Results 7,561-7,580 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

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

Richard Bruton: Recently published Circular - 40/2018 is available on the Department’s website, which outlines the number of days that teaching principals may take as release time in a school year in order to assist them fulfilling their principal duties. Under these arrangements my Department pays for a substitute teacher to be employed by a school to facilitate administrative functions to...

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

Richard Bruton: A building project for the school to which the Deputy refers has recently been approved.  The intention is to devolve the delivery of the project to an external agency.  Contact will be made directly with the school authority when the appropriate arrangements have been made in this regard.

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

Richard Bruton: Recently published Circular - 40/2018 is available on the Department’s website, which outlines the number of days that teaching principals may take as release time in a school year in order to assist them fulfilling their principal duties. Under these arrangements my Department pays for a substitute teacher to be employed by a school to facilitate administrative functions to...

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

Richard Bruton: A project for the school to which the Deputy refers has recently been approved which will increase the capacity of the school to 900 pupils.  The intention is to devolve the delivery of the project to an external agency.  Contact will be made directly with the school authority when the appropriate arrangements have been made in this regard.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Junior Cycle Reform (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: The Framework for Junior Cycle presents a dual approach to assessment that supports student learning over the three years of junior cycle and also measures achievement at the end of those three years. This dual approach reduces the focus on one externally assessed examination as a means of assessing students and increases the prominence given to classroom-based assessment and formative...

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

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy will be aware, in September 2016 I requested the NCSE to lead the Comprehensive Review of the Special Needs Assistant Scheme. The Review set out to ensure that the Scheme is achieving the best outcomes possible for children with special educational needs. The Review which was published by the NCSE on the 30th of May this year identifies and recommends how, in the...

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

Richard Bruton: Officials from the Department of Education and Skills engage with The Union of Students Ireland (USI) on an ongoing basis through USI representation on relevant steering committees and working groups, for example the Inter Departmental Group on Student Accommodation. Under the National Student Accommodation Strategy (NSAS), the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, the project to which he refers was announced as part of my Department's Six Year Capital Programme in 2015. Officials in my Department have worked closely with officials from Meath County Council under the Memorandum of Understanding in relation to the identification and acquisition of a suitable permanent location for the school in question....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Legislative Measures (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 is underway by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. The review will cover both the content of the RSE curriculum and support materials, as well as the delivery of the curriculum to students. Discussions at Cabinet are confidential as provided for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: University Global Rankings (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: At the outset it is important to note that that there is a diversity of ranking systems under which universities are assessed on the basis of a number of different models.  The most recent world rankings published by QS are one of a suite of ranking models which are published annually which also include the Times Higher Education and U-Multirank.  In...

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

Richard Bruton: Springboard+ 2018, which was launched in May, will provide for over 8,000 places on 245 higher education courses.  Courses will be delivered in public and private educational institutions throughout Ireland in the following skills areas: ICT, Engineering, Manufacturing, Construction, Hospitality, Business, Administration, Law, Entrepreneurship, Animation, Medical Devices Decontamination...

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

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy will be aware, the Government recently announced plans for the establishment of 42 new schools over the next four years (2019 to 2022), including a new 600 pupil post-primary school to be established in 2019 to serve the Drogheda and Laytown school planning areas as a regional solution. This announcement follows nationwide, demographic exercises carried out by my Department into...

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 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 scales at later...

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

Richard Bruton: The State Examinations Commission is statutorily responsible for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. I have been advised by the Commission, which is the independent body in place to operate and deliver the Junior and Leaving Certificate examinations, that it has an absolute responsibility to examination candidates to ensure that their work is marked to the highest...

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

Richard Bruton: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that a project to provide four new classrooms has been approved for the school to which he refers under my Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme.  The project has been devolved for delivery to the school authority for advancement.

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

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, projects for the schools referred to are included in my Department's 6 year Capital Programme.  In light of site issues arising my Department is in contact with the Patron for the schools in question. It is understood that the Patron met with the Local Authority to discuss the site issues arising on 30th April last. In this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware the project in respect of the education campus in Buncrana is included on my Department's capital programme.  My Department is working closely with Donegal County Council in relation to the proposed site acquisition. Unfortunately, the site acquisition process to date has been protracted due to technical challenges with identified site...

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

Richard Bruton: The patron body of a school determines the ethos or characteristic spirit of the school, in accordance with Section 15 of the Education Act 1998, which provides that a board of management shall uphold, and be accountable to the patron for so upholding, the characteristic spirit of the school as determined by the cultural, educational, moral, religious, social, linguistic and spiritual values...

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

Richard Bruton: I can inform the Deputy that in 2017, I introduced a new model for the allocation of Special Education Teachers to schools. The new model replaced an older model, under which most of these resources were allocated in respect of individual children who had been diagnosed with a disability. In its 2014 policy advice, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) had recommended that it...

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

Richard Bruton: The Schools Bundle 5 Public Private Partnership (PPP) programme comprises five school buildings and one further education college across four sites in Bray, Wexford, Carlow and Kells. This programme has been affected by the liquidation referred to by the Deputy.   Like other major construction projects, school building projects involve a complex arrangement of...