Results 13,841-13,860 of 19,621 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Schemes (23 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications established a jointly funded pathfinder programme with the SEAI, testing and demonstrating energy efficiency and decarbonisation retrofit approaches. This pathfinder is a great example of collaboration ensuring the deployment of new design approaches and technologies are introduced to the educational environment on an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (23 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: Department guidance to schools in relation to infection prevention and control measures does not restrict the use of lockers by schools. Each school is required to have a COVID-19 Response Plan for the safe operation through the prevention, early detection and control of COVID-19 in line with public health advice. This guidance is focused on the practical steps schools must take to minimise...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (23 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: The conversion of the Carrigaline Gaelscoil primary school building to a dedicated Special School involved significant construction and building renovation works. This work was undertaken during the months of July and August following the vacation of the Gaelscoil for the summer recess on June 25th 2021. The internal works were prioritised to ensure the school building was upgraded to create...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (23 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: Between 2016 and 2020, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) undertook an extensive review of senior cycle programmes and vocational pathways, to include Transition Year, the Leaving Certificate Applied, Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme and the Leaving Certificate Established. The review involved a very broad range of research, consultations and communications...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: The brief for the project referred to by the Deputy is to provide a new replacement school building designed for special needs pupils on a green field site. The project will deliver a single storey building, providing an 8 classroom special school and appropriate ancillary accommodation including a General Purpose room, a Home Economics Room, a Daily Living Skills room, library and resource...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (23 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department is liaising with the school in question relating to a proposed site visit. Indicative dates have been proposed and my Department expects to be in a position to confirm a date to the school shortly. In the meantime, my Department approved four additional temporary classrooms for the school and I understand that they are in the process of being constructed on site.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, this Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, 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 arise and where additional school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (23 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2020/2021 school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €224.7m in 2020. All children who are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (23 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: Between 2016 and 2020, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) undertook an extensive review of senior cycle programmes and vocational pathways, to include Transition Year, the Leaving Certificate Applied, Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme and the Leaving Certificate Established. The review involved a very broad range of research, consultations and communications...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (23 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department provides a book grant to all recognised primary and post primary schools within the Free Education Scheme in order to provide assistance for books including Book Rental Schemes. Under this scheme, the Department provided funding of €17.2 million in 2021 to all of these schools. School book rental schemes have an important role to play in reducing the cost of school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (23 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: Managing ventilation is just one of a suite of public health measures in place to keep our schools safe. Updated guidance for schools on Practical Steps for the Deployment of Good Ventilation Practices in Schools was provided at the end of May following the work of an expert group that carefully considered the role of ventilation in managing COVID-19. A copy of the guidance is published on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Mental Health Services (23 Sep 2021)

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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (23 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: I understand the need for improved capitation funding and I am pleased that budget 2020 has been able to provide for a further 2.5% increase in standard capitation funding for primary and post-primary schools that applied from the start of the 2020/21 school year. This builds on the 5% increase in capitation announced in budget 2019. The combined increases given in 2019 and 2020 mean that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Pay (23 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: In 2012 a public service-wide review of all allowances was carried out by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and as a result certain allowances were abolished with effect from 1stFebruary 2012. My Department issued Circular 0008/2013 which outlines the effect of this review on teachers. In common with a number of job-role based allowances, sanction for payment to new...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (23 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: Updated guidance for schools on Practical Steps for the Deployment of Good Ventilation Practices in Schools was provided at the end of May following the work of an expert group that carefully considered the role of ventilation in managing COVID-19. A copy of the guidance is published on the Gov.ie website. The over-arching approach in the Department’s ventilation guidance for schools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: The current NDP, as part of Project Ireland 2040 framework, provides for €8.8bn investment in schools during the period 2018 to 2027. During the NDP period 2018-2020, there were 526 completed building projectsunder the Large Scale Capital Programme (LSCP) and the Additional School Accommodation Scheme (ASA). These projects delivered in excess of 48,000 school places, including...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (23 Sep 2021)

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: Site Acquisitions (23 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware, agreement in principle has been reached to acquire a site for the permanent location of the school in question. The location of the permanent site will incorporate the current temporary site at Mill Road, Drogheda at which the school is currently located. Officials in my Department are working together to manage the site acquisition, interim accommodation and the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (23 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: Managing ventilation is just one of a suite of public health measures in place to keep our schools safe. Updated guidance for schools on Practical Steps for the Deployment of Good Ventilation Practices in Schools was provided at the end of May following the work of an expert group that carefully considered the role of ventilation in managing COVID-19. A copy of the guidance is published on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (23 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that the school referred to has been approved for a project under my Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme 2021. This project will provide for a two classroom SEN base and has been devolved for delivery to the school authority. This project was approved in March 2021 and is in the early design stage. I can advise the Deputy that the school has also been...