Results 10,521-10,540 of 19,576 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: On 17thFebruary 2022, NPHET reviewed the remaining public health measures including the infection prevention control measures and restrictions in school settings. The Government accepted the recommendations of the NPHET to remove remaining restrictions relating to mask-wearing and physical distancing in schools with effect from Monday 28thFebruary. While it will no longer be a requirement for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: The School Inclusion Model (SIM) is based on policy advice from the National Council for Special Education based on the principle of providing the right support at the right time delivered by a range of personnel with relevant qualifications and skill-sets. Its purpose is to help students achieve better outcomes. Independent evaluation is a central part of the project and the outcome will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: The site to which the Deputy refers will provide for a campus development of a 1,000 pupil post-primary school and accommodation, including four classrooms, for children with special educational needs and a new 16 classroom primary school and accommodation, including two classrooms, for children with special educational needs for the school referred to by the Deputy.  The permanent...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: Access to Relationships and Sexuality Education, or RSE, is an important right for students. This is reflected in the Programme for Government, which states that this Government will develop inclusive and age appropriate curricula for RSE and Social, Personal and Health Education across primary and post-primary schools. Social, Personal and Health Education, or SPHE for short, is a mandatory...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (30 Jun 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Religious Discrimination (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 67 and 81 together. Under Article 44 of the Constitution and in accordance with Section 30 of the Education Act, 1998, parents have a right to have their children opt out of religious instruction classes if they so wish. It is expected that this right will be upheld by schools on foot of a parental request. Under the provisions of the Education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Welfare Service (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: The provision of child and adolescent mental health services lies specifically within the remit of the Department of Health and the HSE.  HSE Primary Care Psychology Services and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) provide a range of clinical support to children and young people with mental health needs.  However, the Department of Education also plays an important...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that under Project Ireland 2040, the education sector will receive a total of approximately €4.4 billion capital investment over the period 2021-2025. This significant investment allows us to move forward with certainty on our ambitious plans and deliver high quality building projects, with a real focus on sustainability, for school communities across...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: The project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved for delivery to Cork Education and Training Board (CETB).  This project is currently at Stage 2a of the architectural planning process. The Department understands from CETB that its design team is currently finalising the Stage 2a report for submission to the Department; this report is expected to be submitted to the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 75 and 196 together. Under the Programme for Government there is a commitment to seek to make further progress in reducing the pupil teacher ratios in primary schools. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department is in receipt of an application 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 accommodation and accommodation for pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: In respect of the schools referred to by the Deputy, the schools have not been identified as having met the criteria for inclusion under the refined DEIS identification model. In consideration of Action 6.1 of the Drogheda Report Implementation Plan, the schools have been allocated additional supports for a fixed term of 5 years in order to support the implementation of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: My Department is at all times guided by public health advice as to the appropriate infection and prevention control measures to be implemented in schools to both prevent the introduction of Covid-19 into school settings and to minimise its impact if Covid-19 occurs.  Funding for enhanced cleaning regimes and PPE has remained in place in schools.  The Department is continuing to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (30 Jun 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 the Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission and the Department of Education are acutely aware of the needs of candidates and other stakeholders in regard to the provision of Leaving Certificate results and will continue to do everything they can to ensure results are delivered as soon as possible. The State Examinations Commission announced on June 23 that Friday September 2 is the date it on which it...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: In respect of the schools referred to by the Deputy, the schools have not been identified as having met the criteria for inclusion under the refined DEIS identification model. In consideration of Action 6.1 of the Drogheda Report Implementation Plan, the schools have been allocated additional supports for a fixed term of 5 years in order to support the implementation of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ukraine War (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: My Department is working to support education provision for arriving children with immediate education needs. Utilisation of each school’s existing capacity in the most flexible way possible will be key to supporting Ukrainian children who are being enrolled in our schools. There is generally good capacity across the country. A capacity survey at post-primary level indicates circa...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: The provision of counselling and therapeutic services in Ireland for children and young people is led by the Department of Health, through HSE Primary Care Psychology for low to moderate mental health difficulties and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) for more severe mental health difficulties. My Department signposts schools and students to the HSE-funded mental health...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Reform (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware, on 29 March I announced an ambitious programme of work for a reimagined Senior Cycle of education where the student is at the centre of their Senior Cycle experience. The three tenets of Senior Cycle reform are to: - Empower students to meet the challenges of the 21st century - Enrich the student experience and build on what’s strong in our current...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: Leaving Certificate Computer Science (LCCS) was first introduced, as a new subject, on a phased basis to 40 schools in September 2018. From September 2020, LCCS was available to schools nationally as a full optional subject. The numbers of schools offering the subject is growing. There are currently approximately 145 schools across the country offering this subject to their students. The...