Results 9,241-9,260 of 19,576 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Properties (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that 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, using data from a range of sources, including Child Benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (8 Nov 2022)

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. The Capital Programme details the school projects that are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that an official from my department recently spoke with the consultant appointed by the school on this project. The school were advised that the proposed works are not in line with the Department's Technical Guidance Documents and are outside the scope of works originally approved, and therefore, the proposed tender must be reviewed and resubmitted to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Reviews (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the last school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021. The Department commenced a review...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: The Origins Tracing Service is for individuals who spent all or part of their childhood in an Irish industrial school and are interested in tracing information about their parents, siblings or other relatives. The service, which is operated by Barnardos, is available free of charge to people in Ireland and abroad. My Department has fully funded the service since 2002.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Psychological Assessments (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) of my Department provides a school-based psychological service to all recognised primary and post-primary schools through the application of psychological theory and practice to support the well-being, and the academic, social and emotional development of all learners. The NEPS service provides access for all schools to: - Psychological...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021. The purpose of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department is engaging with the school authorities regarding the long term needs of the school in question, including consideration of the demographic requirements for post primary school places in the area. Information relating to the capital funding provided to the school has been included for the Deputy's information.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the current school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021. The purpose of the Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: My Department runs a comprehensive programme of work to support the supply of teachers at primary level. Significant additional posts have been allocated to the primary substitute teacher supply panels in areas where significant challenges in sourcing substitution continue, bringing the total to 610 posts on 151 panels, covering approximately 2,800 schools. The supply panels work alongside...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: At primary level, the annual staffing schedule determines the allocation of teachers to schools. The staffing schedule has been improved under both Budgets in the past two years. For the 2022/23 school year, the schedule has been improved by one point and schools are provided with class teachers on the basis of 1 teacher for every 24 pupils which means that our primary schools are currently...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: My Department runs a comprehensive programme of work to support the supply of teachers at primary level. Newly qualified teachers (NQTs) represent a new source of supply in 2022/23. In excess of 1,870 primary NQTs have had their registrations finalised by the Teaching Council to date in 2022 with further applications being processed. Significant additional posts have been allocated to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disadvantaged Status (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: In March this year I was glad to be able to announce a major expansion of the DEIS – Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools programme. This means that, for the first time since 2017, the programme has been significantly expanded to an additional 322 schools. Those schools are now gaining access to targeted supports to address educational disadvantage. This will add an additional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: The Letter of Acceptance (LOA) issued to the preferred tenderer on 18 May 2022 commencing the school building contract for the school referred to by the Deputy. The construction programme for the school referred to by the Deputy is being delivered in three phases with the first phase due for completion in Q3 2023.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: The Letter of Acceptance (LOA) issued to the preferred tenderer on the 31st May 2022 commencing the school building contract for the school referred to by the Deputy. The construction programme is 70 weeks with the new 1,000 post-pupil school anticipated to be completed in Q3/Q4 2023. My Department is in discussions with the patron with regard to any short-term interim accommodation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the last school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021. In July 2022, Government announced...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: A technical examination is presently being undertaken within my Department in order to inform the proposed terms for the licence referred to. This planned licence has been prioritised and is being prepared as an exceptional measure.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: The terms and conditions of the Sick Leave Scheme are contained in my Department’s Circular Letter 0054/2019 (Chapter 1) for primary and post primary teachers and Circular 0060/2019 for SNAs. Where a teacher or SNA is absent on sick leave, the employer may appoint a substitute teacher or SNA, paid by my Department to cover the absence. My Department runs a comprehensive programme of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: The position as previously outlined to the Deputy in July 2022 has remained unchanged. COVID-19 Special Leave with Pay is currently available to a teacher who (a) begins to display COVID-19 symptoms or (b) receives a positive COVID-19 PCR/antigen test result. The maximum Special Leave with Pay entitlement is 7 consecutive days in any one instance, which is the current HSE stated...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disability Services (8 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department has no current record of receiving an application for additional accommodation from the school in question. It is open to the school authority to make an application for additional accommodation through the 'Additional School Accommodation scheme (ASA)'. My officials have been in touch with the school authorities to provide the necessary...