Results 17,661-17,680 of 19,666 for speaker:Norma Foley

Other Questions: School Staff (14 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: I reiterate that I appreciate the very valuable contribution made by school secretaries and other support staff in the school environment. I have witnessed it and I am very conscious of it. I have met with Fórsa, which represents many of the secretaries working in schools. In recognition of the school secretary role, I have put in place special arrangements for the coming school...

Other Questions: School Staff (14 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, my Department has published guidance to support schools in making adapted education provision for pupils who cannot return to school because they are medically certified as being at very high risk due to Covid-19. It is important that pupils in these circumstances maintain a meaningful connection with their class and school to continue their learning from home...

Other Questions: School Staff (14 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: I will reiterate clearly from the outset that both the international and national evidence to date is clear that schools by their nature are safe environments. There is also an absolute recognition that the resources and measures required as part of the roadmap for the safe reopening of our schools have been put in place. I absolutely acknowledge a huge debt of gratitude is owed to the...

Other Questions: School Staff (14 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: I acknowledge there are individual circumstances. I am not aware of the individual circumstances of the case referenced by the Deputy. I appreciate that there is anxiety and anxiousness around Covid-19 but I reiterate that everything we are doing in our schools is underpinned by the best public health advice available to us. I reiterate also that the Health Protection Surveillance Centre...

Other Questions: School Enrolments (14 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: Under the provisions of the Education (Admissions to School) Act 2018 all schools must have drafted new school admission policies. These new policies have been approved by the respective patrons and are now published on individual school websites. They will apply for admissions to schools from September 2021 onwards. The Act requires schools to set out clearly their selection criteria in...

Other Questions: School Enrolments (14 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: I will forward the information to the Deputy. I would like to reiterate the obligations here. The Act requires the schools to clearly set out their selection criteria in their admissions policies and provides that the schools and their patrons have discretion in regard to their admissions criteria and how they are applied once it is non-discriminatory and fair. If a school wishes to...

Other Questions: School Staff (14 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy for his question. The staffing schedule is an allocation mechanism that uses enrolment bands to determine the number of classroom teaching posts allocated to a school. This is a long-standing arrangement, as the Deputy will be aware, for allocating teaching posts to our primary schools in a fair and equitable way based on their respective enrolment. The staffing schedule...

Other Questions: School Staff (14 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: I thank both Deputies. As I have already outlined, the school staffing schedule is 26:1 and will in the future be 25:1. I acknowledge, as referred to by both Deputies, the current situation with Covid-19 and I confirm again that a substantial package of measures was put in place to ensure that schools could operate as advised under the safe schools reopening plan. A package in excess of...

Other Questions: School Staff (14 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. As she will be aware, under the programme for Government there is a commitment to seek to make further progress in reducing the pupil-teacher ratios in primary schools. The budgets of 2016 and 2018 improved the staffing schedule by one point on both occasions to its historically lowest level ever of one teacher to 26 pupils. I was delighted to build further on this...

Other Questions: School Staff (14 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy and reiterate that there has been an unprecedented financial package allocated to the schools sector in recent months which is in excess of €375 million. This is unprecedented and never before were resources of that nature allocated to the education sector. This underlines the determination and commitment of the Government to recognise the great importance of the...

Other Questions: Schools Building Projects (14 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: I do not take from the genuine case that the Deputy is making for this school, nor do I dispute the figures she has given. I must say that the Department, in looking at all the available options, is satisfied that sufficient places are available for all post-primary pupils in the school planning area, going forward. However, I will say to the Deputy that the planning and building unit of...

Other Questions: State Examinations (14 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: The SEC which has operational responsibility for the State examinations, has informed me that some 2,800 candidates have applied to sit the November 2020 leaving certificate written examinations. These exams will commence on Monday, 16 November, subject to public health advice. To ensure comparability with the calculated grades system, the examinations will be based on the normal...

Other Questions: State Examinations (14 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: I thank both Deputies. To put their questions in context, the prevailing circumstances of the pandemic at the time meant that it was not possible to house the traditional exams as they are normally experienced. The Deputies will recall that in April, the written exams were deferred until July. On 8 May, a further decision was taken because of the pandemic that it was not possible for those...

Other Questions: State Examinations (14 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: I reiterate that the reason the exams did not take place at the traditional time, which would have been June, or the deferred time, which would have been July, was because of the prevailing circumstances at that time. It was not possible at the time, under public health advice, for exams to take place. For that reason, the calculated grades process and the opportunity to take the written...

Other Questions: State Examinations (14 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: I confirm again to the Deputy that I am absolutely committed to ensuring the State examinations of 2021 will operate what we might call traditionally and as normal. This is a commitment shared, as I said, by the State Examinations Commission, SEC, which has statutory responsibility for operating the exams. We are moving in that direction, as the Deputy outlined himself. There is an...

Other Questions: State Examinations (14 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: The Deputy is quite correct that more than 2,800 students have registered to take the exam in November. It is important that option was made available to students. They will also have the opportunity, when they have completed those exams, to take whichever of the grades suits or advantages them best, be it the calculated grade they received or the final grade they will get for the written...

Other Questions: State Examinations (14 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: They are being accommodated in their schools.

Other Questions: Schools Building Projects (14 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: In order to plan for school provision and analysis of the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a geographical information system, GIS, using data from a range of sources, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise. With this information, the Department carries out nationwide demographic...

Other Questions: Schools Building Projects (14 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: It is my understanding that there are 11 other post-primary schools in the Galway city school planning area. It is also my understanding that the demographic analysis is correct in terms of using geographical information systems and using data from a range of sources which identifies where the pressures for schools places across the country will arise. With this information the Department...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic (14 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: The Department has published guidelines to support schools in making adapted education provision for those children who cannot return to school because they are medically certified as being at very high risk to Covid-19. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre and the HSE have published guidance on the return to school of at-risk groups. The advice confirms that the vast majority of...