Results 10,981-11,000 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (13 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: It is my understanding that the availability of laboratory technicians has not been a universal feature of support for science teaching in second level schools and that in some countries that do provide this type of resource it is confined to certain types of schools. I am aware that the provision of technical assistants was one of some 39 recommendations in the Report of the Task Force on...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (13 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Major improvements have been made in staffing at primary level in recent years. At the beginning of the current school year there are no less than 4000 extra teachers in our primary schools, compared with 2002. The average class size in our primary schools is 24 and there is now one teacher for 17 pupils at primary level, including resource teachers etc. Children with special needs and those...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (13 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department considers that children with autism, in common with all children should have access to appropriate provision delivered by suitably qualified teachers within the school system where children can mix with their wider peer group and have maximum opportunities for integration. The preferred approach to the provision of appropriate education for children with autism, is through the...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (13 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Information in relation to class sizes is provided in the annual census of primary schools. The census for the current school year (2006/2007) is currently being worked on. Major improvements have been made in staffing at primary level in recent years. At the beginning of the current school year there are no less than 4000 extra teachers in our primary schools, compared with 2002. The average...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (13 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Information in relation to class sizes is provided in the annual census of primary schools. The census for the current school year (2006/2007) is currently being worked on. Major improvements have been made in staffing at primary level in recent years. At the beginning of the current school year there are no less than 4000 extra teachers in our primary schools, compared with 2002. The average...

Written Answers — Stay Safe Programme: Stay Safe Programme (13 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Over recent months, the Child Abuse Protection Programme (CAPP), which operates the 'Stay Safe' programme, sent a questionnaire to all primary schools that sought to get the most up-to-date and accurate position about the implementation of 'Stay Safe'. To date, 3,014 (91.5%) of the 3,292 primary schools have returned completed questionnaires. This is a very good response rate for a survey of...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (13 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will, of course, be aware that all primary and post-primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA). Schools that do not currently have NEPS psychologists assigned to them may avail of the SCPA, whereby the school can have...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (13 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department provides a wide range of supports and additional resources to support children who have been assessed as having special educational needs. These services are determined by the type of special educational need but include additional teaching support where a child is fully integrated into a mainstream school, reduced pupil-teacher-ratios where the child is in a special class...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (13 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I can inform the Deputy that four psychologists from the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) have been assigned to the National Behavioural Support Service since its establishment in 2006. The four will be replaced in the NEPS complement. NBSS will work in schools at 3 Levels. They will work with whole staff, on customised work with individual and small groups of children and...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (13 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The school referred to by the Deputy applied under the Summer Works Scheme 2007 for provision of a hardcourt play area. On the 8th January 2007 I announced details of the schools to receive funding to improve facilities under the Summer Works Scheme 2007. However, due to the volume of applications received it was not possible to allocate funding to all proposed projects. My Departments'...

Written Answers — Education Schemes: Education Schemes (13 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: At primary level schools that opt for book rental schemes are allocated enhanced grants to encourage them to participate in such schemes. In respect of the 2006/2007 school year primary schools not operating book rental schemes have been paid €14.70 per eligible pupil in the infant classes and €22.00 for each eligible pupil in the 1st to 6th classes. This compares to primary schools...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (13 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The mainstream staffing of a primary school for a particular school year is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on the 30th September of the previous school year and by reference to a staffing schedule which is issued to all primary schools. Major improvements have been made in staffing at primary level in recent years. At the beginning of the current school year there are...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (13 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: An application received from the group referred to by the Deputy to participate in the pilot scheme, which has facilitated the establishment of a number of ABA-specific units nationwide, is under consideration by officials in my Department. The Deputy will be aware of my commitment to ensuring that all children, including those with autism receive an education appropriate to their needs,...

Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (13 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: At primary level, Physical Education is one of the seven curriculum areas and is an intrinsic element of the Primary School Curriculum which was revised in 1999. A minimum of one hour of physical education per week is recommended for all primary school pupils.

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (13 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools), the new action plan for educational inclusion provides for a standardised system for identifying levels of disadvantage and a new integrated School Support Programme (SSP). The DEIS plan states that as well as provision being made for schools with a concentrated level of disadvantage, financial support will also continue to be provided for...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (13 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Ensuring the protection, health and welfare of children is a key concern for the Government, for parents, for agencies that work with children and for society generally. I can assure the Deputy that the Government is determined to do all that we can to keep our children and vulnerable adults safe. I am sure the Deputy will appreciate that the number and range of persons who have access to...

Written Answers — School Evaluation: School Evaluation (13 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Inspectorate of my Department has planned to undertake 156 whole-school evaluations (WSE) at primary level in 2007. At post-primary level 62 whole-school evaluations are planned. Therefore, it is planned that 218 WSEs will be conducted during the current year. In addition to the programme of WSEs at primary level a further 80 evaluations of specific curricular areas are planned. These...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (13 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The decreasing numbers of males entering the teaching profession is an issue that is of concern to me. I believe that it is important to attract more men into teaching for a number of reasons, not least of which is the positive role models that teachers provide in children's lives and the desirability of having both male and female role models in our schools. I genuinely believe that teaching...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (13 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The person named submitted an application for an allocation of entitlements from the National Reserve under Category D, New Entrants to farming after 31st December 2002. A New Entrant is defined as a farmer who did not, within the previous five years, engage in a farming activity in his/her own name or at his/her own risk. The Department of Agriculture and Food records identify the person...

Written Answers — Early Childhood Education: Early Childhood Education (13 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: If the Deputy is referring to funds allocated for early childhood education under DEIS- the Action Plan for Educational Inclusion, the amount allocated includes provision for support for the Early Start Programme, the Rutland Street project and Traveller pre-schools. The DEIS action plan aims to concentrate early education actions on those children, aged from three up to school enrolment,...