Results 10,421-10,440 of 19,576 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (6 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 (6 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: State Examinations (6 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: The Framework for Junior Cycle presents a dual approach to assessment that supports student learning over the three years of Junior Cycle and also measures achievement at the end of those three years. This dual approach reduces the focus on one externally assessed examination as a means of assessing students and increases the prominence given to formative assessment. The three-year Junior...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Physical Education (6 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: The funding allocated to my Department, as set down in the annual Estimates, is used to meet costs associated with the provision of educational services in our schools and various related functions and includes salaries of teaching and non-teaching school staff, development of school infrastructure, capitation funding, grant payments to Education and Training Boards and a range of programmes...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training (6 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: My Department specifies the minimum entry requirements in the core subjects: Irish, English and Mathematics for entry into primary Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes to ensure that primary teachers have the capacity to lead in these significant areas of student learning. All candidates, including school leavers, mature students and university graduates must hold the required...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (6 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: Educational Disadvantage (6 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: Departmental Data (6 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: Please find attached requested information for primary and post-primary schools in Longford and Westmeath, including enrolments, teachers, SNAs and funding from the Department. Please note data is for academic year 2020-2021 the last year we have final enrolment and teacher allocation data for. The data regarding SNAs and number of teachers in special schools is sourced from the NCSE and is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (6 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: For 2021, the data is not yet available. The transition rate from post-primary to higher education in a given year measures the percentage of pupils from the previous five academic years who ultimately entered HE in that year. The total that transferred into third level was 66.1% for the 2020-21 academic year. For Longford and Westmeath, the rates were 61.7% and 73.5%, respectively. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Closed-Circuit Television Systems (6 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 137 and 138 together. Under the provisions of the Education Act 1998, the Board of Management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school. The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner is the statutory body with responsibility for ensuring that organisations meet their obligations under the Data Protection Acts. The general position is that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (6 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department is in receipt of an application for funding under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school in question. The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and Special Education Needs (SEN) accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the...

Back to School Costs: Motion [Private Members] (5 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: I thank Deputy Ó Laoghaire and his colleagues for tabling this motion. I welcome the opportunity to speak to the House this evening on the important matter of back-to-school costs. I appreciate that the cost of returning to school every autumn is a significant element and, indeed, burden, in every family’s budget. I am acutely aware of the matters raised in the motion...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Appointments to State Boards (5 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: The information sought by the Deputy in regard to the bodies under the aegis of my Department is being collated and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible. 

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Flexible Work Practices (5 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: On 27thMay 2022, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) published updated ‘Guidance and FAQs for Public Service Employers during COVID-19 in relation to Special Leave with Pay for COVID-19’.  My Department’s Circular Letter 0039/2022  titled ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): Updated Working Arrangements For Staff Other Than Teachers and Special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ministerial Responsibilities (5 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available in my Department in the format requested. However, all of the schools I have visited are recorded in my official diary which is updated regularly and is available online at the following link  www.gov.ie/en/collection/6920cb-department-of-education-and- skills-ministers-diaries/ .

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (5 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: To streamline the alignment of supports for Ukrainian families arriving in Ireland, I have established Regional Education and Language Teams (REALT).  The primary role of the REALT is to assist children in finding school places and to support schools to meet the needs of these children as they emerge. The REALT also advise and support the Department in developing new capacity where...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (5 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: Know The Score is the first national evidence-based resource on alcohol and drugs for Senior Cycle students (15-18yrs). It is developed in partnership between the Health Service Executive (HSE) and other  health and education professionals involved in substance misuse education.  It was published in late 2019 and is available free of charge to teachers from the HSE.  It is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (5 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that there are no such positions funded directly by my Department. However, there are 18 officials at my Department principally at the grade of Inspector and Educational Psychologist who are pursuing further study at PhD level under the Refund of Fees scheme as governed by Department of Finance circular 23/07. This Scheme provides for a refund of academic fees for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (5 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: In February 2018 my Department introduced the “Temporary Re-Assignment Scheme for Primary Teachers”.  This Scheme was agreed under the auspices of the Teachers Conciliation Council (TCC). The Council is comprised of representatives of teachers, school management, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the Department of Education and is chaired by an official of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (5 Jul 2022)

Norma Foley: European Schools (ES) are educational institutions set up in the 27 Member States of the European Union.  They follow a specific curriculum and offer the European Baccalaureate Diploma at the end of the upper secondary cycle. Decisions in the European Schools’ System are made by its Board of Governors. Ireland is represented by my Department at senior official level on the...