Results 6,741-6,760 of 19,968 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Renewable Energy Generation (29 Jun 2023)

Norma Foley: Budget 2023 included the announcement for the provision of up to 6kW photovoltaic (PV) panels to all schools, to be funded from the Climate Action Fund at the discretion of the Minister for the Environment. This is really positive news for our schools and will assist with their energy needs and costs along with supporting the decarbonisation of our school buildings. This PV programme will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (29 Jun 2023)

Norma Foley: In this the 2022/23 school year, the staffing schedule operates on a general average of 24 pupils to every 1 teacher. This is a historically low level of pupils to teachers. Primary schools also have access to other non-mainstream teachers, including for example special education teachers and language support teachers. Under the Programme for Government, there is a commitment to make further...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (29 Jun 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. There has been an increase of 21% in tickets issued to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disadvantaged Status (29 Jun 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 these universal supports, the DEIS programme provides a targeted and equitable way to address concentrated educational disadvantage that promotes equity and has benefits for students. My...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (29 Jun 2023)

Norma Foley: I recently announced details of Ireland’s first national primary school book scheme, which will provide free schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks, in recognised primary schools and special schools. It ensures equity of opportunity in education, where all pupils are supported to fulfil their potential and reflects the importance this Government places on education. The scheme will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (29 Jun 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 Department is undertaking a comprehensive programme to support the supply of teachers, including:Primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (29 Jun 2023)

Norma Foley: This information needs to be extracted from the financial management system within My Department and my officials will forward this information directly to the Deputy once this has been completed.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (29 Jun 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. There has been an increase of 21% in tickets issued to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (29 Jun 2023)

Norma Foley: My Department’s Guidance in relation to managing in a Covid environment set out the practical steps for improving ventilation and where poor ventilation continued to exist in a particular room/area, air cleaners may be considered as an additional measure in conjunction with other methods of ventilation that are available. This was in line with the Expert Group guidance which identified...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (29 Jun 2023)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy, that my Department has no current record of receiving an application for additional accommodation from the school in question. My Department's capital investment programme provides for devolved funding for additional classrooms for existing schools where an immediate enrolment need has been identified. All school capital projects that have been approved, by...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (29 Jun 2023)

Norma Foley: Decisions regarding the use and deployment of digital technology in schools is a matter for the Board of Management of each school. Schools are advised to consult with members of the school community including parents when planning for the introduction of digital technologies including devices with cost and other implications being fully considered by the Boards of Managements before a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Management (29 Jun 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (29 Jun 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. There has been an increase of 21% in tickets issued to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (29 Jun 2023)

Norma Foley: The Government is committed to the delivery of quality public services and will continue to approach public service pay in a balanced way that is reasonable and fair to both public servants and to the taxpayer. However, the Government acknowledges that the housing issue and the current price pressures in society present particular challenges and are a source of concern for all public service...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (29 Jun 2023)

Norma Foley: 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. Additionally, Project Ireland 2040...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (29 Jun 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. There has been an increase of 21% in tickets issued to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (29 Jun 2023)

Norma Foley: I recently announced details of Ireland’s first national primary free school book scheme, which will provide free schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks, in recognised primary schools and special schools. It ensures equity of opportunity in education, where all pupils are supported to fulfil their potential and reflects the importance this Government places on education. The scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Oideachas trí Ghaeilge (29 Jun 2023)

Norma Foley: Léirítear ar chóras P-POD (Post-Primary Online Database) mo Roinne go bhfuil 25 iar-bhunscoil tar éis féin-tuairisciú go bhfuil roinnt ábhar á múineadh acu trí mheán na Gaeilge do roinnt dá scoláirí nó dá scoláirí ar fad. Tugann an Chigireacht i mo Roinnse faoi chuairteanna cigireachta ar scoileanna le...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Legislative Reviews (29 Jun 2023)

Norma Foley: Section 29 of the Education Act 1998 was revised in November 2020 by the insertion of section 7 of the Education[ Admissions to Schools ] Act of 2018. There is no mandatory requirement to review this amended section of the Education Act. Section 28 of the Education Act of 1998 relates to a grievance procedures to be put in place following consultation with the patrons of recognised...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (29 Jun 2023)

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government includes a commitment to “achieve the target of at least 400 multi-denominational primary schools by 2030, to improve parental choice”. In recent years there has been considerable progress towards increasing the numbers of multi-denominational primary schools. In 2022, there were 166 primary schools with a multi-denominational or...