Results 5,141-5,160 of 19,559 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (28 Nov 2023)

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. As the Deputy may be aware, for school planning purposes, the Department of Education divides the country into 314 school planning areas...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (28 Nov 2023)

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. As the Deputy may be aware, for school planning purposes, the Department of Education divides the country into 314 school planning areas...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The Special Education Teaching allocation provides a single unified allocation for special educational support teaching needs to each school, based on each school’s educational profile and also encompasses the Language Support (EAL) allocation that schools were allocated in previous years. All schools are advised in the first instance to review whether the needs of newly enrolled...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my department has received an application, under the Additional Schools Accommodation Scheme, from the school authority in question. The purpose of the Additional School Accommodation scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special education classroom accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year and where the need cannot be met...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Advertising (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that my department does not have a fixed annual advertising budget. As policy implementation dictates, advertising can be sought to deliver specific policy objectives or legal obligations. In the period of time in question, this has included awareness campaigns on school transport, promoting the teaching profession, the reopening of schools during the COVID-19...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Communications (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has no record of any payment being made to the companies specified in her question. On 10 May 2023, The Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) presented to Department of Education officials on the topics of misinformation and disinformation. The topics presented were the following: - Introduction to the work of the Institute for Strategic...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The wider Palmerstown/Ballyfermot/Chapelizod/Cherryorchard area was one of 43 areas surveyed as part of the patronage divesting process in 2013. Analysis of the parental preferences expressed in each area surveyed indicated that there was sufficient parental demand to support changes in school patronage in 28 areas, including in this area. To date, it has not been possible to secure a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: 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 Child Benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise and where additional school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (28 Nov 2023)

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. As the Deputy may be aware, for school planning purposes, the Department of Education divides the country into 314 school planning areas and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (28 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 2022/2023 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 were provided...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The school to which the Deputy refers has no outstanding application pertaining to the erection of a boundary fence under the Summer Works Scheme. The option is open to the school to make an application under the Summer Works Scheme (SWS) for funding for this request. The purpose of the SWS is to devolve funding to individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: My Department is providing a payroll service for school secretaries with effect from 1stSeptember 2023. There are currently in excess of 2,600 secretaries on payroll. As part of the implementation of the pay agreement for school secretaries, salary arrears have been calculated for all secretaries eligible for the payment. These arrears payments were received through the payroll on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: School caretakers are valued members of our school communities and the Department is fully aware of the vitally important role played by individuals employed to carry out these duties. As you have mentioned in 2022 a suite of measures designed to improve the working conditions of school secretaries was agreed and since then comprehensive work to move school secretaries who have accepted...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: I can advise the Deputy that Languages Connect, Ireland’s Strategy for Foreign Languages in Education 2017 – 2026 aims to increase and diversify the range of foreign languages taught and learned across the education system. The Department is planning for the introduction of modern foreign languages for stages 3 and 4 (3rd to 6th class) as part of the broader plan for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (28 Nov 2023)

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. As the Deputy may be aware, for school planning purposes, the Department of Education divides the country into 314 school planning areas...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The site identification and assessment exercise for the school referred to by the Deputy is ongoing and a potential property has been identified. An architectural consultant has been appointed to commence an assessment of this potential property. Given the commercial sensitivities associated with land acquisitions generally I am not in a position to comment further at this time. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: Please find attached requested information. Please note data provided is for academic year 2022-2023, the most recent year we have final enrolment data. Academic Year 2022-2023 Patron Gaelcholaiste CATHOLIC MULTI DENOMINATIONAL* DEIS Non DEIS Gaeltacht Area ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The permanent school building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is included in my Department’s Construction Programme and will deliver a new 1,000 pupil post-primary school and accommodation, including 6 classrooms, for children with special educational needs. The project forms part of a major campus project on the Clonturk site in Whitehall which will also deliver...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (28 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 Staff (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The pension benefits of teachers, as with all pensionable public servants, are governed by legislation and/or circulars and are paid in accordance with public sector pension policy. Teachers who paid coordinated pension contributions (Class A) may be entitled to a supplementary pension in order to make up the shortfall in pension for the period between the date of retirement and the date of...