Results 16,501-16,520 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (20 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Programme for Government has a commitment to reduce class sizes at primary level and to commencing a review within three months of teacher appointment thresholds in small schools with four teachers or less. The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to primary schools is published annually on the website of the Department of Education and Skills. The key factor for determining...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (20 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: In the period 2011 to 2015 the capitation and related grants for primary schools were reduced by just over 11% in aggregate. The estimated cost of restoring capitation and related grants to primary schools to pre -2011 levels would be circa €21m. Each 1% increase in capitation and related grants for primary schools would cost approx. €1.9m. and therefore a 10% increase would...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (20 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware that Budget 2016 made provision for some 2,260 additional teaching posts for our primary and post primary schools next year. These posts will provide for an improvement in the staffing schedules at primary and post primary levels, enhance the leadership and management roles of deputy principals at post-primary level by reducing their teaching time, an improvement to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Psychological Services (20 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: I can inform the Deputy that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychology service to all primary and post primary schools through an assigned NEPS psychologist and in some cases through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA), full details of which are on the Department's website. Under this scheme schools can have an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Data (20 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: Spending on provision for children with Special Educational Needs has been prioritised in recent years, despite the enormous pressures on all public spending. Funding for special education provision in 2016 will amount to some €1.4 billion, which is equivalent to approximately 17% of the gross overall current allocation for education and training. It has increased by 10% in the past...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Contracts (20 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Haddington Road agreement provided for the establishment of an Expert Group on Fixed-Term and Part-Time Employment in Primary and Second Level Education in Ireland. This group was chaired by Mr. Peter Ward SC, who consulted extensively with all the stakeholders and interested parties . The report was published in September 2014 and can be found on my Department's website. The report...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Expenditure (20 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that spending on provision for children with Special Educational Needs has been prioritised in recent years, despite the enormous pressures on all public spending. Funding for special education provision in 2016 will amount to some €1.4 billion, which is equivalent to approximately 17% of the gross overall current allocation for education and training. It...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Psychological Assessments (20 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: My Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychology service to all primary and post primary schools through an assigned NEPS psychologist and in some cases through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA). NEPS does not maintain waiting lists but, in common with many other psychological services and best international...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (20 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: My Department has implemented a pilot of the proposed new Resource Teacher allocation model over the 2015/2016 school year. A review of this pilot has been completed and a report of the review is currently being finalised. I understand that the review will indicate that the new model has been positively received by schools and parents. Under the pilot some 23 additional teaching posts...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Psychological Services (20 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm for the Deputy that DEIS schools are afforded priority by the National Educational Psychological Service in the allocation of NEPS psychologist time provided. The system used to allocate a NEPS psychologist to primary or post-primary schools is based on a weighting process which takes into account school size, DEIS status, gender mix and the presence of special units or...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (20 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: At Junior Cycle, Phase 3 will take place in September 2018, with the introduction of new specifications in the following subjects: Irish, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Art, Craft and Design, and the curriculum area of Wellbeing. Phase 4 will take place in September 2019 with the introduction of: Mathematics, Home Economics, History, Music and Geography. At Senior Cycle, several areas are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (20 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 163 and 164 together. The review of DEIS which is currently underway is looking at all aspects of the Programme including the range and impact of different elements of the School Support Programme, and the scope for increased integration of services provided by other Departments and agencies, in order to improve the effectiveness of supports to schools in this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Traveller Education (20 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: My Department's policy in relation to Traveller Education is informed by the Report and Recommendations for a Traveller Education Strategy which was launched in 2006, following wide ranging consultation with Traveller representative groups and other relevant stakeholders. The principle of inclusion is at the core of the Strategy. The focus of both current and future provision is on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Languages Programme (20 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: Reforms introduced in the 2012/13 school year created a single simplified allocation process for both learning and language support. At primary level, learning/language support hours are allocated on the basis of mainstream classroom teaching posts in the school. At post-primary level, learning/language support is allocated on the basis of pupil numbers. Schools have autonomy to deploy this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (20 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: It is existing policy to equalise the gap in funding between post-primary schools in the different sectors and progress was made in the years up to 2009 and the economic downturn. The equalisation policy was implemented through incremental improvement in the funding of voluntary secondary schools compared to others, by year on year improvements in the Schools Services Support Fund (a per...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Guidelines on Obesity (20 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: In the 2012 Lifeskills Survey, 99.7% of respondent primary schools reported that they do not facilitate the sale of fizzy drinks, sweets and crisps in school, either through vending machines or a school shop. The 2015 Lifeskills survey is currently being analysed, and the results will be available shortly. It is not my intention to legislate on the issue of vending machines. As Minister...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Funding (20 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware that since 2014, as part of the implementation of the ICT Action Plan 2014 - 2018, all publicly funded higher education institutions have been invited to submit proposals to increase the number of places on courses leading to a Level 8 award in core ICT areas. For the first two academic years, 2014/15 and 2015/16, the provision of additional places was incentivised by...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (20 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: There are 3262 primary schools, including special schools, in the country. Of these 2847 are English medium schools, 248 are Irish medium schools and 29 teach partially through Irish. At post primary there are 735 schools in total. Of these 665 are English medium schools 48 are Irish medium schools. There are 13 schools where some pupils are taught all subjects through Irish and 9...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Guidance Counsellors (20 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Programme for Government 'A Programme for a Partnership Government' has a commitment to enhance the guidance counsellor allocation in our secondary schools. The current budget provides an improved staffing allocation to second level schools for the purpose of enhancing guidance provision. This improvement takes effect from next September. It brings the basis of allocation from 19:1...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (20 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: A 20% increase in capitation and related grants to voluntary secondary schools would cost approximately €18m. and a 10% increase to Community and Comprehensive schools would cost approximately €2.8m. In relation to capitation levels for future years, the recently published Programme for a Partnership Government commits to investing an extra €500m in education by 2021...