Results 19,281-19,300 of 19,666 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (7 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The Deputy may wish to note that the project to which he refers has been devolved for delivery to the school authority under my Department's Summer Works Scheme. As such, it is a matter for the school authority, advised by its design team, to progress the project . I am conscious of the tragic and extremely difficult issues referred to by the Deputy and that these have been exacerbated by...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Pay (7 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. The starting salary for a new entrant teacher in 2012 was €30,702. As a result of the programme of pay restoration, the starting salary of a teacher is now €36,953 and from 1 October 2020 onwards will be €37,692. Section 11 of the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (7 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: Covid-19 has presented an unprecedented global challenge for all of society, including our children. Learning has been challenging for many students since school buildings closed. In response my Department published details of Summer Provision 2020 – Reconnecting with Education including a programme for children with complex special educational needs. Summer Provision 2020 is a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (7 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department published details of Summer Provision 2020 – Reconnecting with Education including a programme for children with complex special educational needs. The programme is a significant expansion on the July Provision programme of previous years with the eligibility criteria widened to include approximately 9,000 additional primary aged children with complex needs. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Emergency Works Scheme (7 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the school in question has been granted Emergency Works Funding for the additional works to which he refers. These will be incorporated into its existing Additional Accommodation project.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Institutions (7 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 380 and 444 together. To assist with the development of plans for the re-opening and operation of higher education in an environment that may require social distancing and other public health requirements, the Department of Education and Skills is engaging with relevant stakeholders from the higher education sector. The importance of informing students of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Administration (7 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: I acknowledge that this is a particularly challenging time for all students, and parents across the education system, but particularly for those students who will be transferring from primary to post-primary school. My Department’s Continuity of Schooling Group has developed guidance for schools which includes advice on how best 6th class pupils can be supported to make the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Scheme (7 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department is in the final stages of refinement of the DEIS identification model, based on school enrolment data and the latest data available from Census 2016 under the HP Deprivation Index. This work is at an advanced stage and the initial phase of the consultation process with education stakeholder representatives on the technical aspects of the refined DEIS ID model has commenced....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (7 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department published details of Summer Provision 2020 – Reconnecting with Educationincluding a home-based programme for children with complex special educational needs. Parents/Guardians select and engage tutors/SNAs for the provision of the home based programme in a private arrangement which is then funded through the scheme. It is the responsibility of the parent and tutor/SNA to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (7 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: I am very conscious of the staffing schedule and the need to prioritise teacher allocations in primary schools given their vital role in communities around the country. I am looking at how best to make further progress in reducing the primary teacher ratio in the context of the Programme for Government implementation. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Pay (7 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department acts as paymaster to over 3,700 schools whose Boards of Management are their direct employers. Teachers employed in the Education and Training Board sector are paid and employed by them. There are a number of employment types within these schools such as permanent whole-time, fixed term contracts, contracts of indefinite duration (CID) and also casual substitutes. Teachers who...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Pay (7 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department acts as paymaster to over 3,700 schools whose Boards of Management are the direct employers of the teachers in those schools. Teachers in the Education and Training Board sector are employed and paid by the ETBs. There are a number of employment types within these schools such as permanent whole-time, fixed term contracts, contracts of indefinite duration (CID) and also casual...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (7 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: I can confirm that agreement in principle has been reached with a landowner for the acquisition of a site at Donaghcumper, Celbridge. This site is presently proposed to facilitate the permanent accommodation needs of St. Patrick's National School, Celbridge Community School and St. Raphael's Special School on a campus type arrangement. Work is progressing and is ongoing in respect of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (7 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department published details of Summer Provision 2020 – Reconnecting with Education including a programme for children with complex special educational needs. The programme is a significant expansion on the July Provision programme of previous years with the eligibility criteria widened to include approximately 9,000 additional primary aged children with complex needs. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (7 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. 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 with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (7 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. 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 over...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (7 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: I can confirm that the Stage 1/2a report has been received from the school in question. The Department sought clarification in relation to some of the details included in the consultant’s report. When this information is received it will be reviewed and officials in my Department will be in contact with the school to progress the project.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (7 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The school may apply to my Department's Summer Works team to have the funds used for an alternative outdoor related project. Any application in this respect must comply with my Department's requirements for funding under the scheme, in particular our Technical Guidance Documents. Aspects of the work described by the Deputy may not do so, but a decision will be made once the application is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (7 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy may be aware, a major building project at the existing post primary school, Coláiste Chraobh Abhann , Kilcoole, Co.Wicklow is included in my Department's building programme to be delivered as part of the National Development Plan (NDP). The project is at preliminary design stage. When the project is completed, the school will have capacity to accommodate 1,000 pupils. In...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Early Childhood Care and Education (7 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The relevant section of the Education Act 1998, (Section (2)) as amended, provides the following definition of a school: “ “school” means an establishment which— (a)provides primary education to its students and which may also provide early childhood education......but does not include a school or institution established in accordance with the Children Acts, 1908...