Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

If I miss something, the Senator can come back to me.

I absolutely acknowledge the importance of CSPE. I just want to point out that while it is not an exam subject, there is a current increase to 100 hours allocation on our timetables for CSPE. It is part of the well-being framework in our schools as well. However, that is just one tool, if you like, or subject area in terms of addressing equality, gender balance and issues of that nature. We also have included the work that we do on STEM in our schools and the significant programmes that we are running, as I referenced earlier, that have proven to be very successful around the STEM passport for inclusion, as well as the work that we are doing with Science Foundation Ireland and all of that. CSPE is just one of those. I do not believe it has to be an exam subject to be successful and well delivered within the school.

Specifically, the Senator asked about our inspectorate and their training in terms of when they go out into the schools. There is an ongoing programme of internal training of inspectorate. We have a very effective inspectorate. As I pointed out, their scope is being widened all the time in terms of what they are capturing within our schools, which is positive. I referenced that their domain now stretches to include practices around anti-bullying and oversight in the STEM programmes that we have in our schools. Specifically, what they do when they go into a school is look at patterns of uptake and what is working well in one place that could be transferred to another in terms of student uptake of particular types of subjects, which would include gender and how many students of a particular gender are taking a particular subject, or whatever the case might be.