Results 16,641-16,660 of 19,632 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (17 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is committed to providing a permanent accommodation solution for the school referred to. In this regard, a suitable site in Castleblayney to accommodate the permanent school building has been identified. The acquisition of this site has progressed well in recent weeks and is at a very advanced stage of conveyancing. Once this acquisition process...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (17 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 401 and 410 together. In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic the Government has identified as an objective that all students should return to education as normal to the fullest extent possible, while minimising the risks from a public health perspective. Schools have put significant measures in place to reduce the risk of coronavirus being transmitted...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (17 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (17 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: The Deputy will be aware that the project to which he refers has been devolved for delivery to the school under my Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme 2018. I wish to clarify for the Deputy that my Department received a stage report from the school in question to allow this project to go to Tender. This report is currently being assessed and a decision will be conveyed to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (17 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy may be aware, in order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, utilising data from a range of sources including information on planned and current residential development, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (17 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy may be aware, in order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, utilising data from a range of sources including information on planned and current residential development, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (17 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy may be aware, in order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, utilising data from a range of sources including information on planned and current residential development, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (17 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (17 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: When a covid-19 positive case connected with a school arises, public health contact the school and undertake a public health risk assessment to identify the actions required. The response to confirmed cases or outbreaks of Covid-19 in a school will be led and managed by Public Health HSE. Schools are advised to follow the recommendations of the public health specialists in these...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (17 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: Public health specialists have been working with school referred to by the deputy and my official’s engaged with the school principal by phone on 11 September in relation to the decision to close the school. Public health specialists working with schools and my Department are closely monitoring the situation in all schools to ensure that where schools are open with appropriate...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (17 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department has every confidence that, through the implementation of the Framework for Junior Cycle the place of Geography will be retained and given a new impetus across the Junior Cycle curriculum. As part of the rollout of the new Framework for Junior Cycle, Geography was one of five new subject specifications that were introduced to schools in September 2018. The new Junior Cycle...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (17 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of my Department. In the 2019/2020 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (17 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department is aware of increasing pressures and demand for additional post-primary school places in a number of school planning areas including North County Wicklow. Where capacity issues arise, it may not be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by the following factors: - Duplication of applications – pupils have applied for a place to a number of schools in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (17 Dec 2020)

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, all schools have new...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (17 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (17 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware, building projects for the schools to which he refers are included in my Department's school building programme. A new site will be required for this school campus development to cater for the permanent accommodation needs of these schools and the Department is presently at a very advanced stage in the process of acquiring a suitable site, located at Donaghcumper....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (17 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is included in my Department’s Construction Programme which is being delivered under the National Development Plan. Following completion of the project the school will have a total accommodation of 16 mainstream classrooms and a 2-classroom Special Educational Needs Base. The project is currently at Stage 1 of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (16 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department has put arrangements in place via the Education and Training Board (ETB) sector to provide for the interim educational needs of families accommodated in EROCs. Educational supports available to mainstream schools are available to EROC schools, including the supports of the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) and National Council for Special Education (NCSE)....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (16 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: In instances where a child attending school tests positive, the HSE will inform the school principal if the child was in the school in the infectious period regardless of parental consent. In these circumstances the HSE will conduct a Public Health Risk Assessment with the school principal. This is usually undertaken the same day they are notified, but it may be the following day. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy may be aware, a new site will be required for a school campus development, in order to cater for the permanent needs of St. Patrick’s National School, Celbridge Community College and St. Raphael’s Special School. The Department is presently at a very advanced stage in the process of acquiring a suitable site, located at Donaghcumper. I can confirm that...