Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is the aidhm. That is the objective, in as far as possible if the student can access that. If an exemption has been given previously, it has been given on the strength of two years of intervention and working with the student. There is an ultimate recognition that the student is particularly challenged in this area and that it is creating certain difficulties in not allowing them to access that subject or perhaps even the wider curriculum. That is when that decision is made. However, every effort is made, recognising that individual students have individual needs, to allow the student to participate in a class as far as possible. It is probably much easier to do that at primary level than at post-primary. For example, the child could be involved in all the activities in the class. At post-primary level, should the student wish, they can be part of everything that is happening in the class but need not necessarily present for the exam or whatever the examination aspect of it is. There are also students who do not have an exemption in any subject, who will study a subject to leaving certificate level but on the day of the exam can choose not to turn in for it. That is the case whether they have an exemption or otherwise. That is not unique to Irish. That is across a variety of subjects. They study it but there is no compulsion on them actually to take the exam at the end of the day. The objective and the agenda is for students with an exemption to be part of the class, should they be in a position to access it.