Mr. Adam Harris:

I want to speak on reduced timetables because this is something of which we are seeing a great deal. It is fair to state that there are instances where parents are comfortable with reduced timetables, feel that it actually helps their children, and are of the view that it is better for them to go school for part of the day rather than not at all. The aspect that really concerns us is where these reduced timetables are imposed unilaterally by a school. There has been a real culture of secrecy around that and, certainly in the surveys we have done, it appears reduced timetables have been put in place in a very coercive manner, with the approach to the effect that "If you do not accept this, we will be looking at suspension or expulsion."

What came out of last week's Oireachtas committee is very important, which is that Tusla has clarified that a reduced timetable is a suspension. The question has to be asked why schools are not being written to and informed of this.