Results 1,961-1,980 of 19,925 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (2 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2023/24 school year over 163,800 children, including over 136,000 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 20,200 pupils with special educational needs, and 7,400 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine were transported on a daily basis to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (2 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the state examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (2 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: Please find attached requested data. Please note the data is sourced from the mainstream class size tables for academic year 2023/24 and can be found at the link below;

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (2 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: The purpose of the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) is to provide funding specifically for unforeseen emergencies, or to provide funding to facilitate inclusion and access for pupils with special needs. It does so by ensuring the availability of funding for urgent works to those schools that are in need of resources as a result of an emergency situation. An emergency is deemed to be a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disabilities Assessments (1 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department’s National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides psychological support to all primary, post-primary, and special schools. NEPS provides access for all schools to: Psychological support in the event of a Critical Incident A casework service for individual students where there is a need for intensive consultation and assessment via a NEPS psychologist or...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (1 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: The project referred to, is devolved to Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB) for delivery. The project is currently at Stage 2b. The planning permission for the project was granted subject to a number of conditions, one of which was to complete an agreement in relation to wayleaves required on the site. Discussions have been ongoing between KWETB and the Design Team...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (1 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department received an application under the Additional Schools’ Accommodation (ASA) scheme from the school in question which included a request for a new GP hall. I am pleased to confirm to the Deputy that funding was approved for the school in question, under the ASA Scheme in 2022, for the provision of modular accommodation comprising 1x...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (1 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that the school in question has submitted an application for capital funding, under my department's Additional Schools' Accommodation (ASA) Scheme for extra accommodation to provide special education needs classroom's. The purpose of the Additional Schools' Accommodation scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special education classroom...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (1 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: The school building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is being delivered under my Department's Design and Build Programme which uses a professional external Project Manager to progress the project through the relevant stages of architectural planning, tender and construction. The project will deliver a new 16 classroom primary school and accommodation, including four...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (1 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the state examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (1 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy, that my Department is not in receipt of a current application from the school in question, for the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme. The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom accommodation and accommodation for pupils with special education needs is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (1 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this government. It is also a key priority for me as Minister for Special Education & Inclusion, for my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE). It is my department’s policy, in accordance with the principles of inclusive education, that students with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (1 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: The current position in respect of the joint major building project for St. John Bosco Boys JNS, St John Bosco SNS, and Mary Help of Christians GNS is as follows: The updated Stage 2(a) submission was received from the Design Team in the Department on the 3rd July 2024, and is under review by the Department's Professional and Technical Team. The Stage 2(a) Stakeholders meeting date is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (1 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: The project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) for delivery as part of a programme of school building projects. The project is currently at Stage 2b of the architectural process. The planning application was lodged with Wicklow County Council and full grant of planning permission has been received. When Stage 2b has been finalised...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bullying in Educational Institutions (1 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: I launched Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying on 1st December 2022. Cineáltas is my Department’s whole-education approach to preventing and addressing bullying in schools. Cineáltas is dedicated to the prevention and addressing of bullying, cyber bullying, racist bullying, gender identity bullying and sexual harassment, among other areas, in schools. It is centred on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (1 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 165 and 166 together. At primary level, teachers are allocated to schools at an average of 1 classroom teacher for every 23 pupils, the lowest level ever seen at primary level. DEIS Urban Band 1 schools receive an average allocation of 17:1, 21:1 and 19:1 for junior, senior and vertical schools respectively. Each 1 point reduction in the staffing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (1 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: The Junior Certificate School Programme (JCSP) is a national programme sponsored by the Department of Education and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. Introduced in 1996, it is a social inclusion programme that is aimed at students who are identified as being at risk of being socially or academically isolated or at risk of early school leaving before the (then) Junior...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (1 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department is committed to providing funding to recognised primary and post-primary schools in the free education scheme by way of per capita grants. The two main grants are the Capitation grant to cater for day-to-day running costs such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance and general up-keep, and the Ancillary grant to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Mental Health Services (1 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department is committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of all children. In June 2023 I launched a €5 million pilot of counselling and wellbeing supports in primary schools in selected counties. This Counselling in Primary Schools Pilot is in addition to the range of mental health and wellbeing supports already being provided by my Department and the excellent work...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (1 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: Ensuring that every child's experience in school is positive and that they have qualified, engaged teachers available to support them in their learning is a priority area of action for the Government. Budget 2024 introduced several measures reflecting this Government’s commitment to ongoing investment in the education system to address teacher supply issues. Included was a new...