Results 10,561-10,580 of 19,576 for speaker:Norma Foley

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

Norma Foley: My Department utilises a Geographic Information System (GIS) to support its strategic planning for capital investment. Where the geo-spatial assessment of demand and capacity in an area indicates that additional provision is required my Department considers the options of extending the capacity of a school or schools, or of providing a new school or schools. The timing and duration of the...

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

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, for school planning purposes, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical Information System to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including Child Benefit data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity is used for this purpose. Additionally, Project...

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

Norma Foley: The permanent accommodation for the post primary school in Enfield is being delivered under my Department’s Design and Build Programme which uses a professional external Project Management team to progress the project through the stages of architectural planning, tendering and construction. It is intended that the project for the school referred to by the Deputy will be included...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bullying in Educational Institutions (30 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: The Action Plan on Bullying, which was published in January 2013, sets out my Department's approach to tackling bullying and promoting an anti-bullying culture in schools. The Action Plan contains 12 actions that focus on the provision of support for schools, teacher training, research and awareness raising and aims to ensure that all forms of bullying are addressed. A number of these...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (29 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: Earlier this year, Government approved the Report of the Independent Hours Body in relation to the Haddington Road Agreement (HRA) hours worked by certain staff/grades in the public service. The HRA hours were considered by the parties to the current public service pay agreement, Building Momentum, to be an outstanding matter to be resolved, and in this context, the Independent...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (29 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: This school referred to by the deputy has a project approved under the Department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme for the following level of provision: 2 x 80m2 Mainstream & 1 x WC for Assisted Users & SWS External Environment - Playground & relocation of the percolation and septic tank. This project has been devolved for delivery to the school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (29 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department has previously approved an application for the school in question to provide resource teaching space. My officials have recently been in contact with the school authorities regarding the possibility of providing accommodation for special education needs purposes at the school. The school site is confined and my Department is currently...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (29 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 my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (29 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: The appeal in question was made under section 29 [1][c][1] of the Act and was determined by an Independent Committee in accordance with the terms of the Act and the published procedures of the section 29 appeals process. While it is open to all parties to an appeal to submit to the Appeals Committee any documents that they consider relevant to the appeal, it is a matter for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (29 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: My Department operates a Cycle to Work Scheme for members of the payroll operated by my Department, including Caretakers who are paid under the 78/79 scheme. Boards of Management of schools are responsible for the employment of grant funded ancillary staff including cleaners.  Funding to cater for these services is made available from my Department through the Ancillary Services and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (29 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 92 and 101 to 103, inclusive, together. Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government. This year, my Department will spend in excess of €2 Billion, or over 25% of the Department’s budget on providing a wide range of schemes and supports for children with special educational...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (29 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.   Under the terms...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (29 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate 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: Educational Disadvantage (29 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: DEIS - Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools is the main policy initiative of my Department to address educational disadvantage at school level. My Department will spend approximately €170million on supports for schools under the DEIS programme in 2022.  In the region of €16.2 million was provided to primary and post primary schools in the form of a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (29 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: The current policy in my Department is not to endorse any products, publications or services from individual providers and hence, it is not possible for us to support or publicise the project referenced to schools. Choices regarding educational materials, textbooks and other educational products as well as digital and online services are made by individual schools and their boards of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (29 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: The current Social Personal and Health Education Curriculum (SPHE) is for children from junior infants to sixth class. It provides particular opportunities to foster the personal development, health and well-being of the individual child, to help him/her to create and maintain supportive relationships and become an active and responsible citizen in society. Through an SPHE programme that is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (29 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: The issue of alcohol harm is addressed in the Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) programme. As students’ progress through an SPHE programme, they will encounter a wide range of issues. These include substance misuse. Schools have a role to play in supporting their students to develop the key skills and knowledge to enable them to make informed choices when faced with a range...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (29 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: The following link gives the data for pupils enrolled in special schools for the deaf. We have supplied data for academic years 2010-2011 to 2020-2021, the last year we have final enrolment data. We expect to publish the final enrolment data for 2021-2022 by the end of June 2022. ">Special Schools for the Deaf In relation to the number of pupils in mainstream schools who have a hearing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (29 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: School Facilities (29 Jun 2022)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that investment and expenditure on PE halls is an element of the overall expenditure and investment in the School Building Programme. The provision of PE halls form part of the accommodation brief for all new post primary school buildings or where a major building or refurbishment project is being delivered and the costs are therefore not readily available. ...