Results 5,441-5,460 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Administration (29 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The nationwide demographic exercise involves significant work and it is not yet complete. On foot of the demographic exercise, arrangements will be made to provide additional post-primary accommodation where required. In the meantime a building project to provide for additional post-primary school places in the area referred to by the Deputy is at tender stage.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (29 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy has made an application to my Department for capital funding for the provision of additional school accommodation. The application is currently under consideration and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (29 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that the project brief for the schools in question has been finalised and the project concerned is progressing into my Department's architectural planning process. The brief for the schools project includes for the replacement of the temporary accommodation referred to by the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Facilities (29 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The needs of the College will be considered in the context of budgetary resources and having regard to competing demands.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (29 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department's policies focus on ensuring that all children can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings through the primary and post primary school network. A range of placement options for pupils with special educational needs is provided, in order to ensure that all pupils can receive a school placement. Many pupils with special...

Seanad: Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (28 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I welcome this opportunity to be back in the Seanad where there was considerable interest in this Bill. Indeed, the amendments to which I will refer are largely a response to the debate in the Seanad rather than the debate in the Dáil. I am keen to make that clear. We had a very productive discussion in this House and I welcome the strong engagement of Senators. In accordance with...

Seanad: Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (28 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: To respond to Senator Power, the RCSI obviously is not the only organisation that can apply for this. We have deliberately set the bar high because we need to-----

Seanad: Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (28 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: It may be the only one that qualifies now, but this is legislation for the future. We have deliberately set the bar high because we want to protect the reputation of our universities and our higher education institutions in general. An institution must reach very high standards before it can use the title of university outside the country. The purpose of this provision is to ensure that...

Seanad: Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (28 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The purpose of amendments Nos. 5 to 9 is to amend section 5 of the Bill, which sets out provisions relating to the hearing of an appeal against a decision of the Minister to impose conditions in relation to the use of university authorisation, to refuse to grant university authorisation under section 2 or to withdraw university authorisation under section 4. The Bill provided that the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (28 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to schools is published annually on the Department's website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The staffing arrangements for the coming school year 2015/16 are set out in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (28 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. The State Examinations Commission operates a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations in the Certificate examinations. Applications for such accommodations are submitted by schools on behalf of their students. Full details of the scheme are available for downloading from...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (28 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: It is open to the school referred to by the Deputy to submit an application for the works referred to under a future Summer Works Scheme. In that regard, it is also open to the school to utilise the Minor Works grant it received in December 2014 last for upgrading works to the heating system, in question. The school authority may also submit an application for Emergency Works funding should...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Emergency Works Scheme (28 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Emergency Works scheme funded by my Department addresses health and safety concerns of school authorities which pose an immediate risk to health, life, property or the environment which are sudden, unforeseen and require immediate action and, in the case of a school, if not corrected would prevent the school or part thereof from opening. Details of the scheme, together with an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (28 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The staffing arrangements for primary schools for the 2015/16 school year are set out in Department Circular 0005/2015 which is available on my Department's website at www.education.gov.ie. The circular sets out the improvements to the staffing schedule for the 2015/16 school year for small schools. These improvements are improved retention thresholds for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th classroom...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (28 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The staffing arrangements for primary schools for the 2015/16 school year are set out in Department Circular 0005/2015 which is available on my Department's website at www.education.gov.ie. Section 1 of the circular sets out the retention arrangements for Island Schools in the event that a reduction in the pupil numbers of an island school will result in the loss of the second or third...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (28 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Teacher allocations to all second level schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. In accordance with these rules each school management authority is required to organise its subject options within the limit of its approved teacher allocation. The deployment of teaching staff in the school, the range of subjects...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (28 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The most recent information available on retired teachers employed by managerial authorities of schools relates to the 2013/2014 school year. A total of 537 retired teachers were employed during the 2013/14 school year: 302 retired Primary teachers and 235 retired Voluntary Secondary and Community and Comprehensive teachers. Thirty eight percent of those teachers worked the equivalent of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (28 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I am committed to providing the supports and the back up to enable the reform of the Junior Cycle to become a reality. There have been 235 seminars for teachers of English since November 2013. 5,371 teachers of English are registered with Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT) and 4,814 of these have attended at least one seminar, which represents almost 90% of teachers registered. The estimated...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing Appeals Mechanism (28 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The staffing arrangements for primary schools for the 2015/16 school year are set out in Department Circular 0005/2015 which is available on my Department's website at www.education.gov.ie. The circular sets out the improvements to the staffing schedule for the 2015/16 school year for small schools. These improvements are improved retention thresholds for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th classroom...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (28 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of Architectural Planning - Stage 1 - Preliminary Design which involves the initial sketch scheme for the project. A Pre Stage 1 Stakeholder Meeting was held in December 2014. Following this meeting the Board of Management and their Design Team made a submission to my Department. On completion of that...