Results 12,441-12,460 of 19,598 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: The Patron of a school is the person or body of persons recognised as such by the Minister in accordance with section 8 of the Education Act, 1998. Section 14 of the Education Act 1998 places a duty on the patron of a recognised school, for the purposes of ensuring that such a school is managed in a spirit of partnership, to appoint, where practicable, a board of management (board). The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: Consultation by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) on new draft specifications for Leaving Certificate Irish has recently closed. The current development of draft specifications for Leaving Certificate Irish is part of the ongoing cycle of curriculum review and redevelopment. Draft L1 and L2 curriculum specifications have been developed by the NCCA. The L1...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Places (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy, that my Department is aware of increasing local pressures and demand for additional post-primary school places in a number of school planning areas, including the Mulhuddart/ Tyrrelstown Dublin 15 School Planning Area. However, it is important to note that where enrolment pressures arise, it may not be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Island Communities (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that new schools are established, by my Department, on the basis of identified demographic demand in an area, and only after consideration of the capacity of existing schools to absorb the expected school place demand. In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 449 and 455 together. 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. Current public health advice makes it a requirement for a face mask to be worn by teachers, staff in schools and students attending post-primary school. These measures protect...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the project to which he refers has been devolved to Galway & Roscommon Education and Training Board (GRETB) for delivery. I can confirm that a design team to deliver this project was appointed in March 2021, and GRETB, through this design team, is now preparing the Stage 1 report (preliminary design). As...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Amalgamation (1 Feb 2022)

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 this is subject to the approval of my Department. The patron of the schools in question has confirmed agreement to an amalgamation. A building project for the schools is being planned.  Additional land is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (1 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. The State Examinations Commission, with my Department, has been progressing planning for these examinations, in consultation with the Advisory Group on Planning for the State Examinations. The group includes representatives of students, parents, teachers and school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Programmes (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: The ADAPT programme is an innovative approach to project and programme delivery introduced by the Department in 2016. It uses a professional external Project Manager to coordinate and drive a programme of projects and to manage the respective design teams on each project. The ADAPT programme seeks to accelerate the delivery of the respective projects through the stages of architectural...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: I wish to confirm to the Deputy, that an application for Major Capital Funding, has been received from the school in question. As the Deputy may be aware, the National Development Plan 2021-2030 which was published on 4th Oct 2021, provides capital funding of over €4.4bn for investment in school infrastructure during the period 2021 to 2025.    The key drivers of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: The school referred to by the Deputy is not designated as a Junior School and Senior School.  The location of the SEN Unit will be determined as part of the design process for the new school extension.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Schemes (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: A revised ex gratia scheme to implement the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgment in O'Keeffe v Ireland, which concerned sexual abuse in day schools, is now open for applications.  The Scheme, which was developed in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General, provides for ex gratia payments to be made to those who qualify to apply for the Scheme and who...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Workplace Relations Commission (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) play a huge role in helping to ensure the inclusion of pupils with significant care needs in education and in school life.  This was acknowledged in the Comprehensive Review of the Special Needs Assistant Scheme (SNAs) published by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) in 2018.  The Review made a number of recommendations regarding...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: Under Article 44 of the Constitution and in accordance with Section 30 of the Education Act, 1998, parents have a right to have their children opt out of religious instruction classes if they so wish.  It is expected that this right will be upheld by schools on foot of a parental request. Under the provisions of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018, where schools provide...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (1 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: Covid-19 Pandemic (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: My Department has a centralised system, known as the Online Claims System (OLCS) which records absences, including COVID-19 related absences for teachers and non-teaching staff who are employed in recognised primary, secondary and, community and comprehensive schools.  Absences for teachers employed in ETB schools are not recorded on the OLCS, as they have their own separate payroll...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 470 to 472, inclusive, together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: The current policy of the Department of Education is not to endorse or promote any particular programme, product or publication to support the teaching of subjects.  There are limited exceptions where my Department has procured textbooks or resources in order to fill a specific and urgent need e.g. educational material in braille. Such supports for the production of learning...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (1 Feb 2022)

Norma Foley: The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authority, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012). In accordance with Department Circulars 0044/2019 and 31/2011, schools are required to employ appropriately qualified and registered teachers and...