Results 10,361-10,380 of 19,576 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (12 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: There is scope for exploration of the role of trade unions throughout a number of different strands and subject areas in both primary and post-primary education. In the Primary curriculum area of Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) there are opportunities to explore, recognise and understand the contribution of trade unions in society as part of the Strand: Myself and the Wider...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (12 Jul 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, are 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 my Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disadvantaged Status (12 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) is the main policy initiative of my Department to tackle educational disadvantage at school level. The extension of the DEIS programme to additional schools follows intensive work by the DEIS technical group, which involved valuable input from stakeholders. The refined DEIS identification model builds on the objectivity and fairness of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disadvantaged Status (12 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) is the main policy initiative of my Department to tackle educational disadvantage at school level. The extension of the DEIS programme to additional schools follows intensive work by the DEIS technical group, which involved valuable input from stakeholders. The refined DEIS identification model builds on the objectivity and fairness of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disadvantaged Status (12 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) is the main policy initiative of my Department to tackle educational disadvantage at school level. The extension of the DEIS programme to additional schools follows intensive work by the DEIS technical group, which involved valuable input from stakeholders. The refined DEIS identification model builds on the objectivity and fairness of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (12 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: The terms and conditions of the Career Break Scheme for teachers are contained in my Department’s Circular Letter 54/2019 (Chapter 7). A Career Break is a period of unpaid special leave for not less than 1 school year. It may be extended on an annual basis provided the total period of the Career Break does not exceed 5 years at any one time, subject to an overall maximum of 10 years...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (12 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: The school to which the Deputy refers was approved funding under my Department’s Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme to build a one classroom special education unit base. This project is devolved to the Board of Management of the school. I can confirm that my Department has received a fees uplift request from the school pertaining to its Design Team. My Department...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Contracts (12 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has engaged the services of one of the companies to which she refers in her question during the period 1st January 2020 to date in 2022. Carr Communications provided services during this period for a total value of €32,642.86. The information in respect of state bodies, within the scope of the Deputy’s question, is not held by my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (12 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: It is a requirement under the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016 (NVB Act) that individuals who work with children and vulnerable persons be vetted by the National Vetting Bureau (the Bureau). The Teaching Council is the authorised body for administering vetting for teachers in Ireland and is required to assess the vetting disclosure for suitability...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disadvantaged Status (12 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: In March I was glad to be able to announce a major expansion of the DEIS – Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools programme which means that, for the first time since 2017, the programme is being significantly expanded and eligible schools will now gain access to targeted supports to address educational disadvantage. This will add an additional €32million to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Uniforms (12 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: As Minister, I am very conscious of the pressure faced by families with respect to living costs and back to school costs. In relation to school uniforms, my Department’s Circular 0032/2017 sets out the principles of cost-effective practice to be adopted by schools to reduce the cost of returning to school. Under these measures, schools are required to select school uniform items which...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (12 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: I can confirm that correspondence has recently been received by my Department from the school referred to by the Deputy in relation to this matter and is currently being considered. The school’s correspondence was also forwarded to the relevant Regional Education and Language Teams (REALT) for their information. REALTs have been established to help ensure good coordination and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (12 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware, the main focus of resources over the last decade and for the coming period is on provision of additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics particularly at post-primary level and for special education needs provision in order to ensure every pupil has a school place each September. However, under Project Ireland 2040, there will be an increasing focus on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (12 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: There are five stages of architectural planning involved in the delivery of both major and Additional School Accommodation (ASA) school projects. The stages reflect the Capital Works Management Framework developed by the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform. The stages are as follows: Stage 1 – Preliminary Design; Stage 2 - Design including planning where required; Stage...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (12 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. For the 2022/23 school year, the staffing schedule for primary schools has been improved by one point and schools will be provided with class teachers on the basis of 1 teacher for every...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (12 Jul 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, are 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 my Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (12 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: In Ireland, all immigrant children, including children of international protection applicants, immigrant workers and unaccompanied minors, can access pre-school, primary and post primary education in a manner similar to Irish nationals, until they have reached the age of 18 years. In Ireland, a school must admit all students applying where it is not oversubscribed and places are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (12 Jul 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, are 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 my Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (12 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 560 and 571 together. 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, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (12 Jul 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, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. The cost in 2021 was over €289m. Under the terms of my...