Results 7,521-7,540 of 19,576 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (28 Mar 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: Departmental Properties (28 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: It is my Department's intention to construct a new school building on the site referred to by the Deputy. This will provide replacement and enhanced accommodation for an existing school. The architectural planning process for this development has commenced.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (28 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: My Department's Planning and Building Unit is currently assessing its work programme and priorities for 2023 in the context of its available funding. My Department's published NDP allocation for 2023 is €860 million. Key priorities for my Department's work programme include continuing strong delivery to support the operation of the school system with particular regard to planning...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (28 Mar 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 the universal supports available to all schools, the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) Programme is a key policy initiative of my Department to address concentrated educational...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (28 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area. In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998. Parents have the right to choose which school to apply to and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (28 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: Last year, my Department published its second National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development, ESD to 2030, aimed at ensuring all learners acquire the knowledge and skills required to promote sustainable development. In 2022, under this Strategy, my Department invited primary and post-primary schools to submit applications for funding for projects which supported the ESD...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (28 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, utilising data from a range of sources including information on planned and current residential development, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise. Since 2018, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (28 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the issue highlighted at the school in question has now been resolved. My Department has liaised with both the school and the contractor and the contractor has agreed to resume works onsite imminently.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (28 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: In 2012 a public service-wide review of allowances was carried out by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. As a result qualification allowances were abolished with effect from 1stFebruary 2012. Circular 0008/2013 published by my Department in relation to this matter provided for an exception. This applied where at 5thDecember 2011 a teacher was in employment on that date, and was...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (28 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: The Deputy will be aware that 2022 marked the return to externally delivered examinations for all candidates at both Leaving Certificate and Junior Cycle, with 61,108 candidates sitting Leaving Certificate examinations and 67,130 candidates sitting Junior Cycle examinations. There were a number of factors that affected the timing of the issue of results for both examinations in 2022. These...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (28 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission (SEC) has responsibility for the operation, delivery and development of the State examinations. The Deputy will be aware that 2022 marked the return to externally delivered examinations for all candidates at both Leaving Certificate and Junior Cycle, with 61,108 candidates sitting Leaving Certificate examinations and 67,130 candidates sitting Junior...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (28 Mar 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: School Accommodation (28 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: The school to which the deputy refers received approval under my Department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme for 11 x General Classrooms, 3 x SET room, 1 x Multimedia room, 1 x Textiles room, 1 x Science lab/Prep area, a 2-Classroom SEN base and removal of 3 temporary units. My Department is engaging with MSLETB regarding this project with a view to identifying the optimum...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (28 Mar 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: School Admissions (28 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: 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 for my Department. In order to plan for school place needs, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (28 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: My Department's Planning and Building Unit is currently assessing its work programme and priorities for 2023 in the context of its available funding. My Department's published NDP allocation for 2023 is €860 million. Key priorities for my Department's work programme include continuing strong delivery to support the operation of the school system with particular regard to planning...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (28 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: 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 schools for the 2023/24 school year which is the lowest...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (28 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: The permanent school building project for the site referred to by the Deputy is a campus project to deliver a 1,000 pupil post-primary school and accommodation, including four classrooms, for children with special educational needs and a 16 classroom primary school and accommodation, including two classrooms, for children with special educational needs. The campus project is being delivered...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (28 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: The Special Education Teaching allocation, as outlined in Circular 0020/2022, (primary schools) and provides a single unified allocation for special educational support teaching needs to each school, based on each school’s educational profile and also encompasses the Language Support (EAL) allocation that schools were allocated in previous years. All schools are advised in the first...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Amalgamation (28 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department is in receipt of a request from the Patron of both national schools in Moate, concerning the possibility of an amalgamation. Officials from my Department have been in correspondence with the school authorities in relation to this matter and remain available for any further questions the schools may have.