Results 12,301-12,320 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (25 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The table set out below gives a detailed breakdown on a county by county basis of the average age at which infants entered primary school for the first time in the 2005/2006 school year. The compulsory school starting age in a National School is 6 years of age and Rule 64 (1) of the Rules for National Schools provides that a child must be at least 4 years of age before she/he may be enrolled...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (25 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: For the 2006-2007 school year, the Department gave its approval for the enrolment of certain pupils in the school in question, who in good faith, had enrolled in that school for that year. This was notified to the Group to which the Deputy refers. The views of the group referred to are being considered in the context of the public consultation process in relation to the new second level...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (25 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I understand that a submission has been prepared by Trinity College for a course leading to a certificate in Contemporary Living and has been forwarded to the Higher Education Authority which is the funding authority for universities. My Department is awaiting the results of the HEA's consideration of the submission.

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department's scheme of capitation grants provide funding towards the general operating costs of schools which would include heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance, painting, teaching aids and other miscellaneous charges. The capitation grant has been increased substantially in recent years. The standard rate of capitation grant for primary schools has increased from €57.14 (£45) in 1997...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The initial application from the school sought to have its accommodation needs met by way of a devolved grant under the Additional Classroom Accommodation scheme 2006. While acknowledging that the school had an immediate deficit of mainstream accommodation which was addressed by way of approval to rent a mainstream classroom, my officials' preliminary appraisal of the school's longterm...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (24 Oct 2006)

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 under the SSP for schools with a concentrated level of disadvantage, financial support will also continue to...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 104, 114 and 121 together. Information in relation to class sizes is provided in the annual census of primary schools. The reference date for the provision by schools of this information is the 30th September of the school year in question and the date for return by the schools is 31 October. Consequently, the details for the current school year (2006/2007)...

Written Answers — Language Programme: Language Programme (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department is committed to ensuring that all children get the necessary support that they need to do well at school. In order to ensure that children whose first language is not English can fully participate at school, my Department is providing extensive training in teaching English as a foreign language for primary teachers specifically assigned to teach children whose first language is...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The National Council for Special Education, through the 75 local special educational needs organisers, known as SENOs, is responsible for processing applications from schools for special needs supports. These supports include resource teaching hours and SNA support for pupils with low-incidence special needs and assistive technology or equipment for pupils in either high-or low-incidence...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 107, 157 and 210 together. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, in its advice submitted to me in April 2005, recommends that the practice of standardised testing which is currently well established in primary schools should be built upon and that all pupils should be tested in literacy and numeracy at the end of first or beginning of second...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department publishes data on the number of schools offering each subject in it's annual Statistical Report. Although the report for the 2005/06 school year is still in preparation, I can provide the following provisional information to the Deputy. In the 2005/06 school year there were 554 post-primary schools offering Physics as a subject in their Leaving Certificate Programme. Of these,...

Written Answers — Pre-School Services: Pre-School Services (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 109 and 137 together. Early Years Education in Ireland covers the period from birth to six years. Almost all five year olds and half of four year olds attend junior infant and senior infant classes in primary schools. Outside of junior classes in primary schools, my Department's main role in the area of early years education encompasses targeted pre-school...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department approaches the evaluation of its programmes and initiatives in a number of different ways. One of these is the formal Government programme of Value for Money Reviews, formerly called Expenditure Reviews, in which my Department participates. The objectives of these reviews, which were introduced in 1997, are to analyse Exchequer spending in a systematic manner and to provide a...

Written Answers — School Evaluations: School Evaluations (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 111 and 564 together. The publication of the first school inspection reports on my Department's website took place on 22 and 29 June 2006. A further tranche of school inspection reports will be published in the next few days. The process of publication of a WSE report involves a number of discrete stages between the end of the in-school evaluation activity of...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I would like to assure the Deputy that my Department has a number of proactive strategies to ensure that the accommodation requirements for schools in developing areas, such as East Cork are addressed in a manner that will meet the long term education needs of the population. The process of assessing the need for new or additional accommodation facilities at primary or post primary level in...

Written Answers — Higher Education Colleges: Higher Education Colleges (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The student application figures for places on the B. Ed. programmes in the Colleges of Education are not readily available. However, I have asked my officials to secure the number of applications to the Colleges of Education from the CAO and I would be glad to provide this material to the Deputy once available. My Department has information on the numbers of students currently pursuing B....

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 116, 119, 122, 138, 141, 162, 191 and 214 together. As I indicated when publishing the various strands of the Department's Capital Programme for 2006, I intend to move through the School Building and Modernisation Programme in a planned way over the next five years. This is possible with the availability of a €3.9bn multi-annual capital funding envelope...

Written Answers — Computerisation Programme: Computerisation Programme (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: It is important to be note that the indicator on access to and use of ICT in the Education at a Glance report is based on the data from its PISA survey of 15 year-old students in Spring 2003. Progress has of course been made in our school's ICT programme since then. While Education at a Glance reports that there was one computer for every 9 post-primary students in Ireland in 2003, a census...

Written Answers — Education Schemes: Education Schemes (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 118 and 206 together. My Department continues to urge the management authorities of both primary and second level schools to put in place book rental schemes to the greatest extent possible. 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...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department is of the view 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...