Results 14,101-14,120 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Other Questions: Junior Cycle Reform (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: Before the Deputy leaves the Chamber, I wish to clarify that teachers do not have to assess their pupils under the revised arrangements.

Other Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy will be aware, my Department consistently monitors demographics to identify where additional school places will be required. The six-year programme has building projects for these areas, including Kildare, where 29 major capital projects are being progressed in addition to more than 50 smaller-scale projects that have been approved for devolved funding under my...

Other Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: The number of children in ASD classes has increased by 100% in the past five years. We have increased the number from 500 to over 1,000. We have increased the number of resource teachers who are focused on the needs of children with learning difficulties and special needs by 41%. There is a significant investment in this area. This year we are introducing a new model for the allocation of...

Other Questions: School Enrolments (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Department will have to examine all the options at that point to see how best to respond to the needs in the area. I cannot give an indication at this stage as to what the response could be. It is not that the Department needs to be told, but I will convey the anxiety of the Deputies, which I am sure reflects the anxiety of parents for their children, and I will see if we can address...

Other Questions: School Enrolments (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: I do not have a date. Some schools have set an offer date of 1 March but not every school would necessarily apply that date, so I do not have information as to whether we will have adequate data at that point.

Other Questions: School Enrolments (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: I will seek to come back to all the Deputies in the area, to be fair to everyone who is not here, to see if we can respond to that.

Other Questions: Disadvantaged Status (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: I am sure the Deputy heard the responses to the other questions. We have identified 79 schools and brought them in for the first time. These were the most disadvantaged schools that were completely outside DEIS. A further 30 schools which were within it at urban band two were identified and uplifted to urban band one. The Deputy will acknowledge that three of those schools are in his own...

Other Questions: Disadvantaged Status (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: To reassure the Deputy, it is not the catchment of the school. It is the individual children and from where they are drawn. A school could be in one catchment area but drawing its children from a different one. That will be picked up. It looks at the individual child and sources back to the street on which the child lives. That is the model used. It is being applied fairly. There is no...

Other Questions: Disadvantaged Status (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: I wish to acknowledge that there has been very good improvement. The progression rate in disadvantaged schools at second level was 68% and there was a 32% drop out rate. That has gone down to 17%. We want to bring that down to 10%, which is our objective under this plan. On the issue of the level of inclusion, at the moment about 19% of pupils in total are in the various disadvantaged...

Other Questions: Schools Building Projects (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: As I said in the reply, the Department will do everything it can to move this along, but I cannot make commitments on the time taken to obtain planning permission, disabled access or fire certificates. Various elements can arise in either the planning or construction phase. With the best will in the world, these projects will not always go in a straight line, following an even timeframe....

Other Questions: Schools Building Projects (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: I understand that process normally takes about 13 weeks. I am sure the Department will be striving to ensure that this review is completed within that timescale and that the next stage can be triggered.

Other Questions: School Enrolments (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: Yes, I can understand the Deputy's concern. The Department has assessed the situation and according to its estimate there are 750 infant places in the area, which should be enough to meet demand. As the Deputy says, however, at this point some schools are over-subscribed and others believe they will be under-subscribed when they have the full returns by 1 March. That is the date by which...

Other Questions: School Enrolments (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Department's point, which is a fair one, is that until one has acceptances the position is unclear. I take Deputy Daly's point that people may be on a list who are within the admissions policy, while someone else cannot join or is in an inferior position. However, if those children at the higher position do not accept the places, they will then become available. That is why we will not...

Other Questions: Apprenticeship Data (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: Substantial progress is being made because we are now rolling out a whole range of new apprenticeships and we have an ambition to create 40 new apprenticeships in areas to which it will be much easier to attract women. Currently there is a tiny level of participation but 40% of the intake of the latest, the insurance practitioner apprenticeship, were female. We hope to introduce 13 new...

Other Questions: Apprenticeship Data (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: The positive news is that this year there has been an increase of 80% in the number of women in apprenticeships, albeit from a low base. Whenever I meet young women, in schools or elsewhere, I promote apprenticeship as a new stream. I set a realistic objective of 20% of young people being able to access apprenticeships or traineeships, so that we will have a strong and resilient alternative...

Other Questions: Apprenticeship Data (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: That is nonsense. We are planning to increase apprenticeships by approximately 5,000 and the first one we have put in place has seen an increase in participation by women of 40%. We will make sure that women will get a fair crack of the whip and we will promote it. We will grant aid women in traditional apprenticeships and we will deliver improvement. The Deputy suggests that there will...

Other Questions: Schools Building Projects (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: I agree that there have been a number of delays, through no fault of anyone. The project to provide an extension to Lucan community college commenced design in June 2011. The design team reached completion of stage 1 of architectural planning in April 2013. The stage 1 report suggested that extensive refurbishment works to the existing school would also be required. My Department approved...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Disadvantaged Status (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: I assure the Deputy that Ministers do not look at schools and make a decision. It is based on fair and objective criteria, not political choices.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Disadvantaged Status (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: Urban schools in band one have a lower class size; on average, they have five pupils fewer per class. They receive a DEIS grant, a book grant and access to a home-school-community liaison teacher. They have a school completion programme at second level, as well as a school meals programme. These funds are significant. A very disadvantaged urban school in band one could, on average,...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Disadvantaged Status (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: They will have to submit for review. The summer school works programme does not come under DEIS.