Ms Helen O'Donoghue:

I concur with Mr. Carney on assessment for the arts. I would add that there will be many people in teacher training, particularly at primary school level, who will attend third level college without having had an experience of arts education because of the value system that unfortunately permeates society. It is not in our schools but in society. We have a recommendation about public conversations. The Senator mentioned issues around older people such as the understanding campaign around dementia. As a society, we need to understand how vital the arts are and they should not be assessed purely as part of a points system so that people can trust them. Parents would be able trust that their children will have a fully engaged and participative role in society if and when they engage in the arts. It is particularly critical with the primary school sector.

The Senator asked if we really worked together. We do really work together and there is good evidence of it. As I said, primary school teachers can enter the classroom without having had a formative experience of the arts at second level. However, when we work in collaboration as was described here, we can provide support for those teachers through continuing professional development and alignments of the arts and educational organisations.

The portal is about accessing information. The Arts in Education portal under the Arts in Education charter is a go-to space where people can have conversations about what is happening. People need to feel endorsed in what they believe in and the practice that they are practising. They also need to know where to go if they want to find peers and engage in continuing professional development.