Results 1,321-1,340 of 3,797 for speaker:Ciarán Cannon

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs Staffing (8 Jul 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: The circular referred to by the Deputy has been designed to clarify and restate the purpose of the SNA scheme, which is to provide schools with additional support staff to assist children with special educational care needs. My officials have held a number of meetings with management bodies and parent representative groups to address concerns which have arisen since the circular issued. The...

Other Questions: Special Education Review (8 Jul 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: The National Council for Special Education published its report on a proposed new model for allocating teachers for students with special educational needs on 18 June last. The report recommends that a new allocation model should be developed based on a school's educational profile, while also providing a baseline allocation to every mainstream school in order to support inclusion. It was...

Other Questions: Special Education Review (8 Jul 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: It is exceptionally important in building faith and trust in the new model of allocation that very significant consultation takes place, and that will take a period of time. It is important that it should happen. The report from the working group recommends that a new special education teacher allocation model, which would target resources where the need is greatest, should be introduced....

Other Questions: Special Education Review (8 Jul 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: It certainly is not the intention to create what the IPPN might describe as "ghetto schools". I do not understand that terminology. The Deputy is aware that as children with special needs move quite fluidly through the school system, the challenges each school faces in supporting and caring for children with special needs change and evolve over time. It is not reasonable to expect that the...

Other Questions: School Curriculum (8 Jul 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: I am curious to know to which working group the Deputy is referring. There is a working group in place which consists of officials from the Department and representatives of the TUI, the ASTI, the school management bodies, the NAPD, Educate Together, parents, the NCCA and the SEC. This working group met on 17 January, 7 February, 7 March and 29 May. It was established to address the...

Other Questions: School Curriculum (8 Jul 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: Contrary to the Deputy's opinion, I argue that the Minister has exhibited strong political leadership in implementing a reform that has been 25 years in the waiting. I recall that the leader of one of the unions concerned said in a statement a few months ago, "We have waited 25 years, what's another year?" I do not believe children, in particular those entering post primary education this...

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs Data (8 Jul 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: It is most certainly not the intention of the Department to force anybody to go court to have the maximum possible benefits conferred upon their children in terms of their special requirements in a classroom setting. I want to point out to the Deputy once again that health professionals have an expertise in the care needs of children with special needs - nobody is denying that. That...

Other Questions: School Curriculum (8 Jul 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: The Minister, Deputy Quinn, set up a national working group for the junior cycle last January to proactively address identified challenges and opportunities as they arise over the phased implementation of the junior cycle. His officials have engaged with all education stakeholders, including the second level teachers' unions. There have been 13 meetings since January last. The Minister...

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs Data (8 Jul 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: Circular 0030/2014 does not prohibit health staff from giving their professional opinion on the care needs of a child with special needs. The circular states professional reports and assessments play an important role in the SNA allocation process. There is no question in that regard. Under the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs, EPSEN, Act, it is a statutory function of...

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs Data (8 Jul 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: In determining the resources and SNA supports required for a child with special needs to attend a mainstream school it is advisable to call on a suite of expertise from within the HSE, the medical profession and the NCSE. That expertise emanating from within the NCSE is specialised, having been acquired over a certain number of years of working in the educational sphere with children with...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Education Policy (8 Jul 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: At a time of severe economic challenge, the level of resources devoted to supporting children with special educational needs has been maintained with increases in certain areas for the next school year. This is in response to the demographic growth to which the Deputy referred and the increased demand despite the ongoing and severe financial position. There will be more than 11,000 resource...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Education Policy (8 Jul 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: I wonder sometimes if Deputy Boyd Barrett comes to the Chamber with a particular message to disseminate, chooses not to listen to the responses he receives and then repeats what he has said over and over again notwithstanding assurances given. By the end of this year, we will have the highest number of SNAs ever employed in place in our schools to support children with special needs.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Education Policy (8 Jul 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: We already have 480 extra resource teachers in place this year, with a further 480 resource teachers being put in place for next year. We are working exceptionally hard with the resources available to us to protect special needs children, nurture them and ensure they receive the best possible educational opportunities and achieve to the fullest of their potential. We have done that in light...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Education and Training Boards Places (8 Jul 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: While I agree that we need additional resources, we do not have them. As our country's economic recovery gets under way we will, hopefully, have those additional resources and be able to pass them on to our ETB structure across the country. For the moment, within the resources available to us and to Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ETB, we must trust the ETB and respect its autonomy and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Education Policy (8 Jul 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: I fully recognise the importance of the integrated model of education to which the Deputy referred, and I do not accept the assertion that this model is under threat. The Government's focus in recent years has been on operating a budgetary programme that is designed to restore our finances to a sustainable basis. Although education has been better sheltered than other sectors, it cannot be...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Education and Training Boards Places (8 Jul 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: VTOS places are alocated to education and training boards ,ETBs, and further distribution of these places to areas under their remit is a matter for each ETB. The movement of VTOS places from Tallaght to Balbriggan was a decision taken by Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ETB. I understand that this followed the amalgamation of the former Dublin and Dún Laoghaire vocational educational...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Education and Training Boards Places (8 Jul 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: The Deputies will recall that during the formation of the legislation underpinning the ETB structure, we all concluded it was an excellent idea to confer on ETBs complete autonomy in distributing and allocating resources within their respective regions. Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ETB has sanction for 150 VTOS places to distribute as best it can across its region of responsibility. Very...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Adult Education (8 Jul 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: The annual budget for the Adult Literacy Programme has been €30 million for each of the years 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Eligibility (8 Jul 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: The Deputy will be aware that under the terms of my Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme children are eligible for school transport where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest education centre as determined by my Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language. The child referred to by the Deputy is not attending her...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (8 Jul 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: The matter referred to by the Deputy is an operational matter for the City of Dublin Education and Training Board (CDETB). I understand from CDETB that they are re-organising their literacy service in this area but that there will be no reduction in the level of provision available to learners. The extent of the literacy service to be provided and the organisation of classes in any centre is...