Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank all of the delegates for their presentations. Mr. Harris has said we need to "ensure that this is a universal experience" and pointed out that "inclusion should not be optional." I would be interested in hearing the views of others on that matter. I agree with Deputy Thomas Byrne that some schools seem to be reluctant. I do not think it is just about not having enough space. Inclusion is really important.

I have a lot of experience of being in special classes. Some schools are so welcoming and do it so well. I ask the representatives of the management bodies if they have a system that allows experiences to be shared. I can think of one or two really good principals who love having special classes and integrate them very well into their schools. They are very enthusiastic, but, unfortunately, there are others who resist in one way or another. I know that the management bodies have annual conferences. Do they encourage, at those forums or elsewhere, peer learning to facilitate principals who embrace special classes in encouraging other principals to do likewise? We need to get to a point where we will not have a shortage of places. In some cases, parents have to travel to get to a school that has a special class. Ms Dempsey might have a view on this interesting area.

I do not normally refer to my time as Minister, but I would like to mention that when I went to a school in Waterford in my previous role, a parent asked me to tell everyone to stop using the word "unit". I think all of the delgates have referred to that matter. I was delighted to see that all of the language was about "classes", which is very positive.

Ms Griffin has mentioned that very few children move from special classes or schools to mainstream schools. Would anyone else like to comment on this? Ms Corr might respond to the related point that special schools are, by and large, considered to be primary schools, even when they have post-primary students. Is there a way around this? It sometimes means that children who attend these schools have no access to the breadth of subjects available. Could they be linked with the nearest secondary school or something like it? It seems that an imaginative way of dealing with the issue needs to be found. If the number of children in the post-primary part of the special school is relatively small, it can be difficult to have enough teachers to cover a broad range of subjects.

I could ask all sorts of practical question, but I will leave it at that.