Results 11,521-11,540 of 20,002 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (17 May 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. Bus Eireann have advised the pupil...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ukraine War (17 May 2022)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 469 and 470 together. As of 13 May, 5,843 Ukrainian pupils have been enrolled in schools across Ireland. Out of that figure 3,968 of these pupils have been accommodated in primary schools while 1,875 pupils have enrolled in post-primary schools. I am sure the Deputy can appreciate that I cannot provide statistics on school planning area, electoral area or by...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (17 May 2022)

Norma Foley: School secretaries are valued members of our school communities and my Department is fully aware of the vitally important role played by them in the running of our schools. On the 24th February, following a series of engagements at the WRC, a package to settle a claim on terms and conditions for grant-funded school secretaries was proposed, which Fórsa agreed to recommend to its...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (17 May 2022)

Norma Foley: Palmerstown/Ballyfermot/Chapelizod/Cherry Orchard was one of 43 areas surveyed as part of the patronage divesting process in 2013. The outcome was that there was sufficient parental demand for a multi-denominational school in this area. I recently announced that arrangements are being put in place in a number of towns and areas of cities that have no multi-denominational primary schools to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (17 May 2022)

Norma Foley: The project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved for delivery to Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board (GRETB). The ETB is currently in the process of procuring a Design Team for this project. Thereafter, it will ensure that the project progresses to Design Stage, obtains the necessary statutory planning permissions, and moves onward to Tender and Construction Stage in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (17 May 2022)

Norma Foley: The permanent accommodation for the school referred to by the Deputy is not being delivered by the NDFA. The project 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (17 May 2022)

Norma Foley: The Strategy Statement 2021-2023 sets out the high level goals of my Department and the strategic actions which will be progressed in order to achieve those goals over the period until 2023. The Statement by its nature does not reflect the day-to-day work of my Department, but rather the high-level objectives. The work of my Department in relation to relationship and sexual education is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Ukraine War (12 May 2022)

Norma Foley: I appreciate the shortage of time but I will say there is no cap on the resources that are being made available to our schools. We have ensured that where schools requested additional teaching staff, which could have been teaching staff for additional hours or English as an additional language, or whether they requested furniture or whatever, that has all been put in place. Specifically, in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Ukraine War (12 May 2022)

Norma Foley: We have put in place REALT teams, which are addressing any needs on the ground, either for schools with whatever issues they might have or indeed if there is an inability to access a place from a student's point of view. It has proven very successful, which I want to acknowledge. These locally-based regional teams are aware of the issues within schools. They are open to the principals but...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Transport (12 May 2022)

Norma Foley: I appreciate the interest across the floor from all Deputies in the whole school transport system. It is an issue I am very familiar with, given my constituency. There has been a body of work. I am glad there is an acknowledgement that the improvements made in the interim, and particularly around the second-nearest school, have considerably helped with access. I was asked a direct...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Ukraine War (12 May 2022)

Norma Foley: I acknowledge first of all the great work that our schools, students, school leaders and staff have done in welcoming Ukrainian children and young people into their communities over the past two months, and the wider society also. I have visited many schools across the length and breadth of the country and I have seen at first hand the professionalism, the care, the welcome and the efforts...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Transport (12 May 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 more than 121,400 children, including in excess of 15,500 children with special educational needs, are transported every day to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of more than €289 million in 2021. Under...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Transport (12 May 2022)

Norma Foley: I say to the Deputy that facts are facts and they remain as facts, irrespective of the timeframe. Significant progress has been made. The Deputy will be aware, for example, that last year as an interim measure, eligibility criteria were adjusted. Rather than eligibility revolving around the nearest school, I put in place measures so that students would be facilitated if they were opting to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Bullying in Educational Institutions (12 May 2022)

Norma Foley: It is an absolute priority that students, staff and everyone in the school community are safe, happy and secure in the environment in which they work and attend school every day. Employment law is important, as I said earlier and the Deputy acknowledged. That is an important point. It means that employers, including schools, have a duty to ensure the health and safety of their employees in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Bullying in Educational Institutions (12 May 2022)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputies, who have raised a variety of points. Deputy Gannon mentioned the fact that if you cannot see it, you cannot be it. I am hugely supportive of achieving the greatest diversity possible within our schools for the benefit of our school communities, our students and our staff. I recently attended the graduation in Marino of migrant teachers. It has been a phenomenally...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Schools Building Projects (12 May 2022)

Norma Foley: It is the soul of wit. The project for Gaelscoil Pheig Sayers is included in the Department’s construction programme, which is being delivered under the national development plan as part of Project Ireland 2040 framework. Under Project Ireland 2040, the education sector will receive a total of approximately €4.4 billion in capital investment over the period from 2021 to 2025....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Schools Building Projects (12 May 2022)

Norma Foley: I acknowledge the growth of the school, as well as the service provided by the school community, school staff and wider community in ensuring it is the success that it is. As the Deputy indicated, it is a positive step that the process to appoint the project manager will be completed this week. Once fully appointed, the project manager will meet departmental officials and will put in train...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Schools Building Projects (12 May 2022)

Norma Foley: Is léir dom gur scoil iontach í Gaelscoil Pheig Sayers. Tá sárobair ar siúl sa scoil lá i ndiaidh lae. This is a good news story today. It is positive progress, as Deputy Gould has articulated. A growth from 89 pupils initially to almost 300 now speaks volumes. This is an ambitious project for the school, a 16-classroom project with two classrooms for pupils...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Bullying in Educational Institutions (12 May 2022)

Norma Foley: Ensuring all students and staff, including LGBTQI+ students and staff, feel supported, welcomed and secure within their schools is a key priority for the Department of Education. The Department of Education supports a number of programmes that support LGBTQI+ students and staff. For example, since 2013, the Department has provided funding to BeLonG To for StandUp! Awareness which is a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh – Priority Questions: Legislative Programme (12 May 2022)

Norma Foley: Access to sexual and health education is an important right for students and it is equally important that this education meets the needs of students in their day-to-day lives and reflects models of best practice. The Department of Education continues to work closely with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, to give best effect to the commitment in the programme for...