Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I was interested in the point about transition year and the access. Is that to do with finances? One of the major issues we have with the education system is that it seems to differ greatly depending on what school it is and not necessarily even which county, given what we see in some cases with disability services. It is sometimes called a postcode lottery but in my experience of secondary schools, when dealing with constituents in the two counties I represent, it varies greatly. There is a terrible culture in some schools, which we probably need to call out more, whereby they feel they can do what they like and can operate on their own. In the case of some of the policies I have heard described, we would have to wonder how they become a policy. Particularly in the context of transition year, will the witnesses expand on that and the types of complaints? The cost of transition year is an issue that arises frequently and it is not possible for some children because of the cost. I was interested that the witnesses had singled out transition year.