Results 1,121-1,140 of 19,412 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (24 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: While my Department primarily supports mainstream schools, it also provides funding for a small number of alternative education settings that provide education for a small cohort of children and young people, who for various reasons, have disengaged from mainstream education. This provision is an alternative, when all other supports, options and pathways have been tried and have not...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (24 Oct 2024)

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. The staffing arrangements includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit a staffing appeal under certain published criteria. The school referred to by the Deputy was successful in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (24 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that the Department has received a request from the patrons of the schools in question, to amalgamate the two schools. In November 2023, the Department issued a letter of approval to the Patron for the amalgamation to proceed. The Department’s technical team have carried out an assessment of the schools and the proposed new site. The consideration...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (24 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area. In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998. The Educational Welfare Services of the Child and Family...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (24 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: I can assure the Deputy that the provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs is an absolute priority for the Department of Education. In order to plan for school place needs, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (24 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: I can assure the Deputy that the provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs is an absolute priority for the Department of Education. In order to plan for school place needs, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (24 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: I can assure the Deputy that the provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs is an absolute priority for the Department of Education. In order to plan for school place needs, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (24 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: I can assure the Deputy that the provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs is an absolute priority for the Department of Education. In order to plan for school place needs, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (24 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: I can assure the Deputy that the provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs is an absolute priority for the Department of Education. In order to plan for school place needs, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (24 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: The large scale capital project at the school referred to by the Deputy, is included in my Department’s Construction Programme which will be delivered under the National Development Plan (NDP) as part of Project Ireland 2040 framework. My department’s planning and building unit issued the authorisation to issue the Letter of Acceptance for the successful tenderer, in May...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (24 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 209 and 210 together. My Department can confirm the rented prefabricated temporary units to which the Deputy refers are currently being used as an interim solution to meet the accommodation needs of the school. These units will be removed from site upon completion of the extension and refurbishment major project which is at an advanced stage of the tender...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 88 and 96 together. The school building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is being delivered under my Department’s Design and Build Programme and will deliver a new 1,000 pupil post-primary school and accommodation, including 4 classrooms, for children with special educational needs on a site at Kishogue Cross, Griffeen Avenue, Lucan,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Amalgamation (23 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy, that the decision-making authority for any amalgamation is the patron/trustees of the schools concerned and it is open to any patron to submit proposals to the Department for consideration. Any proposed change involves extensive consultation at local level and must be well planned and managed in a manner that accommodates the interests of students, parents,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (23 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2023/24 school year over 163,800 children, including over 136,000 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 20,200 pupils with special educational needs, and 7,400 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine were transported on a daily basis to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (23 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: The Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027 is underpinned by an investment of some €200m committed to in the National Development Plan 2021-2030, providing continuity of funding following the €210m that issued to schools to support the previous strategy. Grant funding of €100m from the NDP commitment of €200m has issued to schools under the Digital Strategy for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (23 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department has no record of an application for funding for the provision of a ‘wet room’ in relation to the school in question. The school to which the deputy refers was recently granted approval to reconfigure existing accommodation to provide one Special Education Needs classroom and four Special Education Tuition Rooms under the Department's SEN Reconfiguration...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: Since 2020, the Department of Education has invested around €5 billion in schools throughout the country. Around 950 school building projects have been completed and 350 other projects are under construction, which includes 37 new school buildings. These 350 project currently at construction involves a total state investment of over €1.5 billion. The Department announced...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (23 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department supports and encourages the use of school buildings for community and recreational where feasible. As the Deputy may be aware, the 'Procedures on the use of school property and school sports facilities outside of school hours' were published in June this year. The Procedures replaced the ‘Guidelines on the use of School Buildings outside of School Hours’ which...