Mr. Páiric Clerkin:

This is another important issue. I noted the Deputy’s comment that teachers and school leaders have been working extremely hard since the school buildings were closed. An awful lot of that work was unseen. They worked to try to keep these vulnerable children engaged with the education system. That meant one-to-one interaction in some cases where it was possible to do so. That interaction involved making contact to families and calling to families and they were constantly on the phone to ensure it was possible to keep those vulnerable children engaged with the education system. That work has been a priority for all of the schools. This will be a challenge when we return to school.

There will need to be a focus to ensure that at we have the resources in place through our dedicated teachers and special educational needs teachers so that we can give the support required to these children. The flexibility I have spoken about is required to ensure that we can do that.