Results 1,721-1,740 of 17,498 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (11 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: Under the new streamlined arrangements for the established of special educational needs (SEN) classes for 2025 an enhanced grant amount of €30,000 is applicable for each new SEN classroom sanctioned and opened for the 2025/26 school year. This is one single grant paid by my Department to replace the need for the school to apply individually for the following existing funding:SEN...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (11 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: Road safety is a shared concern all across the country and it is one that requires a whole-of-society approach to address. I believe that the education sector can play an important role in supporting and promoting road safety education and awareness, particularly for our young people. The Road Safety Authority (RSA), in collaboration with my Department, An Garda Síochána, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (11 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department recently announced €65 million in funding to support minor works grant and digital learning in schools. My department recognises the importance of the Minor Works Grant to primary schools. The Minor Works Grant is provided to all primary and special schools, to enable them undertake small-scale minor maintenance and improvement works on a devolved basis. I recently...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (11 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware, I recently announced €35 million in funding to support digital learning in schools. €35 million in grant funding for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) will issue shortly to all recognised primary and post-primary schools. This ICT funding is being provided to schools to help them continue to use digital technologies in their teaching,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (11 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware, I recently announced €35 million in funding to support digital learning in schools. €35 million in grant funding for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) will issue shortly to all recognised primary and post-primary schools. This ICT funding is being provided to schools to help them continue to use digital technologies in their teaching,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (11 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school to which the Deputy refers was approved to enter the Department’s pipeline for a project under the Additional School Accommodation Scheme to provide a one classroom SEN base. The project is devolved for delivery to the school authority. The Stage 2b (developed design) report was received by my Department in April 2025 and is currently being reviewed from both a technical...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (11 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: In August 2024, the then Minister for Education wrote to all primary and post-primary schools advising of a ban on the use of mobile phones during the school day, noting that schools are best placed to determine the specific approach and policy required to achieve a school day that is free from mobile phone use by students and asking that schools consult with their students and parents in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (11 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school referred to by the Deputy was approved to enter my Department's pipeline of school buildings for a project delivering one mainstream classroom. The project is devolved to the school authority for delivery. The Stage 3 tender report was recently received by my Department and is currently being reviewed from a cost perspective in accordance with the requirements of the Public...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (11 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: In relation to the school referred to by the Deputy, my department has provided a modular build project of 7 mainstream classrooms, 5 special education tuition rooms, 1 science lab with prep area & 1 art room which was delivered on site in 2024. Also, my department provided a reconfiguration project of two mainstream classrooms to provide 2 special education classrooms which was...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (11 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school to which the Deputy refers submitted an application for funding under the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) for roof works. The application in question is currently being reviewed by the EWS team. Once the application has been reviewed the EWS team will engage further with the school as appropriate. The EWS team is aware of the urgent nature of the works required and will keep the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (11 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy will be delivered under my Department's ADAPT Programme. The ADAPT Programme uses a professional external Programme Manager to co-ordinate and drive the Design Team to achieve the best possible timeframe for the project through the design stages of architectural planning to Tender and Construction. The Brief for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training (11 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: A range of options are available to teachers in regard to Special Education Teacher training. These are provided within initial teacher education (ITE) programmes for student teachers and teacher professional learning (TPL) programmes for established teachers. The programmes provided include flexible on-line opportunities right through to funding for post-graduate programmes for special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff (11 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: All consultancy engagements by my Department are conducted in compliance with relevant government procurement frameworks and standards. This includes adherence to regulations concerning conflicts of interest. Information in relation to consultancy expenditure in my Department is compiled annually in respect of the previous year and published online at...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (11 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: Since 2020, my department has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the National Development Plan (NDP), involving the completion of over 1,375 school building projects. Government support for this investment, including by way of supplementary capital funding, has delivered real benefits for school communities. A recent Government decision has approved...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (11 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Department recognises the vitally important role of Secretaries and Caretakers within school communities, as a key link between students, parents, school leaders and other staff, ensuring that both the administrative and the caretaking needs of the school are met. Without them, our schools would be unsustainable. The Department of Education and Youth is not the direct employer of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: While there is no scheme available specifically to primary school to support the employment of disabled staff members my Department does provide support to schools to facilitate building works aimed at making the school more accessible via the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS). As the Deputy may be aware, the purpose of the EWS is to provide funding specifically for unforeseen emergencies, or to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 479 and 480 together. Please find attached requested data for academic years 2023-2024, it being the latest year we have published final enrolment data. ">data for academic years 2023-2024 We expect to publish final data for academic year 2024-2025 shortly and we will revert to the deputy with the data for 2024-2025 when it has been published. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The purpose of the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) is to provide funding specifically for unforeseen emergencies, or to provide funding to facilitate inclusion and access for pupils with special needs. It does so by ensuring the availability of funding for urgent works to those schools that are in need of resources as a result of an emergency situation. The option is open to submit an EWS...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department’s National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychological support to all primary and post-primary schools. This involves direct support in the event of a critical incident, access to national and regional support and development work to build school capacity to support students, access to a NEPS psychologist for responses to queries arising,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: I refer to your recent correspondence in relation to the building project for Portmarnock Community School. The major building project for the school referred to is currently at Stage 3, Tender Action & Award. The Department has issued the tender for this project in order to set up a framework of contractors with returns initially due on the 18th of April. Following this, a...