Ms Arlene Forster:

It was a point that featured in the review. It is fair to say it is something we - when I say "we" I mean as a society - hold as being very important throughout our education system because we see this emphasis on a broad and balanced educational experience, right from early years, through primary and on through post-primary to the end of senior cycle. I would reference two things on the Deputy's point about critical thinking and creative thinking. In 2008, when the NCCA published the five key skills for senior cycle, all the subject specifications that were either reviewed and updated, and the new specifications that have been developed - there are new subjects as part of senior cycle provision in more recent years - all build on the five key skills of senior cycle. There is an emphasis on creative and critical thinking as part of that specification work in the past ten to 14 years. Ms O'Connor spoke about eight guiding principles that emerged from the review of senior cycle as being very important now to guide our thinking and our work as we redevelop senior cycle. As part of those eight guiding principles, there is an emphasis on that critical, creative thinking. That would very much to the fore in all the NCCA's work on curriculum specifications, whether that is to do with subjects, modules, units of work or whatever the curriculum components consist of.