Mr. Lewis Purser:

Yes. Questions were raised about the recently launched NCCA reform process. The universities are supportive of it. Obviously, it is still in its infancy, but we understand it to be moving forward cautiously and trying to develop evidence and a coherent approach in order to bring stakeholders with it. Rushing anything in the current environment would be a mistake, but there is already a great deal of good practice in the system that we need to bring to the surface, make people more aware of, and with the concept of which we need to make them more comfortable.

Interesting and important work will come out of the NCCA's detailed consultation with the 40 schools, which I understand should be representative of the second level system across the country. The NCCA will take those findings, put together a series of proposals and hold a second broad public consultation, which will point the way forward.

The universities contribute to all the NCCA's senior cycle subject development groups and are pleased to do so but, as Mr. Browne mentioned, new subjects are coming on stream and are presenting exciting developments, for example, computer science, new languages, and politics and society, which are moving away from some of our older understandings of what the leaving certificate looks like. There are models in the new subjects that could be adapted into some of the more traditional subjects.

A number of committee members mentioned the transitions reform process. A part of the rationale for reforming the leaving certificate grading system was to provide a little extra space at each grade band to allow scope for innovation in the system and a broader set of assessment options when the time comes. Under the previous grading system, the transparency of the leaving certificate required students to be exactly aware of what they needed or could have got, so the pressure was ratcheted up even further when they were close to a different grade. With broader grade bands, there is scope within them to innovate, for teachers to use their best professional competences and judgment and for the State Examinations Commission to build on that. We have put in place the parameters for many exciting things to happen over the next five years. I agree with Deputy O'Sullivan that it would be a pity to lose that opportunity.