Ms Anne Tansey:

No, not 10%. We see a small number of children presenting with a kind of anxiety related to second language learning. It is complex because it is not just related to the learning of the language but to their own ability to communicate within it, the difficulties they might have with it and how they manage those difficulties. In NEPS, we do a lot of work in building teacher capacity to support children who present with subject-specific anxiety or anxiety related to language learning. We support them to put interventions in place. There are children who experience anxiety about the learning of second languages and Irish. They are the children we were particularly concerned about with regard to the changes that were made in the circular this time around. We were trying to capture them because we could see they were still experiencing severe anxiety, to the point where they would refuse to go to school and were refusing to engage with their learning. We have to balance the needs of the children and their opportunities to access learning with their well-being within the school setting. There is a cohort of children for whom the learning of a second language is an issue. In particular, we see a small cohort of children for whom the learning of Gaeilge is anxiety-provoking and it presents in different ways within the classroom. These are the children we have particular concerns about because it impacts on their learning and their well-being in relation to their ability to stay in school and be present in school.