Results 161-180 of 16,404 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Health and Safety (23 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: This school to which the Deputy refers was granted approval for the provision of 1 x SEN, 1 x Mainstream classroom and 2 x Special Education Tuition Rooms under my Department's Devolved SEN Reconfiguration and Modular Accommodation Programme. The project is nearing substantial completion with the classrooms occupied by pupils this month, some external works are on-going and expected to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (23 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: Breastfeeding Breaks for teachers are regulated by Section 9 of the Maternity Protection (Amendment) Act 2004, as amended by the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023. The current provisions for breastfeeding breaks for teachers are set out in Circular 52/2023 titled ‘Breastfeeding Breaks for Registered Teachers employed in Recognised Primary and Post Primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Meetings (23 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: I can assure the Deputy that the major building project for Scoil Chiaráin Special School is a significant priority for my Department. My Department has received correspondence from the parents council and my Department contacted the school principal to clarify if there are any immediate Life and Safety systems that need addressing, pending the delivery of the new replacement...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: After-School Support Services (23 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department encourages schools to facilitate the opening of after-school facilities, wherever possible, for activities such as homework clubs. The management of school premises at local level is a matter for the relevant school authorities. Any decision to make school premises available ultimately lies with the relevant Trustees/Property owners following a recommendation from the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (23 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The school to which the Deputy refers submitted an application for funding under the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) to remove and replace an existing concrete yard slab. This application was assessed by the Emergency Works team and deemed more appropriate to the Summer Works Scheme, and the School was notified of this decision. As the Deputy may be aware, the purpose of the Summer Works...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (23 Apr 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 Scheme (ASA) for the provision of accommodation for a special education needs class. 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: Schools Building Projects (23 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 293 and 297 together. I would like to advise the Deputy that, in order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, using data from a range of sources, including Child Benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (23 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 294 and 295 together. Please find the requested data set out at the following link. The data provided is for the 2022-2023 academic year, the latest year we have final enrolment data for. We expect to publish final data for academic year 2023-2024 in June 2024.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training (23 Apr 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. A Steering Group on Teacher Supply was established in my Department in 2018. The Steering Group is leading on the identification of issues, the development of a programme of actions on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (23 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: Information on the number of students from Ukraine enrolled in Irish schools is made available in a monthly press release from my Department, which includes the figures at both primary and post-primary level. As of 12 April 2024, 18,268 Ukrainian pupils are enrolled in Irish schools. Out of that figure, 11,348 of these pupils had enrolled in primary schools, while 6,920 pupils had enrolled...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (23 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The core function of the redeployment arrangements is to facilitate the redeployment of all surplus permanent teachers to other schools that have vacancies. Thereafter, schools are required under the panel arrangements to fill permanent vacancies from supplementary panels comprised of eligible fixed-term (temporary/substitute) and part-time teachers. The criteria, reviewed annually with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (23 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: In accordance with Circular 0063/2021, teachers who considered that they were entitled to a qualification allowance were required to make a claim for payment of the allowance before the deadline of the 30th April 2022. This applies only to teachers who had an entitlement to an allowance prior to 1 February 2012 when qualification allowances were abolished for all new beneficiaries in line...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (23 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 161,600 children, including over 135,000 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 19,800 pupils with special educational needs, and 6,800 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine are transported on a daily basis to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (23 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: In March 2023 my Department introduced a groundbreaking new free Primary Schoolbook Scheme, that has provided funding directly to recognised primary and special schools to provide at a minimum, free schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks to pupils. More than 563,000 pupils enrolled in approximately 3,230 recognised primary schools, including over 130 special schools, have benefited from this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (23 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 the Teaching Council is the body with the statutory authority and responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession in Ireland including the registration of teachers in the State. There are five routes of registration with the Teaching Council which are namely Route 1: Primary, Route 2: Post-primary, Route 3: Further Education, Route...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (23 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my department has received an application for capital funding, under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school authority in question The purpose of my Department’s Additional School Accommodation (or ASA) scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom accommodation and accommodation for pupils with special education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (23 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The criteria for the award of incremental credit are set out in the Department of Education’s Circulars 10/2001 for Primary teachers, 29/2007 and 29/2010 for Post-Primary teachers. The criteria for the award of incremental credit to recognised teachers was agreed under the auspices of the Teachers Conciliation Council (TCC). When an application form for incremental credit is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The main purpose of the Emergency Works Scheme is to provide for unforeseen emergencies that impact on school buildings. An emergency is a situation which poses an immediate risk to health, life, property or the environment, which is sudden, unforeseen and requires immediate action and, in the case of a school, if not corrected would prevent the school or part thereof from opening. The scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (23 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 the Teaching Council is the body with the statutory authority and responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession in Ireland including the registration of Teachers in the State. The Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015. There are five routes of registration with the Teaching Council which are namely...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (23 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 161,600 children, including over 135,000 pupils traveling on primary and post primary services, 19,800 pupils with special educational needs, and 6,800 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine are transported on a daily basis to...