Ms Breda Corr:

That school is in Cork. It operates for students aged 12 to 18 years, so it is distinct. It does not cater for younger children.

Senator Ruane asked about training. Mr. Harris goes into schools to talk to pupils, but teachers often need to know what to look out for. They might not know that a student has Asperger's syndrome. Similar to Senator Ruane, I have known a person who was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome at age 16 but the principal of the school did not tell the other teachers the pupil had been diagnosed. It is almost exactly the same story as that recounted by Senator Ruane, and it created a very difficult situation for that student. I would love to see whole-school training, but it would involve closing the school. If the teachers have to access training, they have to be substituted for, which, as we all know, is impossible at the moment. That makes it extremely difficult, especially in special education. To attend the courses funded by the Department, which are advertised by way of a circular early in the school year, a teacher must be teaching in special education. One cannot apply for it unless one is teaching in special education, even if one wants to.

I can speak about the escorts at another stage. The problem with the bus escorts is that they are employed by the school. As a part-time job that is paid by the hour, it can be difficult to find suitable applicants. Furthermore, escorts receive no training. We are working closely with the Department on that issue.