Results 441-460 of 15,908 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (20 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: Tackling educational disadvantage and supporting students to fulfil their full potential in life is a key priority for me as Minister for Education and Youth, and for the Government. The DEIS programme is a key policy of Government to tackle concentrated educational disadvantage at school level. It provides a targeted range of supports and is additional to the universal supports provided to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (20 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: To date, €310 million has issued to all recognised primary and post-primary schools in ICT grant funding, under the Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020 and the current Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027. This funding has enabled schools to invest in appropriate digital infrastructure to enable the embedding of the use of digital technology in teaching, learning and assessment. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (20 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: To date, €310 million has issued to all recognised primary and post-primary schools in ICT grant funding, under the Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020 and the current Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027. This funding has enabled schools to invest in appropriate digital infrastructure to enable the embedding of the use of digital technology in teaching, learning and assessment ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (20 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: To date, €310 million has issued to all recognised primary and post-primary schools in ICT grant funding, under the Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020 and the current Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027. This funding has enabled schools to invest in appropriate digital infrastructure to enable the embedding of the use of digital technology in teaching, learning and assessment. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (20 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Teaching Council is the professional standards body for the teaching profession, which promotes and regulates professional standards in teaching. The Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015. There are five routes of registration with the Teaching Council which are namely Route 1: Primary, Route 2: Post-primary, Route 3: Further Education, Route 4: Other and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Pay (20 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: Pay and workplace reform measures for public servants have been governed by a framework of public service pay agreements for a number of years with the new Public Service Agreement (PSA) 2024-2026 in place until June 2026. The value of public pay deals to the Government and the taxpayer is ensuring that pay costs are managed in a sustainable and orderly way and in a climate of industrial...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Pay (20 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: Pay and workplace reform measures for public servants have been governed by a framework of public service pay agreements for a number of years with the new Public Service Agreement (PSA) 2024-2026 in place until June 2026. The value of public pay deals to the Government and the taxpayer is ensuring that pay costs are managed in a sustainable and orderly way and in a climate of industrial...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Amalgamation (20 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Programme for Government provides for a number of measures to support small schools, including introducing a new national small schools' project and trialing new administrative supports. The Government is very aware that small schools are an important part of the life of local communities. The current small schools' action research project established in 2021 is being extended for a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Amalgamation (20 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I wish to advise the Deputy that the decision-making authority for any change of status, including school closure or amalgamation, is the patron/trustees of the school concerned and it is open to any patron to submit proposals to the Department for consideration. Any proposal for amalgamation or school closure must involve extensive consultation with all of the relevant stakeholders,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (20 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: Schools in financial difficulty are encouraged to contact my Department for advice and support. The Department is committed to offering all available and appropriate supports to schools, which may include an advance in capitation grant funding or other measures. The Department is constantly engaging with a number of schools in this respect. Schools that have contacted the Department have...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (20 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: To date, €310 million has issued to all recognised primary and post-primary schools in ICT grant funding, under the Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020 and the current Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027. This funding has enabled schools to invest in appropriate digital infrastructure to enable the embedding of the use of digital technology in teaching, learning and assessment. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (20 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The major building project referred to by the Deputy has just recently completed an advanced stage of architectural planning, Stage 2(b), which includes the application for statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documents. A scope change to increase the number of classrooms and proposals from the Local Authority to alter the road and access layouts at the school site necessitated...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (20 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: 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 of Education and Youth. Requirement for school places is kept under ongoing review in the context of available information on population,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (20 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department is providing significant additional capacity at special schools across the country, with 80 building projects at special schools at various stages of planning and delivery. This represents capital investment at over 50% of all special schools. These projects will provide almost 750 additional and modernised classrooms for children with special education needs. Construction is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (20 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school secretary is at the heart of the school and is the key interface between students, parents, school leaders and other staff. Without them, our schools would be unsustainable. In supporting these vital school staff members, we also support the school community as a whole. The majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools traditionally received assistance to provide for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (20 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: Work is currently underway in my Department to develop a new policy on Irish-medium education outside of the Gaeltacht, which will set out an ambitious vision and key objectives for the sector. This new policy will build on the excellent progress that has been made in the development and delivery of the Policy on Gaeltacht Education in recent years. In order to inform the development of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (20 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: Work is currently underway in my Department on the development of a new policy on Irish-medium education outside of the Gaeltacht. A comprehensive consultation process has been conducted to inform the policy on Irish-medium education. In excess of 5,400 questionnaires were completed; 216 children and young people and 92 adults participated in focus groups; 71 written submissions were...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (20 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: There is a commitment in the Programme for Government to expand opportunities for pupils and students to attend Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí, to establish Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí where there is demand, and also, to support parents choosing Irish-medium education for their children. Work is currently underway in my Department to develop a new policy on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (20 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school secretary is at the heart of the school and is the key interface between students, parents, school leaders and other staff. Without them, our schools would be unsustainable. In supporting these vital school staff members, we also support the school community as a whole. The majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools traditionally received assistance to provide for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (20 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The primary school curriculum is designed as an eight-year course, including a two-year infant cycle followed by six years in standards from first to sixth, with pupils progressing to the next grade at the end of each school year. The Department's policy in regard to the retention of pupils in primary schools is set out in Primary Circular 32/03 ‘Retention of Pupils in same Grade in...