Results 7,981-8,000 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Despite the ongoing requirement to make expenditure savings across a range of areas, expenditure in 2013 supporting pupils with Special Educational Needs was some €1.3bn or approximately 15% of the entire budget of my Department. This year, provision is being made for up to 10,965 Special Needs Assistants (SNAs). This is an increase of 390 posts on the previous cap of 10,575 posts. In...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Autism Support Services (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The National Council Special Education (NCSE) has recently published an information pamphlet for parents/guardians of children and young people with Autism Spectrum disorder. The pamphlet is one in a series of pamphlets aimed at informing parents and guardians of supports and services available for children and young people with special educational needs. As the Deputy is aware the NCSE is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I am informed by the State Examinations Commission that it regularly receives requests for assistance from candidates who either cannot take an examination or cannot perform to the best of their abilities because of illness, bereavement or other trauma. However, our examinations model is constrained in the degree to which the life experiences of individual students can be accommodated. Each...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Schools with significantly increasing enrolments are catered for within the staffing arrangements by being allocated teachers on the basis of their current pupil numbers rather than on a previous year basis which is the case for the majority of schools. The staffing appeals process has been extended to include a new criterion wich helps those schools that make a significant contribution to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I understand that the Deputy is referring to how students are categorised for student grant purposes. For student grants purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or a legal guardian, or as independent mature students. A student may be assessed as an independent mature student if he or she has attained the age of 23 on 1...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bullying in Schools (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: There is no requirement on schools to report bullying incidents to my Department. The School Principal under the anti-bullying procedures for all schools is required to report regularly to the Board of Management on the overall number of bullying cases and provide confirmation that these are being dealt with in accordance with the procedures. The Board is required to undertake an annual...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy is aware archaeological excavations on the south-eastern part of the site are still on-going and until this work is completed the final cost will not be known.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department provides for a continuum of special education provision to be made available for children with special needs, so that regardless of the level of need of the child, educational provision can be made for them. The policy of my Department is that children with special educational needs should be included in mainstream placements with additional supports provided. In circumstances...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Teacher allocations to all schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The staffing schedule at primary level operates on the basis of 1 classroom teacher for an average of every 28 pupils. More favourable ratios operate in DEIS schools. Each one point adjustment to the current 28.1 schedule at primary level is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Officials in my Department understand from Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that the application from the student in question has been assessed. SUSI has made direct contact with the student regarding the outcome of this assessment.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Commissions of Investigation (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can confirm to the Deputy that no commissions of investigation, inquiries or similar investigations have been established under my Department during the past 12 months nor is there any being considered for establishment in the next 12 months.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Private Schools (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 163, 198 and 205 together. I wish to inform the Deputies that I have been in discussions with all the education partners, which included Pre-Budget matters. I met with the Joint Managerial Body which represents all voluntary secondary schools, including fee charging schools. I received their Pre-Budget 2015 submissions, which covered the matters raised by...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Minor Works Scheme Applications (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Circular Letter 0062/2013 which was published as the Minor Works Grant for the school year 2013/2014 issued last November states "the grant will only be paid in future years as funding permits". The focus under the Infrastructure and Capital Investment Programme 2012-2016 is on meeting the demand for additional school places. Consequently, there is no funding provided at this time in the 2014...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Data (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The information requested by the Deputy is not available to my Department or the HEA (Higher Eduation Authority).

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy may be aware, the longer term options in respect of the provision of permanent accommodation for the school in question, are currently being considered in the context of other school developments in the area and the reorganisation of existing accommodation. In that context, I wish to advise that my Department is currently liaising with Cork Education and Training Board with a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Changes to the structure and content of the Gaeltacht Placement arose from the Teaching Council's new accreditation criteria, published in June 2011 (Initial Teacher Education: Criteria and Guidelines for Programme Providers) which provide, inter alia, for "an extended and reconceptualised Gaeltacht residency which will now form part of the overall programme and be under the direct...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that a Department architect visited the Dominican site and prepared a descriptive report of the current accommodation in the schools concerned on the basis of the information provided by the schools. This outline indicated that a more in depth examination of the accommodation would be required to determine the extent, if any, of additional accommodation that may...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Department of Education and Skills, through the services of a Department based Architect, has secured planning permission for the school building project referred to by the Deputy. A tender exercise to appoint the remianing members of a design team is expected to commence shortly. Once appointed, the full design team will progress the project through the remaining stages of architectural...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to confirm to the Deputy that it is my Department's intention to provide improved accommodation for the school to which he refers. It is intended that the school will be accommodated in a former school building currently occupied by a special school pending the construction of a new school for the special school. The building project for the special school is included in my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The conveyancing process for the site referred to by the Deputy is currently underway, and due diligence must be performed in this regard. My officials will however ensure that the process is completed as soon as possible. Once the site acquisition is completed, my Department will be in contact with the relevant school authorities in relation to the progression of the building project.