Results 6,241-6,260 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (22 Jan 2019)

Joe McHugh: A building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is included in my Department’s 6 year Construction Programme. A project brief has been finalised and the project will be delivered via the ADAPT programme. The ADAPT programme uses a professional external Project Manager to coordinate and drive the respective design teams on each project. In this regard, a tender...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (22 Jan 2019)

Joe McHugh: Under Section 38 of the Teaching Council Act, all initial teacher education (ITE) programmes in Ireland that lead to registration must have professional accreditation from the Teaching Council in accordance with the Criteria and Guidelines for Programme Providers (published in June 2011 and revised in March 2017). The Teaching Council is currently carrying out a review of the impact of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (22 Jan 2019)

Joe McHugh: The review of provision at post-primary level across the school planning areas in the South Kildare area is now complete and the Department is satisfied that the needs in the area can be met through the replacement and expansion of the existing Curragh Post-Primary School with a new 1,000 pupil school building. The Curragh Post-Primary School is a multi-denominational Community College under...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (22 Jan 2019)

Joe McHugh: I wish to advise the Deputy that the school in question has provided further information to my Department in support of its application for additional accommodation. My Department is also engaging with the National Council for Special Education relating to the matter and expects to be in a position to convey a decision on the application to the school shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (22 Jan 2019)

Joe McHugh: I wish to advise the Deputy that at present, all schools are encouraged to use Education Plans. My Department's Inspectorate's advice is that the majority of schools are now using some form of education planning for children with special educational needs. Guidelines for schools on educational planning and monitoring of outcomes and the manner in which they should conduct educational...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Psychological Assessments Waiting Times (22 Jan 2019)

Joe McHugh: As the Deputy may be aware my Department in September 2017 introduced a new model to support pupils with special educational needs in our schools. The new model differs significantly from the old Resource Allocation Model, in that Special Education Teacher allocation is now frontloaded into schools to support children with special educational needs. Rather than having to make individual...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (22 Jan 2019)

Joe McHugh: The policy of this Department is that all children with Special Educational Needs, including those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings through the primary and post primary school network. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) policy advice on Supporting Students with Autism Spectrum...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (22 Jan 2019)

Joe McHugh: A major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy, is included in my Department's Capital Programme. It is acknowledged that this project will involve complex and careful master-planning of the site. A full technical site visit has been undertaken by my Department's technical staff, and the project brief for the school is being formulated. My Department will be in further...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (22 Jan 2019)

Joe McHugh: As of the end of Q4 2018 the following figures (which may be subject to final revision) represent the known developments in the pipeline for student accommodation: - 6,438 PBSA bed spaces have been completed - 4,432 further bed spaces are under construction - 7,691 additional bed spaces have been granted planning permission - 822 are at the planning permission application stage This...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Services Staff (22 Jan 2019)

Joe McHugh: I recognise the very important work done by school secretaries, and indeed by other support staff, in the running of our schools and I am grateful to them for the contribution they make to our education system. I have spoken to a number of school secretaries about their employment conditions. Schemes were initiated in 1978 and 1979 for the employment of Clerical Officers and Caretakers...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (22 Jan 2019)

Joe McHugh: A major building project for the school in question which will deliver a new school building and replace all prefab units is currently at Stage 1 of the Architectural Planning Process. Stage 1 is the Preliminary Design Stage where the Design Team analyses all the constraints of the site, develops a preferred design option and cost plan. A Stakeholders meeting was held in October 2018 where...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Eligibility (22 Jan 2019)

Joe McHugh: As the Deputy will be aware DEIS Plan 2017 was the culmination of more than 18 months of consultation and discourse with education partners and other stakeholders to ensure that identification of schools and future delivery of interventions is fully informed by the practical experience of teachers, parents, students and non-governmental organisations working on behalf of children at risk of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Authority Funding (22 Jan 2019)

Joe McHugh: My Department allocates the recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to the HEA designated higher education institutions including Institutes of Technology (IoTs) such as Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LYIT). In previous years, similar to a number of higher education institutions, LYIT experienced some financial difficulties. Following...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Gaeltacht Policy (22 Jan 2019)

Joe McHugh: There is no provision currently in my Department's budget for this grant or an element thereof in 2019. The decision to stop the Gaeltacht placement grants was taken during the economic crisis when, unfortunately, very difficult decisions had to be made to stabilise the nation's finances. Priority was given to protecting resources for front line education services as far as possible. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (22 Jan 2019)

Joe McHugh: As the Deputy is aware a major capital project for the provision of permanent accommodation for the school referred to by the Deputy to cater for a long term projected enrolment of 1,000 pupils is being addressed through my Department's Capital Programme. With regard with the school’s interim accommodation, as the Deputy is aware the lease on the school's temporary accommodation is due...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (22 Jan 2019)

Joe McHugh: The Deputy will be aware that my Department's Capital Programme continues to address the challenges posed by the significant bulge in pupil enrolments going through our schools. This has seen a significant expansion in the rate of provision of new school places. The 2019 Primary and Post Primary Infrastructure allocation amounting to €672m will be expended primarily on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (22 Jan 2019)

Joe McHugh: I wish to advise the Deputy that the current status of large-scale projects, including those in North County Dublin, being delivered under the school building programme may be viewed on my Department's website, and this information is updated regularly. In addition, a list of large-scale projects completed from 2010 to date may also be viewed on the website. As the Deputy will be aware, 2...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Administration (22 Jan 2019)

Joe McHugh: I welcome the findings in this latest ERC evaluation of the DEIS programme which shows a narrowing of the gap between DEIS and non-DEIS schools both in terms of performance at Junior Certificate level and retention rates. It is also very encouraging to see a rise in the percentage of students in DEIS schools taking English and Mathematics at Higher Level. This research provides further...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Contractors (22 Jan 2019)

Joe McHugh: Precautionary works to the two primary schools in Tyrellstown were completed on the 12th of December last. These are interim measures to ensure that the buildings can be safely occupied. St. Luke's NS opted to return to its building at that time. Tyrellstown ETNS opted to return to it building after the Christmas holidays and is in full occupation since then. The second phase of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Healthy Living Strategies (22 Jan 2019)

Joe McHugh: My Department fully supports the promotion of healthy lifestyles in schools and has issued circulars to support and strengthen schools’ efforts in developing in young people the skills and attitudes needed to make informed decisions about their health. Through the curriculum students are taught the key skills and knowledge to enable them to make healthier life choices. All post...