Results 4,021-4,040 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Redeployment (1 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department has no direct involvement in the deployment of teachers within individual Education and Training Boards (ETBs). Teacher allocations to all ETBs are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment and, in accordance with these rules, each ETB is required to organise its subject options within the limit of its approved...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (1 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The building project referred to by the Deputy is included in the Five Year Construction Programme to proceed to Tender and Construction. The original design team appointed to the project had reached completion of Stage 1 of Architectural Planning. As part of that work and following an assessment of the current accommodation, it was agreed by the Department that extensive additional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (1 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I have not considered any proposal for the provision of a free laptop to every child over five years of age in the State. The Digital Strategy for Schools will be published shortly and sets out an ambitious five year plan to further embed ICT in teaching, learning and assessment. Under this Strategy my Department will identify a set of funding priorities annually over the lifetime of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (1 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Teacher allocations to all schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The staffing schedule at primary level operates on the basis of 1 classroom teacher for an average of every 28 pupils, with lower thresholds for DEIS Band 1 schools. Each one point adjustment to the current 28:1 schedule at primary level is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (1 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As part of the Budget 2012 decisions, the number of pupils required to gain and retain a classroom teaching post in small primary schools was gradually increased between September 2012 and September 2014. An appeals process was made available to schools that are affected by this measure. The cumulative savings achieved to date from the 2012 small schools budget measure are of the order of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Expenditure (1 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that on 21st May, 2015, I announced that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) will increase its allocation of Resource Teacher Posts to schools by over 9% for the start of the 2015/16 school year. The NCSE has allocated 6,454 resource teacher posts to schools for September 2015, an increase of 554 posts - or 9.4% - since September 2014. Even in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Expenditure (1 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Circular 25/02 which is available on the Department website outlines the number of days that teaching principals may take as release time in a school year in order to assist them fulfilling their principal duties. Under these arrangements my Department pays for a substitute teacher to be employed by a school to facilitate administrative functions to be undertaken by the teaching principal....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Expenditure (1 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Since September 2012 at post primary level guidance provision is organised by school management from within the staffing schedule allocation. Guidance is a whole school activity and schools have autonomy on how best to prioritise their available resources to meet the requirements in relation to guidance and the provision of an appropriate range of subjects to students. The budget measure...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Assistance Fund (1 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The objective of the Student Assistance Fund is to assist students in a sensitive and compassionate manner who might otherwise, because of financial reasons, suffer severe hardship or be unable to continue their third-level studies. The Fund for Students with Disabilities provides grants towards the provision of services, purchase of equipment and provision of academic supports for students...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (1 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Due to economic circumstances, a number of difficult expenditure reduction measures were taken in recent budgets. A decision in Budget 2012 has meant that new students entering postgraduate courses from the 2012/13 academic year onwards are not entitled to maintenance payments under the Student Grant Scheme, but may qualify in some circumstances for limited fee support. Those who meet the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (1 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The funding arrangements made by my Department for post primary schools reflect the sectoral division of our second-level system. At the core of all arrangements is reliance upon capitation as the principal determinant of funding. My Department provides funding to Community and Comprehensive schools on a budget basis that is based mainly on pupil numbers, but also take into account...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (1 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The last Budget included an increase in spending on education for the first time in recent years, amounting to additional funding of €60m during 2015. That increase has provided funding for 1,700 additional teachers and SNAs to be recruited for our schools, as well as funding important reforms. However, it was not possible to secure the funding which would be required to also increase...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015: Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (30 Sep 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: It is a pleasure for me, the Minister of State, Deputy English, and the officials to be with the committee this afternoon. As you said, Chairman, I will speak about the performance information first. The committee is considering the performance information that is included in the Revised Estimates volume for education and how that information might be improved to better assist the committee...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015: Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (30 Sep 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I will begin with Deputy Brendan Ryan's general question on the model, how we report and how we are trying to be as clear as we can be regarding how the committee can have its oversight over what we are doing and how it can examine the outcomes. We want to move towards the New Zealand model as quickly as we can, and we have made progress. As I outlined, there are constraints in that the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015: Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (30 Sep 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I understand the Senator's point. The outcome was bigger than the target-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015: Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (30 Sep 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: It is possible that the outcome will be greater again. With special needs, we have had to seek extra resources, regarding resource teachers and SNAs, which we got this year. There is a lesson to learn that we need to be as real as we can in our predictions. We can give the committee an update as we get the outcome. Some of the figures vary greatly, and superannuation is an example. The...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015: Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (30 Sep 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Senator Moloney did ask about that and I understood what she was asking.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015: Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (30 Sep 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: One of the reasons for the difference is that when the target is set for the next year, we do not know the outcome of the previous year. Perhaps that explains the situation better.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015: Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (30 Sep 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: We set the targets, but we do not get the outcome until the end of the year.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2015: Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (30 Sep 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: We have to look back at the outcome for the year previous, the one for which we have an outcome figure.