Results 1,941-1,960 of 7,283 for speaker:Josepha Madigan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (8 Dec 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 76 to 80, inclusive, together. The COVID Learning and Support Scheme (CLASS) has been put in place for the 2021/22 school year to help schools mitigate the adverse impacts of Covid-19 on pupil/student learning loss and wellbeing arising from the periods of school closures in 2020 and 2021. Under the programme, a block of additional teaching hours has been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (7 Dec 2021)

Josepha Madigan: Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government The State currently spends in excess of 25% of its annual education and training budget (€9.2 Billion) on making additional provision for children with special educational needs. This includes funding for a wide range of schemes and supports including special classes, special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (7 Dec 2021)

Josepha Madigan: The Board of Management of each school is responsible for the care and safety of all of the pupils in their school. Schools should supervise and support children who are distressed or out of control until they have recovered and are able to re-engage in the classroom. In some circumstances this may mean the temporary removal of a child from the environment where the problems have arisen. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (7 Dec 2021)

Josepha Madigan: The Special Needs Assistant (SNA) scheme is designed to provide schools with additional adult support staff who can assist children with special educational needs who also have additional and significant care needs. Such support is provided in order to facilitate the attendance of those pupils at school and also to minimise disruption to class or teaching time for the pupils concerned, or...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (7 Dec 2021)

Josepha Madigan: The Board of Management of each school is responsible for the care and safety of all of the pupils in their school. Schools should supervise and support children who are distressed or out of control until they have recovered and are able to re-engage in the classroom. In some circumstances this may mean the temporary removal of a child from the environment where the problems have arisen. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (7 Dec 2021)

Josepha Madigan: Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government The State currently spends in excess of 25% of its annual education and training budget (€9.2 Billion) on making additional provision for children with special educational needs. This includes funding for a wide range of schemes and supports including special classes, special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (7 Dec 2021)

Josepha Madigan: The Education for Persons with Special Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004 sets out the vision for the education of children with disabilities in this country. The Act requires that a child with special educational needs should be educated in an inclusive environment alongside their peers unless the nature and extent of those needs would not be in the best interest of the child concerned or the other...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (7 Dec 2021)

Josepha Madigan: The Board of Management of each school is responsible for the care and safety of all pupils. It is important that the school management authority requests parents to ensure that the school is made aware of any medical condition suffered by any pupils attending. Where the school is aware of potential difficulties that may arise as a consequence of a medical condition suffered by one or more...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (7 Dec 2021)

Josepha Madigan: The NCSE has responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs including the allocation of Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) and reviews. The NCSE have published the SNA allocations on their website www.ncse.ie. The SNA scheme is designed to provide schools with additional adult support staff who can assist children with special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (7 Dec 2021)

Josepha Madigan: Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government The State currently spends in excess of 25% of its annual education and training budget (€9.2 Billion) on making additional provision for children with special educational needs. This includes funding for a wide range of schemes and supports including special classes, special...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Dec 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I thank the Deputy for the question. The most important aspect in regard to education is that the schools remain open. In that regard, it is imperative that infection and prevention control measures remain in place on school transport. My understanding in regard to school transport is that it has reverted to 100% capacity. There are bus escorts in the area of special education, which is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Health Services Staff (2 Dec 2021)

Josepha Madigan: As the Deputy is aware my Department opened the school in question this year in recognition of the significant demand for special school places in the local area. The establishment and opening of the school helped to ensure that children who required a special school place could access one, with priority in admissions given to those students who did not have a special school place...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary)
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Supplementary) (2 Dec 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I thank Deputy Pádraig O’Sullivan. I can follow that up with him if he has a specific issue around the recruitment of a bus escort. We want to make sure we have transport for children with additional needs and if it means additional recruitment needs to be done then we need to facilitate that. I can speak with the Deputy on that if he wants to email me about it.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary)
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Supplementary) (2 Dec 2021)

Josepha Madigan: On the banking of hours, a number of families criticised the arrangement last year where special education teachers, SETs, could be used to bank hours because they felt their children were not getting the support when they needed it. There is no withdrawal of provisions; it just means that SETs will be used for the purpose they should be used. SETs should not be used for substitution...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Special Educational Needs (1 Dec 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I thank the Deputy for outlining his concerns regarding these schools. It is my role as Minister of State with responsibility for special education to ensure that I hold the NCSE to account. It receives €20 million from the Department every year and employs its SENOs to liaise on the ground with schools, families and parents to ensure sufficient resources are available to each...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Special Educational Needs (1 Dec 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I thank the Deputy for comprehensively outlining the SNA allocations issues west Cork in particular faces. I will put in context my role as Minister of State with responsibility for special education in the rolling out and administering the €2.2 billion budget we secured this year, which is more than 25% of the entire education budget. That is an increase of 60% since 2011....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (1 Dec 2021)

Josepha Madigan: My Department does not manage the recruitment of or the day to day operational management of Special Education Needs Organisers  (SENO's), SENO's are employees of the NCSE and as such I am forwarding your query to the NCSE for their direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (30 Nov 2021)

Josepha Madigan: Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) play a huge role in helping to ensure the inclusion of pupils with significant care needs in education and in school life. This was acknowledged in the Comprehensive Review of the Special Needs Assistant Scheme (SNAs) published by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) in 2018. The Review made a number of recommendations regarding SNAs...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (30 Nov 2021)

Josepha Madigan: My Department does not manage the recruitment of or the day to day operational management of Special Education Needs Organisers (SENOs). SENOs are employees of the NCSE and as such I am forward your query to the NCSE for their direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (30 Nov 2021)

Josepha Madigan: In line with the Government’s plan COVID-19: Reframing the Challenge, Continuing Our Recovery and Reconnecting, the rest of our society and economy is now fully reopened as we learn to live with Covid-19. It remains a key objective of the plan for living with COVID-19 that our children and school staff can attend school safely. Further school closures are not envisaged during this...