Results 461-480 of 15,028 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (25 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department has approved capital funding, under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, for the school in question for a traditional building project consisting of 3 Mainstream general classrooms, 1 Music room,1 Science lab & prep area, 1 Graphics room,1 Home economics room, 1 Construction room & prep area, 1 Special education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (25 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: 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 data from a range of sources, including CSO census data, child benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise and where additional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (25 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Teaching Council is the professional standards body for the teaching profession, which promotes and regulates professional standards in teaching. The Teaching Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and in line with the Teaching Council Registration Regulations, 2016. There are five routes of registration, the minimum registration requirements for each route...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (25 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: The requested data are set out in the table, namely, the number of mainstream pupils in 4th, 5th and 6th classes for the schools located in the Greystones, Kilcoole, Newcastle_Rathcoole & Rathdrum school planning areas. Academic Year 2023-2024 School Planning Area Fifth Class Fourth Class Sixth Class Total Greystones ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (25 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: 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 (SPA) and uses a Geographical Information...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (25 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: The decision to close a school in response to a severe weather event is a matter for individual school management authorities around the country, taking into consideration the full guidance and direction available from the principal response agencies, especially the local authority. Individual school management authorities are best placed to do this in light of local weather conditions,...

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

Helen McEntee: Since 2020, my department has invested over €5.8 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of over 1,300 school building projects and with construction currently underway at approximately 300 other projects, which includes new school buildings, some of which are being delivered in phases. These 300 projects currently at construction involve a total State...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Information and Communications Technology (20 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department currently has 11 ISDN/PSTN lines and 41 DSL lines. The lines are predominantly in use in my Department's regional offices. The necessity for PSTN/ISDN and DSL technology is mainly due to the unavailability of fibre connections at these locations. Additionally, these lines are required for franking machines and lift services. However, with the continuous expansion of fibre...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (20 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: 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 172,500 children, are transported daily in approximately 7,900 vehicles across 10,300 routes to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. These daily trips cover over 100 million kilometres. this figure includes over...

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

Helen McEntee: The salary being paid to the teacher referred to by the Deputy has been checked and he is being paid the correct rate. An official from my Department has been in direct contact with the teacher about the matter.

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

Helen McEntee: I refer to your correspondence on behalf of a primary teacher regarding incremental credit. The criteria for the award of incremental credit are set out in the Department’s Circulars 10/2001 for Primary teachers, 29/2007 and 29/2010 for post-primary teachers. The criteria for the award of incremental credit to recognised teachers was agreed under the auspices of the Teachers...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service (20 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides psychological support to all primary, post-primary, and special schools. NEPS provides access for all schools to:Psychological support in the event of a Critical Incident.A casework service for individual students where there is a need for intensive consultation and assessment via a NEPS psychologist or through the Scheme for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (20 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: The purpose of the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) is to provide funding specifically for unforeseen emergencies. It does so by ensuring the availability of funding for urgent works to those schools that are in need of resources as a result of an emergency situation. An emergency is deemed to be a situation which poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or the environment, which is...

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

Helen McEntee: The joint major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently at an early stage of architectural planning - Stage 1 – Preliminary Design, which includes an assessment of the site and location suitability, and initial sketch scheme. This project is being delivered as part of the Departments ADAPT Programme. The ADAPT Programme uses a professional external...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (20 Mar 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. The DEIS programme provides a targeted range of supports and is additional to the universal...

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

Helen McEntee: The school to which the Deputy refers has been granted capital funding under the Department’s SEN Reconfiguration & Modular Accommodation Programme for the provision of two Special Education Needs (SEN) classrooms. This programme involves the use of Project Management supports which is designed to enable the accommodation to be provided as quickly as possible and help ease...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (20 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: 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 172,500 children, are transported daily in approximately 7,900 vehicles across 10,300 routes daily to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. These daily trips cover over 100 million kilometres. This figure includes...

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

Helen McEntee: The school to which the Deputy refers was approved funding under my Department's Additional School Accommodation scheme for the provision of 12 General classrooms, 1 Technology room & Prep area, 2 Home Economics rooms, 1 Art craft room, 1 Science lab & prep area and 1 staff room. This project was devolved to the school authorities for delivery and is currently at...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (20 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: I wish to confirm to the Deputy that investment and expenditure on PE Halls is an element of the overall School Building Programme. Almost 95% of the post primary schools that made 2020 Annual Schools Returns have indicated to the Department that they either have a PE Hall, access to a nearby PE Hall, or a project in train that will deliver a new PE Hall which can be used as a sports...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff (20 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: In response to the question from the Deputy, I can confirm there has not been any secondments from consulting firms since 2020, working in my Department.