Results 7,521-7,540 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: School Staff (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: I acknowledge this. I had a useful discussion in County Meath recently with teaching principals about exactly these points. It was at a similar meeting in Donegal where the idea of expanding the clusters, a small initiative in the past, to 50 this year was developed. I am glad we have been able to develop and implement it. It means teaching principals have a single person who acts as a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: School Staff (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: I take the Deputy's point. A principal in a school with one or two mainstream teachers will get 17 release days. By contrast, a principal with five or six mainstream teachers will get 29 release days. The proposal would be to go to 36 for everyone without that grading across the different sizes of school. Whether that is a justifiable approach will need to be assessed. It will cost...

Seanad: Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: My amendments in this grouping all relate to a new provision that I am inserting in section 29F. On Committee Stage, Senator Ruane proposed an amendment providing that an applicant could seek a review of a decision of an appeals committee not to hear or determine appeal under section 29. At the time, I advised the Senator that I accepted the intention of her amendment but wished to have the...

Seanad: Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: Amendment No. 11 provides for a review of the new section 37A of the Education Act 1998, which provides the Minister with the power to direct a school to open a special class following a report of the National Council for Special Education. The amendment requires the Minister to commence the review not later than three years after the new section 37A comes into operation, and that the...

Seanad: Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Senators for this discussion. Perhaps I come from a different perspective but I certainly favour diversity in education. I believe that, as the Constitution sets out, parents are the primary educators. I believe that the State should try to facilitate parents to the best of its ability. That was the background to the approach. I had a consultation on this matter. Alternative...

Seanad: Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: These are proofing amendments. Amendment No. 15 proposes to expand subsection 62(7)(e) to provide that, in the case of admission to a post-leaving certificate course or a further education and training course run by a recognised school, the school shall not be prohibited from ascertaining a student's academic ability, skills or aptitude for admission to such a course. Amendment No. 17...

Seanad: Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: I will begin by responding to Senator Gavan. Under the existing legislation, a second-level school that provides education through the medium of Irish is free to give priority to students who have attended a Gaelscoil. Such a school can have a feeder school policy because it is perfectly provided for. The general provisions of this Bill allow for such policies, which are already in place....

Seanad: Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: We have discussed this on Second Stage and on Committee Stage. Schools as of now are allowed to operate their own admissions policy. They have been allowed up to now to have waiting lists, to allow unrestricted preference for preschools, feeder schools, siblings, past pupils, religion. In all of these cases I am introducing restrictions where I feel they are appropriate. We will continue...

Seanad: Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: We have had this debate previously. As Senator Ruane has recognised, section 23 of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 requires schools to develop codes of practice in accordance with statutory guidelines prepared by the former National Education Welfare Board, which is now the educational welfare service of Tusla. This body has been given statutory responsibility for overseeing the...

Seanad: Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: I thank Senators for their interest in the Bill.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Mental Health Strategies (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: The calls to which the Deputy refers arise from a recently published report commissioned by St Patrick’s Mental Health services.  The report includes an analysis of the findings from a survey of primary-school principals and interviews with twelve principals and nine counsellors, and makes certain recommendations. While the report has not been formally submitted to my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: The State Examinations Commission appoints approximately 3,600 examiners annually to mark the Leaving and Junior Certificate written examinations.  The primary requirement for examiners is subject competence.  The SEC has a strict policy when it comes to the recruitment of examiners which requires that personnel appointed to mark the state examinations are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Scheme (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: Tackling educational disadvantage is a key priority for my Department.  In order to achieve its vision for education to become a proven pathway to better opportunities for those in communities at risk of disadvantage and social exclusion, my Department has set the implementation of a renewed DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) programme as one of its key...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: I have set out the ambition to deliver the best education and training service in Europe by 2026.  This Government has already made significant provision to support this ambition. The mid-term capital review made provision for increased investment in my Department’s School Capital Programme. That Programme has been delivering an average of 18,000 school places per year in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: In April of this year, I announced a major review of the Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) curriculum and this review, by the National Council on Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), is underway.  The review will cover both the content of the RSE curriculum and support materials, as well as the delivery of the curriculum in schools. Some elements of the current RSE...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: A key priority for this government is ensuring that children with special educational needs are supported and given the opportunity to reach their full potential. In 2018, some €1.78 billion will be invested in Special Education. This represents an increase of almost 42% since 2011 and amounts to almost one fifth of the Department’s overall Budget. The National...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: I recently announced that a demonstration project to provide in-school and pre-school therapy services will be introduced for the 2018/19 school year. The project will be managed and coordinated by the National Council for Special Education. The model has been developed by the Departments of Education, Children and Youth Affairs, Health, and the Health Service Executive, and is part of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: This project is being delivered under my Department’s “Rapid” Design & Build programme.  The brief for the project is to provide a new 24 classroom primary school with a 3 classroom Special Needs Unit on a green field site at Carr’s Hill, Douglas, to the south west side of Carrigaline Road, Maryborough, Co. Cork.  An application for planning...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy may be aware, I announced plans for the establishment of 42 new schools over the next four years (2019 to 2022). This announcement follows nationwide demographic exercises carried out by my Department into the future need for primary and post-primary schools across the country and the 4-year horizon will enable increased lead-in times for planning and delivery of the necessary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: The public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. I negotiated, together with my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, a 15-22% pay increase for new teachers. The agreements to date have restored an estimated 75% of the difference in pay for more recently recruited teachers and deliver convergence of the pay...