Dr. Debbie Ging:

Briefly in response to Deputy Murphy's point about gender inequality that has to be core, particularly to any training initiatives. There needs to be an awareness that not only is the programme often delivered differently but also of how the wider school processes of gender socialisation contribute to many of the problems that we are experiencing with regard to certain views on consent, or to the issue of girls feeling more responsible or being trained for particular behaviours that boys are not. As Dr. Saidléar mentioned, these are parts of what many children and parents feel as the norm. How do we advance a progressive curriculum when we are still grappling with problematic gender norms? A whole-school approach is probably the only way to make those incompatibilities work together.

With regard to the question on religious ethos, I concur entirely that the Education Act 1998 must be amended.