Results 5,001-5,020 of 19,559 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (30 Nov 2023)

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: School Accommodation (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department is in receipt of an application for the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school authority in question. My Department's Professional and Technical Section carried out a desktop exercise to determine the scope of accommodation that could be considered for the school, taking account of the restricted school site. It was...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: Ensuring that every child's experience in school is positive and that they have qualified, engaged teachers available to support them in their learning is a priority area of action for the Government. The Department recognises the importance of providing well-timed and appropriate support to pupils with identified learning needs.The Special Education Teaching allocation for mainstream schools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 131 and 135 together. Earlier this year the Department received a report from a Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) working group. The report proposed the creation of a national relocation scheme whereby teachers would identify the locations that they would like to relocate to through a portal and then effectively “swap” with teachers in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The Junior Certificate School Programme (JCSP) was introduced in 1996 as a social inclusion programme aimed at students identified as being at risk of being socially or academically isolated or at risk of early school leaving before they achieved the Junior Certificate then in place. In 2002, under the Early Literacy Initiative, the JCSP Demonstration Library Project was initiated in eleven...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: Ensuring that every child's experience in school is positive and that they have qualified, engaged teachers available to support them in their learning is a priority area of action for the Government. Budget 2024 contains a range of measures that demonstrate my commitment to continued investment in our education system. In addition to numerous actions I have taken in recent years to address...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: As Minister for Education, I believe it is crucially important that children and young people be actively supported to access education in its fullest forms. This Government recognises that the cost of preparing children for school each September can be a cause of financial difficulty and worry for many Irish families. As part of Budget 2023, I announced a major investment of over...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The recruitment of teachers is a priority area of action for the Department given the importance of ensuring that every child's experience in school is positive and that they have available to them qualified, engaged, and supportive teachers to support them in their learning. The Teaching Transforms website provides a comprehensive range of information for persons considering becoming...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: My Department provides a wide range of supports to all schools, DEIS and non-DEIS, to support the inclusion of all students and address barriers to students achieving their potential. Supplementing the universal supports available to all schools, the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) Programme is a key policy initiative of my Department to address concentrated...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Online Safety (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, I recently introduced a numbers of measures to support internet safety and awareness for primary school age children and their parents, particularly in relation to smartphone usage. New guidelines for parents entitled “Keeping Childhood Smartphone Free” are now available online and will be issued to all primary schools. The new guidelines contain...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: Since 2020 we have invested in the region of €3.5 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of over 690 school building projects with construction currently underway at approximately 300 other projects. School building projects at construction involve an overall State investment of over €1.2 billion. We also have over 200 modular accommodation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Oideachas trí Ghaeilge (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: As part of the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030, my Department has committed to creating opportunities for expanding Irish-medium education outside the Gaeltacht in the context of the announcements on the establishment of 47 new schools from 2019 (English and Irish medium). My Department has ensured that the process for deciding on the patronage of new schools affords...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Citizens' Assembly (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government commits to establishing a Citizens’ Assembly on the Future of Education ensuring that the voices of young people and those being educated are central. The Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use recently held its final meeting and the final report from this assembly is scheduled to be published before the end of 2023. The establishment of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (30 Nov 2023)

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: Education Policy (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: I can advise the Deputy that a second National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development – ESD to 2030 – co-sponsored by my Department, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, was published in June 2022. ESD to 2030 aims to ensure that all learners have...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2022/23 school year, over 149,000 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. In addition, school transport scheme services are being...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Attendance (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The Department is providing considerable resources to support pupils' progression in schools. Special Education Teachers and Special Needs Assistants, as well as a wide range of resources under the various schemes for schools in areas designated as disadvantaged, are among the forms of provision allocated to schools to support pupils. The level of provision available should enable pupils to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy may be aware, in order to plan for school place needs, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical Information System to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including Child Benefit data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity is used for this purpose....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (30 Nov 2023)

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: School Admissions (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: Section 29 of the Education Act 1998 as inserted by Section 7 of the Education (Admissions to schools) Act 2018 provides for an appeal, where a board of management, or a person acting on behalf of the board of management (normally the school principal) refuses to admit a student to a school, suspends a student for not less than 20 days or permanently excludes a student. Section 29 D of this...