Results 621-640 of 16,182 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I take it that the Deputy is referring to a canopy installed over the school's play area. I wish to confirm that this structure will be removed as part of the proposed refurbishment works to the property in question to facilitate the establishment of the new special school.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school building project for the school referred to by the Deputy will deliver a new 1,000 pupil post-primary school and accommodation, including 4 classrooms, for children with special education needs on a site at Kishogue Cross, Griffeen Avenue, Lucan, Co Dublin. The Letter of Acceptance (LOA) issued to the successful contractor on 18/11/2024 which allowed the contractor to mobilise on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (27 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: Schools Building Projects (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The purpose of the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and Special Education Needs (SEN) accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation. The main focus of resources over the last decade and for the coming period is on provision of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The State Examinations Commission (SEC) has responsibility for the operation and delivery of the State examinations, and facilitates access to the examinations through its scheme of reasonable accommodations at the certificate examinations, otherwise known as the RACE scheme. The SEC has now commenced a comprehensive review of the scheme. I have asked the SEC to respond directly to the Deputy...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Schooling (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: Tackling educational disadvantage and supporting students to fulfil their full potential in life is a key priority for me as Minister for Education and Youth, and for the Government. The DEIS programme is a key policy of Government to tackle concentrated educational disadvantage at school level. It provides a targeted range of supports and is additional to the universal supports provided to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Welfare Service (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 317 and 316 together. Tusla Education Support Service (TESS), which includes the statutory Educational Welfare Service (EWS), is under the remit of my department since 2021. The primary role of the EWS is to ensure that every child either attends school regularly or otherwise receives a certain minimum education; to ensure and secure every child’s...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 318, 319, 320, 321 and 322 together. Please find attached requested information. Please note that data provided is for academic year 2023-2024, the latest available year we have final enrolment data for. Schools in Roundwood are located in the Rathdrum School Planning Area and all schools in this SPA have been included in the table. Data is anchored on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: Please find attached requested information. Please note that data provided is for academic year 2023-2024, the latest available year we have final enrolment data for. Data is collated from the post-primary enrolments by programme and programme year data which can found at the link below: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/collections/post-prima ry-schools-enrolment-figures/.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: 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 of mine. Since 2020, my Department has invested over €177 million in school infrastructure across County Wicklow. The Department is continually planning...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: 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 of mine. Since 2020, my Department has invested over €177 million in school infrastructure across County Wicklow. The Department is continually...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: 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 of mine. Since 2020, my Department has invested over €177 million in school infrastructure across County Wicklow. The Department is continually...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Youth Services (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Deputy will be aware that at present my officials are developing an implementation approach to Opportunities for Youth that takes into account the transfer of youth functions to the Department of Education. Work is already underway in relation to several actions in the strategy for which the Department is the lead. In relation to Action 8, my officials have begun work on a review of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Youth Services (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: In light of the transfer of functions to the Department of Education and Youth, my officials are currently drafting the implementation approach to support the delivery of agreed actions and ensure effective mainstreaming of strategic objectives of Opportunities for Youth: National Strategy for Youth Work and Related Services 2024-2028. Given the recent transfer, a precise timeline for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Department is committed to providing funding to recognised primary and post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme by way of per capita grants. The two main grants are the capitation grant to cater for day-to-day running costs such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance and general up-keep, and the ancillary grant to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: 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 commitment was given that the Minor Works Grant would be paid in either December or January of the school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: Schools in financial difficulty are encouraged to contact my Department for advice and support. The Department is committed to offering all available and appropriate supports to schools, which may include an advance in capitation grant funding or other measures. Schools that contacted the Department will be referred to the FSSU. The Department is committed to providing funding to recognised...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my officials are engaging with the school in question to progress the delivery of 2 Special education modular classrooms. The modular project is to be delivered by an appointed Project Manager under my department's Project Manager Framework. As the Deputy will be aware, this will require the use of some of their current playing space. I can confirm that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Administration (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is being delivered as part of the Department's ADAPT Programme. The Adapt Programme uses a professional external Programme Manager to co-ordinate and drive the Design Team to achieve the best possible timeframe for the project through the stages of Architectural Planning to Tender and Construction. The brief for this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: This government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential and the Programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs. As the...