Ms Moira Leydon:

I will be brief as there is a good deal of expertise on this side of the table. There is a good deal of research on the gender issue. That research is not new; it goes back 20 years or more. Unfortunately, gender is such a complex social issue that things do not change rapidly with it. The Deputy is quite right that one of the areas affecting this is body image. It comes back also to the physical spaces. Most schools do not have showering facilities. I refer to the fetish of body image now for our young people and girls. We have spoken in other committees about the sexualisation and commercialisation of adolescence and childhood, therefore, body image is critical. That is the reason the role of educators, who are very professional people in working with young people, is equally critical. We need research but, more to the point, we need to be able to facilitate teachers to address those issues. How do we do that? We have good continuing professional development, CPD, and good school policies. It is like good architecture. When we have good architecture, good things happen. When we have good facilities such as changing rooms and mirrors to allow students put on the bit of make-up they are allowed to wear in school, it is much easier for girls to be enthusiastic.

In terms of teachers weighing students, I always say at international level that we are lucky in Ireland that our politicians do not take slick approaches to education policy. I refer to the idea in Britain that teachers would weigh a child. If I may be personal, I went to Weight Watchers once and it was a horrible experience because I had to stand up on a scales, someone weighed me and internally made a judgment about me. Can one imagine doing that to young people in front of their peers? At least the Weight Watchers person had some capacity to give me advice. What teacher will advise a young person on lifestyle? We all know that eating is not just about hunger. It is about many other issues. I would call that, and no insult to the former UK Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, as a "Govian" approach to education which we should resist with every effort here.

On the audit of physical education, PE, facilities, the new PE syllabus is exciting. Principals and teachers have come to me and said that they would love to have taken part in the pilot project but they did not have the range of physical facilities to ensure they could do the different strands. That is an area where legislators can make a significant impact because this is quite simple. If schools do not have them in their own situation they should at least be in a position to share those of other schools. That is the dimension of policy we have to examine. We need to start sharing expensive resources within our school sector. I will conclude to allow my colleagues a chance to contribute.