Results 3,941-3,960 of 19,925 for speaker:Norma Foley

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Key Issues for the Department of Education: Minister for Education (10 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: I thank the Chair. On well-being in primary education, I welcome the significant support from this committee. I know it has done much work on well-being. I will give a quick update. We have two pilots running. In the first, there is one-to-one engagement with a counsellor, with the provision of eight engagements. There are 733 blocks of eight being provided across the seven counties...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Key Issues for the Department of Education: Minister for Education (10 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: I should add I recognise there is great work already happening. We have great counsellors in our schools already at post-primary level. We have well-being teams and support teams across the school. This is just an opportunity to look at something else that might bolster the great work that happens already within our schools.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Key Issues for the Department of Education: Minister for Education (10 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The Deputy personally engaged with me on the challenges for parents and I appreciate that. We are very conscious of the pressures. The overall aim is to lift that burden from parents. We have concluded the issue there is we did not have a sufficiency of SENOs on the ground and that makes it really difficult for parents and guardians. As such, an additional €30 million has now been...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Key Issues for the Department of Education: Minister for Education (10 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: On the bus escorts, I am really cognisant of the valuable work they do. There is a small number of them, but we would not be able to function within the school transport system for children and young people with additional needs without the school bus escort. I know them. I know they are hugely invested in the work they do. I gave an absolute commitment there would be a full review of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Key Issues for the Department of Education: Minister for Education (10 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: On the SEN aspect, I want to be really clear because I have a special interest in the area of special education. The option to travel on mainstream transport, as distinct from special education transport, is only an option. I wish to clearly state that it will be a matter for parents and guardians to decide what bests suits the child. Through the consultation process some parents came...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Key Issues for the Department of Education: Minister for Education (10 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: We were very clear that the commitment around that would be very similar to school secretaries. The body of work around school secretaries took a considerable amount of time because different school secretaries work under different systems. Previously, school secretaries were employed by the boards of management so there were individual circumstances and that took a considerable body of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Key Issues for the Department of Education: Minister for Education (10 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The caretakers are next.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Key Issues for the Department of Education: Minister for Education (10 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: I have not at present because the work on school secretaries proved more challenging than was envisaged because there were different circumstances for secretaries in different schools. We have 4,000 schools so the analysis has been a considerable undertaking and has taken more time than we had envisaged. By and large, school secretaries are pleased to be in the position that we are in now.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Key Issues for the Department of Education: Minister for Education (10 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Key Issues for the Department of Education: Minister for Education (10 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: We look at the whole suite of measures. We support the child with additional needs in the system. The vast majority of them are in mainstream education whether that is in a special class, a mainstream class or whatever. For example, we have the whole system around the SNAs. The pupil-teacher ratio has been reduced to an historic low of 23:1. There is continuing professional development,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Key Issues for the Department of Education: Minister for Education (10 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: I know.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Key Issues for the Department of Education: Minister for Education (10 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: To speak in support of that, I know the school has been very much on the committee's radar and I appreciate the engagement members have had with it. I assure the committee that the school is very much a priority for the Department as well. I understand members are to visit the Middletown Centre for Autism or is that visit not proceeding?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Key Issues for the Department of Education: Minister for Education (10 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The committee will be very impressed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Key Issues for the Department of Education: Minister for Education (10 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: Fair enough. I acknowledge the superb work the centre does. It is a great example of North-South co-operation. It is resourced on a 50:50 basis and is first class. When the committee gets the opportunity-----

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (10 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: Caretakers are valued and vital members of the school system. The majority of primary and post-primary schools receive assistance to provide for caretaker services under grant schemes. Where a school employs a caretaker under these grant schemes to support those functions, those staff members are employees of the individual schools and as such the responsibility for the terms and conditions...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (10 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 64 and 65 together. My Department provides funding to recognised Primary schools by way of per capita grants which is based on school enrolment. The two main grants are the capitation grant to cater for day to day running costs such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance, general up-keep etc. and the ancillary grant to cater for the cost of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (10 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this government.  It is also a key priority for my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).   The vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where children with more complex...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (10 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: I wish to confirm to confirm the  school referred to by the Deputy was established as a four-classroom school, under the terms of the divestment process. My Department has agreed that the permanent accommodation solution will provide for eight classrooms and Departmental officials are working to put this solution in place as soon as possible.  However, in the interim, and in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (10 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The Department has approved the provision of a new school building for Castlebar Educate Together NS. This project requires the provision of a new site. The site acquisition process is being progressed in line with standard acquisition protocols. My Department has engaged the services of a Site Acquisition Manager (consultant) in order to shortlist potential sites. Following an extensive...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (10 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The Department has approved the provision of a new school building for Castlebar Educate Together NS. This project requires the provision of a new site. The site acquisition process is being progressed in line with standard acquisition protocols. My Department has engaged the services of a Site Acquisition Manager (consultant) in order to shortlist potential sites. Following an extensive...