Results 3,901-3,920 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Data (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Department has consistently increased the number of special needs assistants and resource teaching hours in recent years. The increases this year were especially significant, and we also increased the number of NEPS psychologists. This year, for the first time, every school has access to a NEPS psychologist. Every school is allocated a specific number of psychological assessments and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The full-year cost of a one-point reduction to the primary staffing schedule is estimated to be €18 million. Therefore, the full-year cost of a five-point reduction would increase the annual primary teacher pay costs by an estimated €90 million per annum. Across the five-year period of reduction, the cumulative increase in pay provision is estimated at €270 million....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: In terms of the capital allocation and based on demographic changes, we expect we will need 19,000 more places in primary schools and 43,000 more places in post-primary schools over the next six years. I acknowledge the Deputy is asking about a five-year period, but we have done the figures for six because that is the length of the capital programme. That is the demographic rise. In terms...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Data (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I understand the Deputy's question refers to the allocation of resource teachers. The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, identified that the current model for allocating resource teachers to schools is potentially inequitable because access to professional assessments is not always readily available to those who cannot afford to access them privately. The proposed new model...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Data (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: On the Deputy's specific question about the pilot schools, 47 schools will take part. A total of 28 primary and 19 post-primary schools have agreed to participate in the pilot project. They were initially selected by the Educational Research Centre and efforts were made to include schools of different sizes, different levels of disadvantage and gender differences. One of the commitments...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The development of oral language skills has a central place in our existing curricula for primary and post-primary schools. This is reflected in the 40% of marks allocated to the oral component of Leaving Certificate Irish and the increased uptake of oral Irish in the current Junior Certificate exam. The NCCA is currently conducting an in-depth analysis of the outcomes of a wide consultation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: There are many demands on me for extra investment at all levels including those raised by the INTO. At the INTO Congress last Easter I indicated that improving the position in relation to primary class size is one of my priorities. I have already indicated that I am determined that education should be prioritised for investment as our economy recovers and I will be seeking to agree a set of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Government fully appreciates the concerns regarding the availability of accommodation for students and the HEA report, Student Accommodation: Demand & Supply, which I published recently sets out clearly that the demand for student accommodation outstrips supply in certain areas and will continue to do so in the coming years. There are 13 useful recommendations in this report and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff Remuneration (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that my Department received approval for an additional 610 SNA posts from September 2015. These are additional to the 220 posts for 2015 already provided for, and reflect this Government's commitment to ensure that every child with an assessed need has access to a SNA. The overall result is that there are now 11,820 whole-time SNA posts available, an 11.7%...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Average class size and the ratio of teachers to students are two important measures of the resources that we make available to schools. While our average class size at primary level is over 3 pupils higher than the OECD average it is only slightly above the OECD average in relation to the PTR measure. In addressing the INTO Congress earlier this year, I made clear that I personally believe...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Absenteeism (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Statutory responsibility for school attendance and educational welfare lies with my colleague the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.The Educational Welfare Service of TUSLA which is an agency of his Department, has statutory powers to work with children and their families who may be experiencing difficulty with school attendance including issues arising from homelessness. I understand...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Government fully appreciates the concerns regarding the availability of accommodation for students and the HEA report, Student Accommodation: Demand & Supply, which I published recently sets out clearly that the demand for student accommodation outstrips supply in certain areas and will continue to do so in the coming years. There are 13 useful recommendations in this report and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: It is extremely difficult to make precise comparisons between the levels of grants paid and the actual costs of running schools at primary and post primary levels. However it is self evident that the maintenance and running costs for second level schools are much greater on a unit cost basis than those in primary schools. In general, second level schools are larger than primary schools and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: To be eligible for a grant, a "student", as defined in Section 14 of the Student Support Act 2011, must demonstrate that he/she has been resident in the State for at least 3 years out of the 5 year period ending on the day before the start of their approved course of study. This requirement takes cognisance of students who wish to take time out to travel or work abroad. Such students can...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that a Major Capital Project in respect of the school, to which he refers, is being progressed into the architectural planning process. My Department met with the relevant Education and Training Board school authorities in this regard on 22nd September last. The proposed project will include the complete replacement of prefabs with permanent classrooms in addition...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The NCSE, in Policy advice published in 2013, identified that the current model for allocating resource teachers to schools is potentially inequitable because access to professionals to make a diagnosis is not always readily available to those who can not afford to access it privately.The NCSE recommended the development of a new allocation model, based on the profiled needs of each school,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Physical Education (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Physical Education is an important component of primary and post-primary education. It emphasises the development of skills, and encourages pupils to participate in a range of physical activities and to use their time outside of school constructively. At primary level, the PE curriculum enables pupils to engage in athletics, dance, gymnastics, games, outdoor and adventure activities and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Management (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department has put in place a range of teaching supports for children with special educational needs in mainstream schools, with over 11,000 additional teaching posts provided for such purposes. My Department's guidelines are clear that schools must utilise all of these additional teaching hours to support pupils with special education or learning support needs. I am not aware of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Languages Programme (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I am committed to further developing our provision for languages in education. The priority at primary level is to provide high-quality language learning in our two languages, Irish and English. A new Integrated Primary Languages Curriculum, incorporating Irish and English, is being developed by the NCCA. The first phase will be introduced from Junior Infants to 2nd classes from September...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Projects (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I refer the Deputy to my statement on 29 September 2015 on the announcement of the Building on Recovery: Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2016-2021. Over the next six years some €3.8bn in direct funding will be invested in education projects. An additional €200m in PPP funding over the life time of the capital programme will result in more than €4bn in public...