Results 9,141-9,160 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 160 and 412 together. As the Deputies may already be aware, I plan to introduce a single unified scheme of maintenance grants for students and to consolidate the administration of this unified grants scheme in the VEC sector. This will, I believe, provide for a more coherent administrative system. The scheme, which will be underpinned by a new Student Support...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Apart from a small number of prescribed texts at second-level, mainly in the case of language subjects, decisions on which textbooks to use in first and second-level schools are taken at school level. Syllabus planners are conscious of the need to avoid over-frequent changes to textbooks, primarily in order to minimise increases in the cost burden for parents. However, textbooks have to be...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: In the State examinations all candidates who attempt an examination in a particular subject are awarded a grade ranging from an A (85% and above) to an NG (less than 10%). In the Leaving Certificate, the A grade is sub-divided into an A1 and A2. Irrespective of the grade obtained, all candidates receive a certificate that records all their grades and no candidate is deemed to have failed any...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that the home tuition scheme which provides funding to parents to provide education at home for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school was extended in recent years to facilitate tuition for children awaiting a suitable educational placement and also to provide early intervention for preschool children with autism....

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special needs. My officials have been in contact with the NCSE in relation to this case and I understand that 3.5...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Department is aware that the current lease of the school to which the Deputy refers is due to expire in June 2008. In this context, the department is actively pursuing a number of options to accommodate the school. In the longer term, the Department has requested that a permanent location for the school be included as part of the master planning process on the Grangegorman site.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Grangegorman Development Agency has been informed by my Department that a site for a sixteen classroom school is required for the school in question and that provision should be made for this in the overall strategic plan for the development of the Grangegorman site. The proposed phasing for the delivery of the various aspects of the development will be identified by the Grangegorman...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Given the rapidly developing nature of Balbriggan, the Department is moving, as a matter of top priority, to acquire a number of sites reserved for both primary and post primary provision in the area. Discussions are at an advanced stage with the local authority in this regard. The Deputy will appreciate that due to commercial sensitivities, I am unable to comment on the specifics of any...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Section 15(2)(d) of the Education Act 1998 requires the Board of Management to publish the policy of the school concerning the admission to and participation in the school. The compulsory school starting age in a National School is 6 years of age. Enrolment in individual schools is the responsibility of the managerial authority of those schools and my Department does not seek to intervene in...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The school to which the Deputy refers opened in 1999 and was built to accommodate 1,000 pupils. Based on the 2006/2007 enrolments, the school had 108 vacant pupil places. The Department is aware of the extensive housing developments and population increases in Skerries which is leading to an increased demand for school places. Earlier this year, the Department published a Draft Area...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department is committed to providing a permanent building for the new post-primary school in Donabate. The school will be delivered along with new schools in Phibblestown, Co. Dublin and Laytown, Co. Meath under a design and build contract that is aimed at delivering 3,000 school places for these rapidly developing areas. The Department has appointed a Project Manager to oversee the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The school to which the Deputy refers submitted a Major Capital application to expand to a 16 classroom school. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that following discussions between my Department and the school authority, the school has agreed to expand to a 24 classroom school. This building project has been given a Band 1 rating, and as such will be treated as a high priority in the School...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the school to which he refers is included among the schools recently given approval for the appointment of a design team to progress an extension project. A technical site visit will be undertaken shortly. This is one of a range of projects to increase school capacity in the Balbriggan area.

Written Answers — Schools Recognition: Schools Recognition (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the management authorities of the school to which he refers were recently notified that the Department granted recognition to the school with effect from 1 September 2007. The Department is moving to acquire a number of sites reserved in the Balbriggan area under the Fingal School Model Agreement for the provision of educational facilities. A permanent...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm that a Major Capital Application for the school to which the Deputy refers is currently being assessed in the context of the Departments Multi-Annual Building and Modernisation Programme and other projects in rapidly developing areas.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Two school sites have been reserved in Skerries for primary education requirements by Fingal County Council. The Department has instructed the County Council to acquire one of the sites, as a matter of priority, for the purpose of providing a new primary school for September 2008 and also permanent accommodation for St. Michael's House Special School. The Department intends to have suitable...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Department has, in the past, had some difficulties obtaining such information from schools who had concerns regarding provisions of the Data Protection Act. In view of this, the Department will issue a circular to schools, clarifying the position and advising schools to draw parents' attention, on the enrolment forms, to the fact that such information may be provided in the context of...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, major improvements have been made in staffing at primary level in recent years. There are now 5,000 more primary teachers than there were in 2002. By the 2006/07 school year, we had reduced the average class size in our primary schools to 24, while the pupil teacher ratio was 16.4:1, including resource teachers etc. In that year, schools were staffed on the basis...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that my Department implemented a general allocation system of learning support/resource teachers (LS/RT) to mainstream primary schools in September 2005. The system is intended to cater for children with high-incidence special education needs such as borderline mild general learning disability and mild general learning disability and specific learning disability. The...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (2 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Department is in receipt of proposals from the Board of Management of the school to which the Deputy refers in relation to the future development of the school. In considering these proposals, further information and clarifications have been sought from the school authority. A response is awaited in this regard. Any decision regarding the future development of the school is a matter...