Ms Breda Naughton:

Can I wrap up on behalf of the Department? We have very good history teachers in the system. It has to be acknowledged that 90% of the students are taking history at junior cycle. However, the international experience has shown us that it is important that we give schools the autonomy and the flexibility to choose the programmes most relevant to their young people. It would be very difficult for schools not to teach history to the majority of their students because, first, they have these hugely passionate history teachers but, second, it is embedded in the statements of learning. However, because of the statements of learning, it will be a requirement now of all schools to provide a history experience and we hope, and I am sorry to use the word "hope", that the majority of schools will take history as a subject. From a schools perspective, they have to make decisions based on the identification of the needs of their young people and also the teaching resources available for them.