Results 841-860 of 15,047 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (26 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department promotes the quality of teaching and learning through the provision of quality teacher training programmes and teacher professional learning and support for principals and teachers in a range of pedagogical, curricular and educational areas. This is done through initial teacher education programmes, education centres and support services for teachers at primary and post-primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (26 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 137 and 138 together. Please note that the Department does not currently publish class standard data by constituency. The Department does publish enrolments by School Planning Area. Please find attached Junior Infant enrolment data for those SPAs contained within the Dublin Mid-West constituency. The data also includes those schools within the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (26 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school to which the Deputy refers to was approved funding under the Additional School Accommodation Scheme (ASA) for the provision of 2 x Special Educational Needs classrooms and 3 x mainstream classrooms. The project brief is to be delivered using modular accommodation. The Department has a significant modular accommodation programme in place to assist schools in the provision of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (26 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: Education and Training Boards (ETBs) were established under the which provides that each ETB is a statutory body having its own corporate status. It is therefore the responsibility of each ETB to manage the day to day operation of the organisation, including the management of staff. It should be noted that under the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 an employee has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Sports Facilities (26 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm that the property the Deputy refers to is in not in the ownership of my Department, the matter in question should be raised with the registered land owner.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (26 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: I wish to advise that my Department has no current record of receiving an application for additional accommodation for a new ASD classroom at the school referred to by the Deputy. Schools’ support for the establishment of special classes is very welcome and the Department commends any school who wishes to open a special class. However, an analysis of both the need for special class...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (26 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: The project referred to by the Deputy has been devolved for delivery to Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB). This project is currently at Stage 2b of the architectural planning process. The Stage 2b report has recently been received by the Department. Once the Stage 2b report is reviewed and approved, the next stage will be to tender for a contractor and onwards to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (26 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 146 and 147 together. Enabling children with special educational needs to receive a befitting education is a priority for this government. It is also a key priority for my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE). The NCSE has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (26 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school to which the Deputy refers submitted an application for funding under the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) for roof works. This application is currently being reviewed by the technical team within the EWS area. Once a technical recommendation has been received the EWS team will engage further with the school as appropriate. The EWS team is aware of the urgent nature of the works...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pension Provisions (26 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: I am aware of the matter referred to by the Deputy and can confirm that the department recently wrote to a cohort of fifty-eight retirees regarding an error which occurred due to the incorrect application of a reduction to pensions known as the public sector pension reduction (PSPR). PSPR was introduced under the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) legislation....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (26 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 153 and 154 together. The campus on which the school referred to by the Deputy is located, was completed in Q4 2023 and delivered a new 1,000 pupil post-primary school and two 24 classroom primary schools and accommodation, including 14 classrooms across the three projects, for children with special education needs. The campus project also delivered 3 GP...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training (26 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: This Government is fully committed to ensuring that every child has a positive school experience, with access to qualified and engaged teachers who are dedicated to supporting their learning. My Department regularly consults with key stakeholders to address critical issues like teacher supply. Further measures to strengthen the teaching workforce are being considered. The objective of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (26 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the school in question was recently approved additional accommodation under the Department’s Additional School Accommodation (or ASA) scheme. In October last year funding was approved for reconfiguration works to the school to provide for a special class as well as a traditional build of one mainstream classroom and one special education tuition...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (26 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: Officials from my Department are working with Meath County Council in relation to this former school premises. The matter is being progressed and, pending the receipt of additional information requested from the local authority, I expect the issue to be resolved in the near future.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Costs (26 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018, is an important piece of legislation which has introduced a more parent-friendly, equitable and consistent approach to how school admissions policy operates for the almost 4,000 primary and post-primary schools. The legislation is part of a suite of measures taken to take greater account of the needs of parents and students in the school system....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (25 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: 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 the Department of Education. Since 2020, my department has invested over €5.7 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (25 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: 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 172,500 children, are transported daily in approximately 7,900 vehicles across 10,300 routes daily to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. These daily trips cover over 100 million kilometres. This figure includes...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (25 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: In relation to the first school referred to by the Deputy, I can confirm that the department received an application under the Additional Schools' Accommodation (ASA) scheme for funding for the provision of eighteen special education classrooms. The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special education classroom accommodation is available to cater for pupils...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Management (25 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department is liaising directly with the patron of the school in question relating to the matters referred to by the Deputy. A new school building is being provided as part of a two phased development on a Department owned site for the post primary school in question. The school has already occupied the element constructed in phase one and phase two is due to be completed shortly. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (25 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: This Government is fully committed to ensuring that every child has a positive school experience, with access to qualified and engaged teachers who are dedicated to supporting their learning. This remains a top priority. My Department regularly consults with key stakeholders to address critical issues like teacher supply. Further measures to strengthen the teaching workforce are being...