Mr. Páiric Clerkin:

The Leas-Chathaoirleach asked how the system could better serve and ensure that we catered more effectively. Children must be central to all of those thoughts. I will give an example and show what can be achieved when the different parties come together and work to achieve a purpose. The summer programme for special schools has made enormous strides over the past couple of years where the partners in education have come together and focused on looking at how we can make things happen in a better way that is more supportive of the system. We have already engaged with the NCSE on how we can fill some of the gaps that we know are there in terms of supporting the schools that lack the infrastructural supports that were pointed to. We are determined to working with them.

We have had conversations with the National Parents Council on what more we can do to put appropriate supports into the system. Bringing people together can make great strides in taking on some of these challenges, because we are dealing with a very complex system.