Results 12,281-12,300 of 19,598 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (8 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: The Reform, Evaluation, Policy, Statistics & International Division includes the Central Policy Unit, Statistics section, the Public Service Reform Programme Office, and Data Compliance and Support Unit. The division leads the approach in ensuring the development and implementation of evidence-informed policies. In this context, I can report that progress is being made in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (8 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government makes a commitment to: Establish a new Primary School Healthy Eating education programme. This work is ongoing within my Department, and in the interim I would like to point out that there is already considerable provision in schools in the area of healthy lifestyles. As the Deputy may be aware, my Department works together with the Department of Health and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (8 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: As outlined to the Deputy previously, in order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System (GIS), using data from a range of sources, including Child Benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (8 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that the response to the tender competition to appoint a Project Manager to the ADAPT 3 Building Programme is currently being evaluated. This is expected to be completed soon. Once the successful Project Manager (PM) has been appointed, the next steps will be for the PM to appoint Design Teams. The Department anticipates that this element will be initiated in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (8 Feb 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. The majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools receive assistance to provide for secretarial, caretaking and cleaning services under grant schemes. Where a school employs a staff member to support those...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (8 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: My Department has always been guided by public health advice in relation to appropriate COVID-19 infection prevention and control measures in place in schools. Public Health continue to advise that the two most important actions to prevent the introduction and spread of Covid-19 (and other respiratory viruses), is by ensuring no-one with new onset symptoms attend school, and that all...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (8 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: In recent weeks, I have met with the Advisory Group on State Examinations, which has representatives of students, parents, teachers, school managerial bodies, the further and higher education sector, and the State Examinations Commission. Following on from this meeting, I met with the members of the advisory group on a bilateral basis and also had further engagement with each of them...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Uniforms (8 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: Under the Education Act 1998, all recognised schools are managed by the school board of management on behalf of the schools’ patrons or trustees or the relevant Education and Training Board (known as the management authority). Individual school authorities are responsible for the drawing up of a school policy in relation to the wearing of uniforms. Decisions on changes to school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (8 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. 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 of my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (8 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: I am very aware of the disruption experienced by students as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, including for students who will be due to sit their Leaving Certificate in 2023. My Department has worked with school management and teachers to put in place a number of measures designed to address the disruption experienced by students during the period of school closures and to ensure...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (8 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: My Department’s approach to supporting wellbeing and mental health is set out in its Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice first published in 2018 and refreshed in 2019. The approach proposed is a whole school and preventative approach which has multiple components that include providing children and young people with opportunities to: - build core social and emotional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (8 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: I am very aware of the disruption experienced by students who are due to take their Leaving Certificate examinations this year. In recent weeks, I have met with the Advisory Group on State Examinations, which has representatives of students, parents, teachers, school managerial bodies, the further and higher education sector, and the State Examinations Commission. Following on from this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (8 Feb 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 Éireann is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (8 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise that my Department has no current record of receiving an application for capital funding from the school in question. It is open to the school authorities to make an application for additional accommodation through the 'Additional School Accommodation' (ASA) scheme if they wish to do so. The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and...