Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank our guests for coming in today to discuss this matter and the work they put into their presentations. In particular, I thank the National Council for Special Education for the work that has gone into these proposals. I would like to follow up the presentations by asking a few questions. Can the representatives of the National Council for Special Education give some more information on the sort of timeline that will be required when this is being introduced? Is it expected that all of this will be introduced at once? Ms Dempsey mentioned the need for testing. How does she envisage that this will be done? Does she think testing will be required across the board before this is introduced?

It has been indicated that the baseline allocation will be 15%. Can the witnesses outline how they expect the allocation to break down between the three components that will considered when a decision is made on a school's application - the level of special educational need in the school, the social profiling of the school and the standardised testing? In general, what type of balance are we talking about at this stage? Mr. Goff of the Irish Primary Principals Network mentioned the social profiling element of this process, which is the subject of a great deal of concern among teachers. I know from talking to principals, in particular, that they are worried about the profiling they have been asked to do in recent weeks. They have been asked to say how many people have medical cards and to provide financial details. The vast majority of the people to whom I have spoken are not in a position to access that type of information. They do not feel it is fair to ask them to get it. Most of them guessed what the correct details might be. One principal told me he had given an honest assessment even though he suspected his school might have got a higher allocation if his estimates had suggested there is more disadvantage in the school. It is very unfair to ask principals to engage in this profiling. They are being put under pressure to adjust their guesses in a way that might bring their schools closer to the disadvantaged category. Other than asking the school principals to act in this way, is there any other way of establishing these facts? As I have said, I do not think it is fair to do it in this way.