Ms Arlene Forster:

I will begin. In regard to the Minister and the timelines that she has asked the NCCA and the SEC to work to, she has asked us to be ready to work with a network of schools in September 2024. She has identified an initial set of subjects she wants us to focus on. Those schools obviously need two years to work through those specifications. We then need the data and the feedback from teachers, students, parents and school leaders. From the Minister’s timelines, she sees 2027 as the point at which we have all of that data and feedback to enable us then to take that on board as we in the NCCA continue to work on the different specifications as modules. On a more overarching point about timelines - we see this internationally as well - there is often a perception that curriculum development, curriculum change and assessment change in Ireland are very slow. When you compare the overall timelines that we work to with those internationally, you find that they are on a par. When you look at something as complex, central and critical as senior cycle, it takes time to work through these different issues in detail, particularly in view of the fact that we give so much attention, and rightly so, to the experience of schools on the ground. That takes time. In the context of the Minister’s announcement on the timeline she has asked us to work to, 2024 and 2027 are key dates.