Results 141-160 of 162 for 5 million speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Strategies (14 Jan 2021)

Norma Foley: ...2020 calculated grades process. Budget 2021 also continues the programme of major reinvestment in our school system with my Department’s allocation being €8.9 billion in 2021, an increase of €410 million or some 5 five per cent on 2020. Government supported the re-opening of schools through the Roadmap for the Full Return to School agreed by Cabinet at the end of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Scheme (1 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 68 and 84 together. Under Budget 2021 I announced a general reduction in the mainstream staffing schedule to 25:1, which will also apply to DEIS Rural and Urban Band 2 schools. While there has been a reduction in mainstream class size in recent years, there has not been a corresponding reduction for those Urban Band 1 DEIS schools who are already...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Scheme (26 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: ...Schools is the main policy initiative of my Department to address educational disadvantage at school level. In the 2020/21 school year there are 887 schools in the DEIS Programme serving in excess of 185,000 pupils. This represents approximately 20% of the overall school population. My Department will spend in the region of €125 million in 2020 on the DEIS Programme. Under...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (17 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: ...support for, schools and students.  Building on the initiatives set out in the Programme for Government, the budget for the Department of Education will be €8.9 billion in 2021, an increase of €410 million or some 5 five per cent on 2020. Overall, 1,065 new teaching posts will be created for the 2021/22 school year.  403 of these posts will be working with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Key Priorities and the Effects of Covid-19 on the Education System: Department of Education (17 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: ...students with special education needs avail of this year’s summer programme and 9,000 avail of the summer programme for DEIS schools – both significantly ahead of previous years; had almost 1 million students and nearly 100,000 school staff return to their classrooms, playgrounds and school campuses in late August and early September; issued calculated grade results to over...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Key Priorities and the Effects of Covid-19 on the Education System: Department of Education (17 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. He asked about the provision of IT and other services to schools. The positive news is that our schools are up and running and have remained open even under level 5 restrictions. Notwithstanding that, there is absolutely a requirement for investment in IT. The last five years have seen investment of more than €210 million. This year two tranches of €50...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Scheme (10 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 426 and 434 together. Under Budget 2021 I have announced a general reduction in the mainstream staffing schedule to 25:1. While there has been a reduction in mainstream class size in recent years, there has not been a corresponding reduction for those Urban Band 1 DEIS schools who are already allocated a preferential staffing schedule of 20:1 for schools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (3 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: ...of educational disadvantage policy and builds on what has already been achieved by schools who have benefitted from the additional supports available under the initial DEIS programme introduced in 2005. The identification of schools for inclusion in DEIS is based on the “multiplier effect” of concentrated levels of socio-economic disadvantage on the educational experience....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (21 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: ...of a significant financial package to support the implementation of the measures in the roadmap, following approval by the Government. The package of supports is expected to cost in excess of €437 million in the 2020/2021 school year. The range of supports being made available to schools includes additional financial supports to provide for additional staffing, management...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (20 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: ...of a significant financial package to support the implementation of the measures in the roadmap, following approval by the Government. The package of supports is expected to cost in excess of €437 million in the 2020/2021 school year. The range of supports being made available to schools includes additional financial supports to provide for additional staffing, management...

Financial Resolutions 2020 - Financial Resolution No. 7: General (Resumed) (14 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: ...pandemic. Building on the initiatives set out in the programme for Government, the budget for the Department of Education and Skills will be €8.9 billion in 2021, which is an increase of €410 million, or 5%, on 2020. The budget provides for a variety of measures. The employment of an additional 1,065 mainstream and special education needs teachers will benefit our...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: State Examinations (14 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware, the full staffing schedule has reduced from 26:1 to 25:1. There is unanimous agreement that this is a very positive step forward to the benefit of our schools. With regard to the DEIS schools, the Deputy is correct that there are different bands. In the junior cycle, there is a ratio of 20:1. It is 24:1 at the higher end, that is, in third, fourth, fifth and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (14 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: ...Protection Surveillance Centre and the HSE and follows comprehensive consultation and engagements with education stakeholders. The Government approved a financial package of over €375 million to support the implementation of the roadmap. These comprehensive supports across a range of areas, included funding for getting schools ready, for providing for additional supervision...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (6 Oct 2020)

Norma Foley: ...managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of my Department. In the 2019/2020 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 €219m in 2019. The purpose of my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (9 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: ...by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. 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 €219m in 2019. The purpose of my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Scheme (9 Sep 2020)

Norma Foley: ...disadvantage in primary and post primary schools. In the 2020/21 school year there are 887 schools participating in DEIS serving over 180,000 pupils. My Department will invest in the region of €125 million this year on the programme. Details of the supports available to DEIS Schools can be found at: The capitation grant for all schools has increased in each of the last two...

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

Norma Foley: ...and post primary schools within the Free Education Scheme in order to provide assistance for books including Book Rental Schemes. Under this scheme, the Department provided funding of €16.9 million in 2019 to all of these schools. Additional funding of €1million provided under Budget 2020 was allocated to 102 Primary DEIS schools for a new pilot programme for the 2020/21...

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

Norma Foley: ...of children who reside remote from their nearest school. In the 2019/2020 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 €219m in 2019. In the 2019/2020...

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

Norma Foley: ...and post primary schools within the Free Education Scheme in order to provide assistance for books including Book Rental Schemes. Under this scheme, the Department provided funding of €16.9 million in 2019 to all of these schools. Additional funding of €1million provided under Budget 2020 was allocated to 102 Primary DEIS schools for a new pilot programme for the 2020/21...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (14 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: ...principal release days.One additional release day will be allocated to each school with a teaching principal with effect from 1stSeptember 2020.  This will bring the number of release days to 19, 25 and 31, depending on the size of school.  This is an increase from 14, 18 and 22 days since 2015.  In addition, a further four additional release days are allocated to schools...