Ms Teresa Griffin:

We published our proposed new model in the past month and the Minister undertook to engage in consultation with the teaching unions immediately. We recommended that time be taken to ensure further consultation. We consulted quite widely and went back to various groups about our model. It is a change and that is difficult to manage. We did not want a model that would send a shock through the system and cause a great deal of upset and concern. We recommended that the Minister take time to consult further with the various educational partners to make sure that when or if the model was introduced, there would be broad consensus behind it. The last thing anybody wants, especially parents, and the children, is deficiency in the resourcing model. For our model to work it is important that everybody work together to ensure it is put into place as quickly and smoothly as possible, which would reduce anxiety among parents and students.

That is one of the reasons for recommending change, to ensure that resources would be available in the school, based on the educational profile of each school to help a child who everybody knew had difficulties. We are not saying that children do not need to be assessed. We believe absolutely that it is appropriate for children to be assessed but that is to inform the teaching and learning rather than just to drive the diagnosis of disability. We accept recommendations from appropriately qualified people for the allocation of resources. If one has a private diagnosis and it meets the appropriate criteria, for example, for autism, we accept that and allocate resources.