource Teachers appointed for the 2015/16 year, funding is also being provided to meet the cost of up...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (20 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy is aware, I have recently commenced a process to renew the DEIS programme. The review process is being undertaken over the course of the current school year and will consider all issues pertaining to educational disadvantage. As I have already announced pending the outcome of this review I will not be making any changes to the current programme, including the additionally of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (20 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department takes the decision to establish a new school in order to meet demographic demand. In this regard, the 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (20 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Community National Schools (CNSs) represent a new policy initiative approved by Government on a pilot basis to deal with increasing societal diversity and demand for greater choice in education provision at primary school level. There are currently a total of eleven CNSs, located in counties Cork, Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow. The Community National Schools are currently under the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (20 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department provides for an extensive range of supports to assist pupils who are Deaf or hard of hearing, including pupils who have Down syndrome and additional hearing difficulties. In line with my Department's policy that children with special educational needs access appropriate education intervention in mainstream settings where possible, many Deaf or...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (20 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Apart from the recognised fee-charging second level schools, recognised schools are precluded from charging school fees. Voluntary contributions by parents of pupils in recognised schools are permissible provided it is made absolutely clear to parents that there is no question of compulsion to pay and that, in making a contribution, they are doing so of their own volition. The manner in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (20 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that the 1998 Education Act requires Boards of Management of each school to publish the policy of the school relating to participation by students with special educational needs, including students who are exceptionally able. The measures schools take in this regard are required to be stated in the school plan. It is the duty of the Board of Management to ensure...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Applications (20 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy will be aware of my announcement on 13th October last, of the Summer Works Scheme for 2016 and 2017. The on line application system will be open to receive applications from schools from 2nd November 2015. Full details of the Scheme are available on my Department's website at www.education.ie.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (20 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to primary schools are published annually on the website of the Department of Education and Skills. 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 arrangements for the current...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (20 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The selection and enrolment of pupils in schools is the responsibility of the authorities of the individual school. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in an area. However, this may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice. As schools may not have a place...