Results 18,021-18,040 of 19,666 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 447 to 449, inclusive, together. The information on Assistant Principal posts requested by the Deputy is being compiled and will be forwarded direct to him. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the allowances for assistant principal posts will be restored to their monetary value as of the 31 December 2009 with effect from the 1st October, 2020. The value...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: The capitation grant has increased in each of the last two budgets. I understand the need for improved capitation funding and I am pleased that budget 2020 has been able to provide for a further 2.5% increase in standard capitation funding for primary schools that applies from the start of the 2020/21 school year.  This builds on the 5% increase in capitation announced in budget 2019....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (29 Sep 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 Transport (29 Sep 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (29 Sep 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: In the absence of the Leaving Certificate examinations in 2020 every effort has been made to make the system as fair as possible for as many students a possible. The statistical model used was blind to demographic characteristics either at the level of the student or the school. The standardisation process means that the same standard has been applied uniformly across all schools. This...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 455 and 456 together. The decision to adopt a model of Calculated Grades by my Department was a direct result of COVID-19, which prevented the state from running the conventional Leaving Certificate Examinations. The design of the Calculated Grades model was informed by advice from a Technical Working Group comprising experts drawn from the State...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: A 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. This project is one of the school building projects on my Department's ADAPT 2 (Accelerated Delivery of Architectural Planning & Tendering) Programme and is currently going through the Architectural planning...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: On foot of a Chairman's Note to the Lansdowne Road Agreement, my Department engaged with the Unions representing school secretaries and caretakers, including through an independent arbitration process in 2015. The Arbitrator recommended a cumulative pay increase of 10% between 2016 and 2019 for staff and that a minimum hourly pay rate of €13 be phased in over that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that draft guidelines have been developed to provide clarity to schools around reduced timetables and to set out the procedures to be followed by schools where such an option is being considered and used. The guidelines provide for TUSLA Education Support Service to be notified if a reduced timetable is implemented. The aim is to ensure that the use of reduced...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: The decision to adopt a model of Calculated Grades by my Department was a direct result of COVID-19, which prevented the state from running the conventional Leaving Certificate Examinations. The purpose of this process is to allow as many students as possible to progress to employment, further education and training, or higher education in a way that is fair and equitable to all Leaving...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Child Abuse (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: The review of the ex-gratia scheme is ongoing.  My Department is committed to reviewing the ex gratia scheme, in conjunction with the Office of the Attorney General and has received initial advices from the Attorney General. The issues involved are highly sensitive and complex and require very careful deliberation before proposals can be finalised and brought to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department published guidelines on the adjusted assessment arrangements for state examinations in summer 2021. The Assessment Arrangements for Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate Examinations 2021 are available at the following link: . As schools have significant autonomy in determining how to sequence and pace learning for students in their schools, no centrally prescribed adjustment...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (29 Sep 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: In light of the Covid-19 situation, the patronage process for the 2021 post-primary schools including that for Ballincollig was deferred.  The Summer months and September in particular were critical in terms of school communities' preparation and implementation of arrangements to reopen schools. In the circumstances, it was considered prudent to further defer the post-primary process to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: The position is that the selection and enrolment of pupils is the responsibility of the management authorities in each individual school. As schools may not have a place for every applicant, a selection process may be necessary. This selection process and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants. Under...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: The major 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. Stage 1 of Architectural Planning has been completed and the project has now progressed to Stage 2a – Developed Design, where the preferred option design is developed to a stage where the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: The Notional Service Scheme is a scheme that allows serving Special Needs Assistants who are members of the Superannuation (Education) Scheme, and who will have less than 40 years pensionable service at age 60 or 65, to purchase additional pensionable service.   Special Needs Assistants who are "new entrants" as defined in the Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Emergency Works Scheme (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: I wish to confirm to the Deputy that the matter to which he refers is currently under consideration by the relevant official in my Department. A decision in that respect will be made as quickly as possible and notified to the school directly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (29 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department is acutely aware of the disruption caused to students as a result of school closures resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic and which led the decision not to run the state examinations this summer. In the context of the return to schools of students for the 2020/21 academic year my Department published a range of documentation and support material as part of the Roadmap for the...