Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the delegation from the Department and the NCSE and thank them for their presentations. As witnesses alluded to, the journey began in 2013 with the former Minister, Ruairí Quinn, and I was in the clock tower when we heard one of the first presentations on the new model. I commend the former Minister for his ambition to grasp this nettle. It is a very difficult issue.

The previous committee reviewed the model and invited delegations from the Department and other bodies to appear before it. There was a universal welcome from members, the unions and parents' councils, and other organisations were all very supportive. It is a very good news story and a positive development in the education field. The Department and the NCSE, in particular, can be enormously proud of the work they have done on behalf of children with special learning needs. They have progressed very far with very little anxiety having been created among parents and teachers so far.

That said, there has been some anxiety, of which the witnesses are well aware. Teachers in particular have expressed anxiety. As politicians, we had to face many groups through the INTO. Different schools were called in to express their fears. Change is always difficult. What were the negative aspects of the pilot scheme? Witnesses alluded to the positive aspects, of which there are many. What aspects of the programme are the Department and NCSE considering changing based on the pilot scheme?

In the clock tower all those years ago, I referred to standardised testing. It is funny how teachers regarded it as a punishment. If children attain a STEN of eight, nine or whatever, teachers saw that as leading to a punishment and that resources would be taken away. There is no accounting for how people will react. There is no standardised testing for junior or senior infant classes - I understand it only begins in first class. How does the scheme adapt to junior and senior infant pupils and prepare for their needs? Standardised testing, which they are not covered by, is one of the fundamental models of the allocation system.

The backbone of this is teacher training. From my time as a principal and teacher, I always had a policy that sometimes less can be more. By their very nature, parents want more and more resources. The reality is that in some schools teachers who find it difficult to teach can end up teaching resource classes. Children in mainstream classes may have a very good classroom teacher. Attending too many outside classes is not always the best for children. I was delighted to see that 63% of children with autism are in mainstream classes, which is very positive and encouraging.

The heartbeat of this programme will be teacher training. How far have the training colleges come, since my day, in addressing special needs learning? How confident are the witnesses that the professional development for teachers is adequate?