Results 101-120 of 15,027 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: State Examinations (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: -----they use it in the most appropriate way, and that they learn as well when they are using it.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Schools Building Projects (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: If the Deputies want to send on individual projects, I can follow up to see at what stages they are. It is important to stress that there is record investment going into school buildings. We have 3,000 primary schools and 700 post-primary schools. The priority and focus always has to be to make sure, where additional accommodation is required, that we do this first, if an extension is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Schools Building Projects (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I would be happy to see some of these schools with the Deputy. She touched on the importance of not forgetting that the more we invest in schools now, the less they will need later on. New summer works and a climate programme have been announced and will be rolled out. It is important to make sure we are investing in changes to the buildings themselves that will provide efficiencies but...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Schools Building Projects (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I look forward to working with the Deputy on this project and many others. As she knows, the Department approved the additional school accommodation project for St. Brigids School Cabinteely. The project is devolved for delivery to the school authority and a design team has been appointed to progress the project through the necessary architectural stages of design, statutory approvals,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Schools Building Projects (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: There are often different reasons projects are delayed. It is not always the fault of the Department but there are often design, planning or funding issues. It is important to make sure that funding is managed throughout the year. There are only so many projects that can be progressed at a certain time. The focus and priority is always where additional accommodation is needed. More than...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Schools Building Projects (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I thank Deputy Boland for raising this question. I acknowledge that she has prioritised this with me and wants to ensure that every child, parent and teacher in her constituency has the resources, supports and indeed the appropriate school buildings he or she requires in the years ahead. I am absolutely committed to working with her and all of the schools in that regard. My role in this...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Admissions (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I assure the Deputy we will be building on the two pilots I have mentioned for secondary schools, taking lessons and experience from them, and starting a pilot for the next school year, 2026-27, with the hope and ambition to roll it out further. We need to make sure we have the ability to share as much data as possible so all of our school systems are updated and all the schools in a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Admissions (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I am aware of this issue because it has been raised previously, including by the Deputy. The information we have in the Department very clearly shows approximately 1,000 pupils move outside Dublin 15 on a daily basis to go to schools in the surrounding areas. This is obviously putting pressure on those schools. The view is the development of the new school, which I know is temporarily...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Education Policy (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy for raising what is a very important issue and something we all have a responsibility to try to deal with to support our young people, to educate them and to protect them insofar as possible from many of the challenges they face online. In respect of the mobile phones during school time, the pouches were just one of a number of measures that have been recommended and will...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Education Policy (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: So much work is being done. I mentioned Webwise and the different programmes that are being rolled out. The change in the curriculum has taken a number of years but it is now being rolled out and will be mandatory for leaving cert students. The ban that has initially come into our primary schools is absolutely fantastic but we all have a role here. There is more that schools can do, such...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Education Policy (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: To outline the action to date, phones have been banned in schools, and in primary schools in particular, which is only right. Young people are still being educated through the reform of the RSE programme. On post primary, a directive was issued by the Minister for Education urging schools to have restrictive mobile phone use in place, and we can see that being implemented in many of the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Education Policy (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The SPHE programme is being updated so everything will be up to date, and young people are being asked what is important to them and what they should be discussing. Only last week, I launched a new programme in arts, which has been taken up by about a third of schools at the post-primary level. This is an overall health and well-being programme that brings everything into one place. It can...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Admissions (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. At the outset, we have to ensure we have the capacity there for any of these types of new application systems to work. My Department has a very significant capital programme, which is providing additional capacity around the country. Since 2020, €5.8 billion has been invested in our schools, involving the completion of over 1,300 school...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Funding (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: With all due respect, the Deputy's party called for multiple different variations of €150 million. We have to work within a budget and we have to make sure we prioritise where the need is most. I fully accept the need is here in education and that we need to provide more, but there is no school that will be let go to the wall because funding is not being provided. I cannot be any...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Funding (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: If we start allocating budgets outside of the budget every month, then we do not have a budget.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Funding (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: We have to work within the budget that has been provided, and what has been provided is 22% of an increase. I am absolutely committed to providing more. It could not be any clearer in the programme for Government. There is no school that will be let go to the wall because there is no funding being provided. We will always provide funding to schools.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Funding (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Government and I as Minister for Education are committed to increasing funding to support all schools. This has already seen a €30 million permanent increase in capitation funding to assist schools now and in the longer term with increased day-to-day running costs through budget 2025. This represents an increase of approximately 12% on current standard rates and enhanced rates...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Funding (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I have also spoken to teachers and principals and I fully accept we need to do more. There is a clear commitment in the programme for Government to do more. However, the Deputy has to accept that, in the past two years alone, there has been a 22% increase in capitation across primary and post-primary as well as an enhanced rate for special schools or where support is needed in DEIS schools....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Scoileanna Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I fully support the important role that Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí play in the promotion of the Irish language. We have committed in the Programme for Government to expand opportunities for pupils and students to attend Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí, to establish Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí where there is demand, and also, to support parents...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: Ensuring that every child's experience in school is positive and that they have qualified, teachers available to support them in their learning is a priority area of action for the Government. The most recent data shows that there are over 79,000 qualified teachers employed in our schools across the country. Between 2018 and 2024, through record investment by Government, the number of...