Mr. Ed Byrne:

I agree to an extent with Deputy Ó Cuív. Educational sociologists have always pointed to four main issues with regard to outcomes for children. The first is parental educational achievement, that is, the child's own parents' educational achievement and how they view education. The second is community structure. Does the child come from a community that values the things that are educational? The third is family structure. The family itself is an issue, in whether there are two parents or one, whether there is a nuclear family and whether there is good support from the wider family. The fourth and biggest issue is poverty. If there is poverty, education is very difficult. If one is living hand to mouth, it is hard to come up with what may be important in the longer term.

I note something else the Deputy said regarding building, policy and demographics. At second level, there is another issue occurring. I would suggest that the voluntary secondary school sector, as in schools that were church-led, are now receiving far less resources than the newer-build ETBs and community and comprehensive schools. Therefore, they are beginning to fall into disrepair and that will have a knock-on effect on teaching and learning in those areas.