Results 6,901-6,920 of 19,559 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (23 May 2023)

Norma Foley: The Professional Support (Guidance Counselling Supervision) Programme provides all guidance counsellors employed in Department of Education funded post primary schools with five two-hour sessions of counselling supervision support in each academic year by a professionally qualified Supervisor. This provides a forum for Guidance Counsellors to meet their peers and discuss the issues they are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (23 May 2023)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year, over 147,900 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. In addition, school transport scheme services are being...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (18 May 2023)

Norma Foley: In September 2022 unions representing post-primary teachers chose to use the Building Momentum Sectoral Bargaining Fund to restore the value of an allowance previously withdrawn from new entrant post-primary teachers. Sectoral bargaining provides for the establishment of a sectoral fund amounting to 1 per cent of basic pay, of which some or all may be used to resolve outstanding issues,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (18 May 2023)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 242 to 244, inclusive, together. I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is committed to providing improved accommodation for the school in question. The Deputy will be aware that there are certain complexities associated with the school site and my Department is currently considering the options available in addressing the school’s interim...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (18 May 2023)

Norma Foley: My Department provides 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, general up-keep etc. and the Ancillary/School Services Support Fund (SSSF) to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (18 May 2023)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 246 and 247 together. Under the Programme for Government there is a commitment to seek to make further progress in reducing the pupil teacher ratios in primary schools. In Budget 2023, I ensured major investment in our schools and I have succeeded in bringing the teacher allocation ratio to an average of 1 classroom teacher for every 23 pupils in all primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (18 May 2023)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the state examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (18 May 2023)

Norma Foley: I can confirm that the school referred to by the deputy has been approved for a project under my Department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme 2022. The project will provide the following accommodation at the school: 2 x SET Rooms and 2 x SEN Base. This project has been devolved for delivery to the school authority and is currently at Stage 1. I wish to advise the Deputy that the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (18 May 2023)

Norma Foley: Whilst the State Examinations Commission (SEC) is responsible for the operation, delivery and development of the State examinations, I am very much aware of the importance for students, parents and education stakeholders of ensuring that the results for Leaving Certificate 2023 are delivered in as timely a manner as possible. While the SEC is not yet in a position to confirm the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (18 May 2023)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware, in April 2018 it was announced that 42 new schools were to be established over the period of 2019 to 2022. This announcement included a new 800 pupil post-primary school to serve Blanchardstown_WestD15 & BlanchardstownVge_D15 School Planning Areas. In line with the policy on the use of State assets, which is also consistent with the objective of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (18 May 2023)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware, there is a designated school site within the lands referred to in Corballis, Donabate. The design and the delivery of a school on the designated site, is dependent on road infrastructure and services to be delivered as part of the residential development, on the lands referred to by the Deputy. The residential development was granted planning permission by An Bord...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (18 May 2023)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the state examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (18 May 2023)

Norma Foley: The Letter of Acceptance (LOA) for the schools referred to by the Deputy issued to the preferred tenderer on the 31st May 2022 commencing the school building contract. Works are progressing well on site and the school buildings are due for completion in Q4 2023. My Department has been liaising with the patron bodies of the schools referred to by the Deputy in relation to interim accommodation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (17 May 2023)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year, over 149,000 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. There has been an increase of 21% tickets issued to eligible...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (17 May 2023)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education.  The total cost of the scheme in 2022 was €338.9m. The scheme is an important service for families and children. The purpose of the Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (17 May 2023)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 71 and 72 together. I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department has received an application, under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school authority in question. The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classrooms and Special Education Needs (SEN) accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (17 May 2023)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 73 and 74 together. The application to which the Deputy refers, for emergency works funding for safety features has been received and is under consideration by the Emergency Works team and the Professional & Technical Section within my Department. Due to the nature of the works required, a site visit by the technical team will be required and officials...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (17 May 2023)

Norma Foley: I wish to inform the Deputy that the Teacher appointment forms for Primary Teachers are made available in late May for the following school year. These forms are currently being prepared for the 2023/2024 school year and will be made available on my Department's website shortly for download by schools. Schools will also be notified by email when the forms are available.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Development Plan (17 May 2023)

Norma Foley: Under Project Ireland 2040, the Department of Education is investing €4.4 billion over the period 2021 to 2025, to add capacity and develop and upgrade school facilities across the country for the almost one million students and over 100,000 staff that learn and work in our schools every day. My Department has a proven track record of delivery, with over 180 projects completed last...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (17 May 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. I am...