Ms Rosemary Steen:

There was a lot there. I welcome the Chair’s comments and the fact that the centre was included in the terms of reference and the discussion the committee set about at the beginning. There was a recognition that we were doing something unique and special in the centre.

The board absolutely wants to see the success of Middletown influence the development of the education system in both jurisdictions. We think it is important that the learnings of a child-centred neurodiverse-friendly approach are taken. That lies at the core of this matter. I will not comment on the details of the models.

In regard to the recommendations we would like to make, we have a board meeting next week. We might take that matter back to our board and discuss it formally. A number of our board members have tuned in online today. If it is okay, we might take that query back to them.

This committee is a shining light of hope for the autism community in Ireland because change is likely to happen as a result of its report. We would welcome seeing the model that is unique on this island in terms of best practice recommended in the report. That is something our board would support. We are happy to come back with more detailed recommendations post the board meeting. I will ask the chief executive and his colleagues to comment on the operational aspects of the school model.