Results 18,941-18,960 of 19,666 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The quality of our teaching profession is a critical factor in sustaining and enhancing the quality of education outcomes. My Department promotes the quality of teaching and learning through the provision of continuing professional development (CPD) and supports for teachers and principals. The professional development needs of serving teachers in recent years have been addressed through the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The objective of the Department of Education is to open schools in accordance with the normal start of the new school year to the fullest extent possible, while minimising the risks from a public health perspective. In so doing, the plans and actions of schools to support pupils must be sustainable in a context in which Covid-19 is still present in the country while also being sufficiently...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The design of the calculated grades model was informed by advice from a Technical Working Group comprising experts drawn from the State Examinations Commission, the Inspectorate of my Department, the Educational Research Centre, and international external expertise. The use of demographic characteristics was inherent in the design of the statistical model developed by the Technical...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy may be aware on 22 July the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science announced a substantial package of supports for third level institutions and students to mitigate the impacts of Covid-19.  This package included funding to be allocated for the provision of devices to assist disadvantaged students and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is working with representatives from the higher education sector to address the challenges faced by students in this difficult time. I understand, based on the information available to me, that students who were residing in university-owned accommodation will receive pro-rata refunds if they vacated their...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The annual staffing schedule determines the allocation of teachers to schools. For the current school year, it operates on a general average of 26 pupils to every 1 teacher (26:1) which is historically the lowest ever allocation ratio at primary level. Budget 2020 has provided for a budget of more than €11 billion for the Department of Education and Skills in 2020. This is the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The Leaving Certificate results will issue on 7th September 2020. Upon engagement by my officials with UCAS, (the UK equivalent of the CAO), it has indicated that this can be accommodated within their revised timelines for 2020. As a result, Irish students pursuing their studies in the UK will not be at a disadvantage.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The Teaching Council sets the subject criteria for all teachers registering under Route 2 Post-primary. All newly qualified teachers (NQTs) of modern foreign languages and Gaeilge are required to meet a residency requirement in order to register with the Council. Generally this residency constitutes a period of time in a country where the language is spoken or the Gaeltacht in the case of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: In April 2018, my predecessor as Minister for Education and Skills Mr. Richard Bruton asked the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) to undertake a major review of Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) in schools across all stages of education. The Report on the Review of Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) in primary and post-primary schools, published by...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: Similar to the situation in Ireland, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across Europe are autonomous with regard to management of their academic affairs including admissions procedures, and as such, have administrative policies and deadlines in place to ensure that teaching and learning is delivered in a consistent manner to all of their students. All EU Member States have challenges...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: Measures announced by my Department as part of Budgets 2016, 2017 and 2018 mean that 500 of the 600 guidance posts that were withdrawn in Budget 2012 were restored to schools from September 2018. This allocation is provided separately and transparently on each school's staffing schedule. These posts have been ring-fenced so they can only be used for guidance activities and to meet the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school. In the 2019/2020 year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: Measures announced by my Department as part of Budgets 2016, 2017 and 2018 mean that 500 of the 600 guidance posts that were withdrawn in Budget 2012 were restored to schools from September 2018. This allocation is provided separately and transparently on each school's staffing schedule. These posts have been ring-fenced so they can only be used for guidance activities and to meet the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: Measures announced by my Department as part of Budgets 2016, 2017 and 2018 mean that 500 of the 600 guidance posts that were withdrawn in Budget 2012 were restored to schools from September 2018. This allocation is provided separately and transparently on each school's staffing schedule. These posts have been ring-fenced so they can only be used for guidance activities and to meet the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: I can inform the Deputy that a project has been approved for funding for the school in question under my Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme 2018 and has been devolved for delivery to the school authority in that context. I can also inform the Deputy that my Department has approved this project to proceed to planning on the basis of a project to include one mainstream classroom,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: Teachers are currently allocated to post primary schools at a ratio of 19:1 in the free education system and 23:1 to schools in the fee charging sector. Each 1 point adjustment to the pupil teacher ratio at post primary level is estimated to cost in the region of €55.5m per annum (approximately 1150 teaching posts).

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that funding was approved under the Additional Accommodation Scheme 2017. The scope of the project is to replace some existing prefabricated accommodation while also providing accommodation for a Mild General Learning Disability (MGLD) class sanctioned by the NCSE. The extension will comprise of 3 general classrooms, a special education room and toilets...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 549 and 550 together. As the Deputy will be aware, Physical Education (PE) and sport more generally support the development of skills and attributes such as physical movement and development, communication, self-esteem and confidence, all of which are particularly important as pupils return to school. Pupils will have had varying opportunities for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: Languages Connect, the government’s Strategy for Foreign Languages in Education 2017-2026 sets out a roadmap to put Ireland in the top ten countries in Europe for the teaching and learning of foreign languages, through a number of measures targeted at improving proficiency, diversity and immersion. A key part of the strategy is not only increasing the numbers of children taking up a...