Results 4,541-4,560 of 19,559 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (24 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: The Department is aware of pressures for school places for the 2024/25 school year in Newcastle_Rathcoole School Planning Area. A critical next step for the Department is to establish the actual number of additional first year places required for 2024 in order for an appropriate solution to be put in place. In that context, schools in a number of areas of enrolment pressure, including Town,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (24 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that requirements for school places is kept under on-going review in the context of available information on population, enrolments and residential development activity. In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, using...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (24 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department published Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying in December 2022, which is dedicated to the prevention and addressing of bullying, cyber bullying, racist bullying, gender identity bullying or sexual harassment, among other areas, in schools. Cineáltas is centred on a child right’s based approach and provides a collective vision and clear roadmap for how the whole...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (24 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I can assure the Deputy that the provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs is an absolute priority for the Department. My Department is aware of pressures for school places for the 2024/25 school year in North Kildare School Planning Areas of Maynooth,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff (24 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department’s Blended Working Policy was launched in 2023 and applications for blended working which have been received from staff are still being processed. Therefore, at this point, the department is not in a position to provide exact numbers as the data is not yet fully captured. Under my Department's Blended Working Policy, the majority of staff can apply to work from home up...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff (24 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: The information sought by the Deputy in regard to the bodies under the aegis of my Department is not routinely collated by my Department. We have requested all Department of Education aegis bodies respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Air Safety (24 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: Managing ventilation is one of a suite of public health measures in place to keep our schools safe. Updated guidance for schools on Practical Steps for the Deployment of Good Ventilation Practices in Schools was provided in 2021 following the work of an expert group that carefully considered the role of ventilation in managing COVID-19. The updated guidance for schools is also fully in line...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (24 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: Please find attached requested information for the years 2019-2022 inclusive, 2022 being the latest year we have class size data. The figures are based on mainstream classes in mainstream schools and were collated from the relevant Class Size tables published on the DE website and can be found at the link below; gov.ie - Class Size Information at Individual Primary School Level (www.gov.ie)

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Sign Language (24 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: The department had a total of 56 Twitter video posts between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023, of which 51 (91%) utilised closed captioned/subtitled. 8 (14%) of the posts featured Irish Sign Language (ISL) A total of 24 videos were posted on LinkedIn between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023, of which 21 (87%) utilised closed captioned/subtitled. 3 (12%) of the posts featured Irish Sign...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Schemes (23 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: The Post-Primary Redeployment Schemes are reviewed annually by my Department and Education Stakeholders, including Teacher Unions. The criteria for the allocation of teachers to schools including the redeployment arrangements for the 2024/25 school year will shortly be available on the Department's website. It is at this stage that counties relevant to the pilot voluntary redeployment...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy has recently completed Stage 2(b) Detailed Design. The National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) report has been reviewed by the Department. As the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) have implemented Revised Public Works Contract documents as of July 27th2023, the Design Team have been requested to further review their...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (23 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: The Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027 was published last year and is underpinned by an investment of €200m to support its implementation, committed to under Ireland’s National Development Plan (NDP). The first tranche of €50m issued to all recognised primary and post-primary schools in late 2021. The previous Digital Strategy for Schools 2015 to 2020 saw overall...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Flexible Work Practices (23 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department has no policy in place which facilitates School Principals or Deputy-Principals to work from home. The right to request remote working will be available to all employees under the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 and a Code Of Practice in relation to this issue is currently being developed by the Workplace Relations Commission. It is understood that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (23 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 161,600 children, including over 135,000 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 19,800 pupils with special educational needs, and 6,800 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine are transported on a daily basis to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Question Heading for question(s) 269 (23 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: The Department has two pupil enrolment systems. For primary enrolments, schools use the Primary Online Database. For post-primary, schools use the Post-Primary Online Database. The Department is currently exploring options with regard to a unified system and database for both primary and post-primary enrolments. Please find attached POD and PPOD privacy notices which outline data captured...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (23 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: Temporary accommodation in schools may be rented or purchased and funded by the Department or by the school authority itself, with or without Department sanction. For that reason it is not possible to provide the Deputy with a complete picture in respect of all temporary accommodation at schools as requested. As the Deputy will appreciate, within the context of a rapidly increasing school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (23 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: The Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area. Where a board of management makes a decision to refuse admission, a parent/guardian can appeal that decision under section 29 of the Education Act, 1998, and an independent appeals committee will be appointed to consider the appeal. A section...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: There is an overall pipeline of some 1300 projects across the school system. The current status of all projects is listed on a county by county basis at www.gov.ie. and this is updated on a regular basis to reflect project progress through the various stages of capital appraisal, site acquisition, design, tender and construction. My Department has a strong track record of delivery of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (23 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: In the attached table is a list of schools that have changed status from Fee-Charging to non-fee-Charging since 2000. Please find attached data indicating the year the school entered the free scheme, the school roll number and school planning area in each case

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (23 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware, the decision-making authority in respect of the status of existing schools, including whether they are single or mixed gender, belongs to the Patron, subject to the agreement of my Department. New schools are established by my Department to meet demographic need and, generally, such new school provision (primary and post-primary) is mixed gender in nature....