Results 461-480 of 15,908 for speaker:Helen McEntee

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

Helen McEntee: The Professional Master of Education (PME) is a two-year, full-time Level 9 postgraduate professional teacher education programme designed to qualify graduates as primary and post-primary teachers. Changes to the duration and content of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes were made in response to recommendations in the National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy among...

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: School Funding (20 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020 and the current Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027 has been supported by €310 million in ICT Grant funding that has issued to all recognised primary and post-primary schools. This funding has enabled schools to invest in appropriate digital infrastructure to enable the embedding of digital technology in teaching, learning and assessment, in...

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: Special Educational Needs (20 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my department has approved significant 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 and prep area, 1 Graphics room,1 Home economics room, 1 Construction room and prep area, 1 Special education...

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

Helen McEntee: The school referred to by the Deputy was approved to enter the Department’s pipeline of school buildings projects to provide 3 Mainstream Classrooms, 3 Resource Rooms, 1 Home School Liaison Room and a 2 Classroom SEN Base. This project received my Departments approval to go to construction in November 2024 and it was recently confirmed by the school that the project is on site. ...

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

Helen McEntee: I can confirm to the Deputy that the school in question has an application with my department under the ASA (Additional School Accommodation) scheme. I wish to advise the Deputy that approval has issued to the School Authority in question under the Additional School Accommodation scheme for the provision of 2 Special Educational Needs Classrooms. The project is being delivered under...

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: 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 digital technology in teaching, learning and assessment, in accordance...

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

Helen McEntee: The minor works grant and ICT grant form part of a range of grants and supports provided to schools. The Department recognises the importance of the Minor Works Grant to primary schools. The minor works grant is provided to all primary and special schools to enable them undertake small-scale minor maintenance and improvement works on a devolved basis. Under Project Ireland 2040, a...

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

Helen McEntee: The Department of Education and Youth is committed to providing schools at both primary and post-primary level with as much detail regarding grants, grant amounts and expected payment timeframes for each academic year in as far in advance as is practicable. For the 2025/26 academic year, officials in the Department are currently considering the presentation of schedules for grants that...

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

Helen McEntee: Officials from my Department are aware of the agreement that is in place between the parties operating on this site, that were agreed upon at a local level many years ago. The Department of Education and Youth supports and encourages the use of school buildings for community and recreational purposes, where feasible, including childcare and after school uses. The decision on the use...

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: Site Acquisitions (20 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: Agreement has been reached in principle regarding disposal of Department land to the HSE near a school (details supplied) for a proposed Primary Care Centre. The transaction is currently on hold while the HSE evaluates current service needs and estate planning in the area with the newly delivered Clondalkin Primary Care Centre and the operational Rowlagh Health Centre.

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: School Staff (20 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I know that teachers experience challenges that were not so acute for previous generations. That is why I have announced that to help teachers to gain permanent roles more quickly, we will develop a new agreement which will see teachers who have taught for one year and successfully interview for a viable post in that school the following year, immediately getting offered a permanent contract...

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

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 499 to 504, inclusive, together. 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 of mine. As the Deputy may be aware, in order to plan for school place needs, my Department divides the country into 314...

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

Helen McEntee: Budget 2025 provides for an unprecedented €11.8 billion investment in education and schools, an increase of some 9 per cent on the same figure in Budget 2024. Currently there are almost 88,000 teaching posts allocated across the primary and post-primary school system. This represents an increase of over 10,000 teachers when compared with the 2019/20 school year. The key factor...

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

Helen McEntee: The project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved for delivery to Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB). The design team to deliver the project was appointed by KWETB in May 2024 and they are currently finalising the Stage 1 (preliminary design) for submission to the Department for review. Once the Stage 1 report has been received, reviewed, and approved by the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I acknowledge the significant engagement I have had with the Deputy on this. It is a priority for him to make sure that children have access to those special school places. I can confirm that, following agreement by the school to the brief of accommodation in March, my Department is preparing the brief formulation report for the 14 special educational classrooms and ancillary accommodation....