Results 921-940 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: SOLAS Training and Education Programmes Administration (30 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: This is a day to day operational matter for SOLAS who manage the Momentum programme. The evaluation report on the Momentum programme will be delivered in four elements. The first relates to the recruitment, the second relates to the delivery, the third relates to the outcomes and the fourth will be a final report amalgamating the first 3 elements. To date, the first two parts (recruitment...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Uniforms (30 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the school uniform policy is a matter for each individual school and not my Department. My initiative late last year was aimed at strengthening the role of parents in how schools decide their policies on uniforms. I intend to gather what feedback I can gather from schools and from the National Parents Councils.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (30 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the role of Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) is set out in my Departments Circular 0030/2014. Under the terms of this Circular, the primary role of the SNA is to cater for the care needs of pupils with disabilities in an educational context, where the nature of these care needs have been outlined in professional reports as being so significant that a pupil will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Autism Support Services (30 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I presume that the Deputy's question relates primarily to classes in which children with autism are enrolled. As the Deputy is aware the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is currently preparing Policy Advice on the Educational Provision for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. The NCSE has advised my Department that the Policy Advice will be delivered in the spring of 2015...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (30 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Under the Teaching Council Act, the Teaching Council is the body with statutory authority and responsibility for the review and accreditation of programmes of Initial Teacher Education. In order to guide its reviews and provide a benchmark for HEIs providing programmes of initial teacher education, the Council has developed "Criteria and Guidelines for Programme Providers of Initial Teacher...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (30 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The most recent syllabus revisions at post-primary are: (a) Leaving Certificate Technology as a new subject, and Leaving Certificate Design and Communications Graphics which were implemented in 2007 for first examination in 2009 (b) A revised Irish curriculum in the Leaving Certificate, which provides for 40% of the marks for oral assessment, began in September 2010 with first examination in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (30 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: In the 2013 State certificate examinations, a number of Leaving Certificate and Junior Certificate examination papers contained undetected errors which had not come to light before the examination and which had the potential to impact on candidate answering. The SEC accepted that level of error in the 2013 examination papers was unacceptably high and apologised to the candidates affected....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Health Promotion Issues (30 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Guidelines for primary schools on promoting well-being and mental health are currently being developed by my Department. It is expected that the guidelines will be available to primary schools in the autumn. These guidelines will complement 'Well-Being in Post- Primary Schools: Guidelines for Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention' which was published jointly by my Department, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards Establishment (30 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: In accordance with Section 30(11) of the Education and Training Boards Act, 2013, I intend specifying bodies which have a special interest in, or knowledge of, education, members of which will appointed by the Education and Training Board (ETB) to the board. The Act requires that at least one body from each of the following categories must be specified (i) bodies representative of business,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (30 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 151 to 154, inclusive, together. In 2012, the Professional Diploma in Mathematics for Teaching, a blended learning, two year part-time programme was made available nationwide free of charge to improve the skills of certain maths teachers at post-primary level. It is a condition of entry to the programme that the applicant will continue to teach maths. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Physical Education (30 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 155, 156, 159 and 162 together. The Points for Life initiative is a physical activity programme which is currently being piloted in an number of schools in Co. Wicklow. The project is overseen by a Committee comprised of officials from my Department, PDST, Blackrock Education Centre and is chaired by Senator Eamonn Coughlan. The tablets were sponsored. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Fees Waiver (30 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, QQI has, in accordance with Section 80 of the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act, 2012, determined a number of fees which will apply to all providers seeking to engage with it, including those in the community and voluntary sector. The fees were determined in accordance with QQI's policy and fees which provides, inter alia, that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks Rental Scheme (30 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I recently announced that all primary schools who currently operate a school book rental scheme will be able to benefit from the €15 million School Book Rental Scheme Fund which was secured as part of Budget 2014. Last October, I announced that the €15 million fund would be targeted specifically at primary schools who did not currently operate a book rental scheme. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (30 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy is aware, the school, referred to, has an application with my Department for capital funding for a replacement school building. Whilst the school, in question, has experienced some growth in pupil numbers in recent years, the school is aware that it is not located in an area which has been identified as an area of significant population growth. In view of the need to ensure...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Sport and Recreational Development (30 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: A sports facility was originally planned for this site in Adamstown, to be developed by a third party. Due to circumstances outside of my Department's control, the facility was not delivered. My Department officials have engaged with the relevant stakeholders with a view to reaching an acceptable outcome and will continue to follow up on the matter. I am sure the Deputy will agree that all...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (30 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. The State Examinations Commission operates a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations in the Certificate examinations. Applications for such accommodations are submitted by schools on behalf of their students. Full details of the scheme are available for downloading...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: SOLAS Training and Education Programmes Provision (30 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The administration of the apprenticeship system is a matter for SOLAS. I understand that SOLAS has contacted the two companies referred to in this query and both organisations recognise the Advanced Certificate Craft Level 6, which is the qualification received on the successful completion of the apprenticeship programme. However I also understand that, according to records held by SOLAS,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (30 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The project to which the Deputy refers was announced to go to construction in 2014. The project is expected to proceed to tender stage shortly. Subject to no issues arising, it is anticipated that construction will commence in late 2014.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (30 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: In the case of a student whose parents are divorced, legally separated or it is established to the satisfaction of the awarding authority that they are separated, the reckonable income shall be that of the applicant and the parent with whom the applicant resides. The income of a step-parent who is not a legal guardian is not included in determining reckonable income. Where the reckonable...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (30 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 170, 171 and 206 together. As the new post-primary school for North Wicklow is not opening until 2016, the enrolment policy for the school has not yet been put in place. Enrolment policies are a matter for a School's Board of Management in consultation with the Patron, which, in this case, is Educate Together. While it is intended that the school will be...