Mr. Paul Rolston:

The bottom line on the calculated grading system is that the vast majority of people have bought into it. Everybody has bought into the options. I should say that the vast majority of people have done so because there are those that either option does not suit or it is difficult for them. In the crisis, the solution sought was hammered out among the Department, the parents, the students and all partners in education to try to come up with a system whereby there was a reasonable and a fair reflection of a student's work so that they could make progress on to the next phase of their lives. There is reasonable confidence in it but the bottom line is that when it comes out the far side, it is still not delivered yet so we are still awaiting the calculated grades. There is reasonable accommodation in that if the students are not happy with the calculated grades they can take a seat at an examination but the knock-on effect of that is that effectively they might have to move their third level course on to the following year and lose out on a year. In a crisis, those things happen. Ultimately, when the calculated grades system comes through, as when the leaving certificate results and points come through, there is a facility for appeal. We were adamant that a robust and transparent appeal system would be in place should any student wish to appeal. That process will still have to go through.

Having said that, in the broader picture, in senior cycle review there has been a movement away from rote learning and the requirement to teach students to learn. That has identified the importance of the home and school, parent and school link and support for the student in his or her holistic learning. Covid has been-----