Results 81-100 of 15,342 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (30 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: A major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently underway, and will deliver a new 1,000 pupil post-primary school and accommodation, including two classrooms, for children with special educational needs. The project is being delivered in two phases, under my Department's Design and Build. The school commenced operation in the completed Phase 1 of the new...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (30 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: Transition Year is a valuable programme for students and under the redevelopment of Senior Cycle programme, it is my ambition that in the future every student who wishes to avail of Transition Year will have the opportunity to do so. This year, over 60,000 students are enrolled in TY programmes representing a record level of participation. Since 2018, the number of students choosing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (30 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school planning areas were developed for use with the department’s Geographic Information System (GIS) in 2008 and with the introduction of small areas in census 2011, these areas were amended to align with census small areas. The current school planning areas take account not only of local groupings of schools, but also of natural boundaries, census small areas and other local...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (30 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: Since 2020, my department has invested over €5.9 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of over 1,350 school building projects. Between projects currently under construction and projects moving to construction in the coming months, investments by the Department of Education are adding over 610,000 square metres of new and modernised capacity to our...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Correspondence (30 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: While the Deputy will appreciate that I cannot comment on individual or specific cases which are the subject of potential litigation, I can advise that the correspondence in question has been referred to the Chief State Solicitor's Office who I understand will respond in due course.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (30 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: Following the implementation of calculated grades in 2020 and the dual approach of examinations and accredited grades in 2021, two types of intervention have been implemented in recent years: adjustments to examination and assessments arrangements, and a post-marking adjustment to outcomes. This post-marking adjustment has ensured that results in the aggregate have remained the same on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (30 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The amount of funding that has been provided to schools within Tipperary under the emergency works scheme in the years of 2024, and to date in 2025, totals €5.42 million and is broken down in tabular format below: 2024 €5.16m 2025 €0.26m

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Child Abuse (30 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Report of the Scoping Inquiry into Historical Sexual Abuse in Day and Boarding Schools Run by Religious Orders recommended the establishment of a Commission of Investigation as its principal recommendation and this has been accepted by Government. The Report of the Scoping Inquiry made a number of further recommendations and a high level Inter-Departmental Group (IDG) was convened to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (30 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Ancillary Services Grant is payable to recognised primary schools and special schools in the Free Education Scheme. The grant is intended to cater for the cost of employing Secretarial and Caretaking staff. It is up to the BOM to allocate this funding as per their priorities. As per Circular 0040/2009 (www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/circulars/clarificati...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (30 Apr 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. A number of measures to support primary and post-primary schools to recruit teachers have been introduced including a €2,000 bursary-style fee refund for teachers graduating with a Professional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (30 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The large scale capital project for the school referred to by the Deputies is the provision of a new 600 pupil school building including all associated ancillary accommodation. The project was originally authorised to proceed to tender, upon completion of the prequalification shortlisting process in September 2022. Planning Permission was due to expire in December 2022 and it was...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (30 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I wish to advise the Deputy that requirement for school places is kept under on-going review in the context of available information on population, enrolments and residential development activity. In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my department divides the country into 314 school planning areas (SPA) and uses a geographical information...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Attendance (29 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) is under the remit of my Department. TESS operates under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, a piece of legislation that emphasises the promotion of school attendance, participation and retention. TESS has three strands namely the statutory Educational Welfare Service (EWS) and the two school support services the Home School Community Liaison (HSCL)...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Standards (29 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the state examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Standards (29 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: Following the implementation of calculated grades in 2020 and the dual approach of examinations and accredited grades in 2021, two types of intervention have been implemented in recent years: adjustments to examination and assessments arrangements, and a post-marking adjustment to outcomes. This post-marking adjustment has ensured that results in the aggregate have remained the same on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (29 Apr 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: Artificial Intelligence (29 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 755 and 756 together. As the Deputy is aware, as part of the Senior Cycle Redevelopment programme, the curriculum and assessment arrangements for all Leaving Certificate subjects will be revised over the coming years. Each new and revised subject specification will incorporate externally assessed components that are not a traditional written...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Inquiries (29 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authority, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24(3) of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012). In accordance with Department , which is available on the Department’s website under www.gov.ie, schools are required to employ appropriately...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (29 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The scope of works and associated costs for the modular building referred to by the Deputy are currently being finalised by the Design Team and Programme Manager, for submission to my Department. Upon review and approval, work on the modular building can then commence. The programme for the works is estimated as 10-12 weeks. My Department will continue to update the school authority with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pension Provisions (29 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 761 and 762 together. The Department of Education has been providing a payroll service for former grant funded school secretaries with effect from 1st September 2023. The provision of this payroll service is part of a package agreed with Fórsa, the trade union representing school secretaries, following a series of engagements at the Workplace...