Ms Patricia Griffin:

Deputy Ó Ríordáin asked about the status of our engagement with the Minister. Our letter from the Minister after our last meeting stated a working party to develop a new model for the allocation of resources in line with the NCSE's main recommendations is expected to report progress before the end of September. I read last week that this will now be October and that the Minister expects the work to be completed fully by Easter 2014. We have been in touch with him and have asked to be kept informed about the progress of the working group. Unfortunately, the Minister was not able to reclassify Down's syndrome, as was our request at the time.

I will talk about the general allocation model. Ms Buckley stated early individual attention is vital. The general allocation model – I have said this before to a group here – is a good model in itself and works for some children but it does not work for our children with Down's syndrome who are availing of it at present. Some children in the infant classrooms do not get any general allocation time because that is the school policy. The schools actually do not use their general allocation in terms of time or resources for their junior classes. Thus, children who have had good early intervention and who have the famous IQ that Ms Buckley spoke about, which can be higher in the earlier years, do not get any support from many teachers when they enter school. The gap widens – it will widen in any case with any child with Down's syndrome, as I know as a parent - but will also widen because less individual attention will be given to the child. As Ms Buckley mentioned, the type of teaching given to the child is paramount at the stage in question. Proper training is required for teachers who know what they are doing and who know how to deal with behavioural issues, which are very rife at the start of a child's years in school and when they move into a new environment. The children need lots of help with literacy and numeracy. Teachers and teaching assistants have to be trained properly. I agree with Ms Buckley that the way to address our big SNA problem is to develop a system with good teaching assistants who can be put to work in the best interest of the child.