Ms Nuala Ward:

We absolutely believe that English additional language supports should be adequately resourced, but we are concerned that children become the conduit for speaking on behalf of their parents. There has to be additional support for parents to learn English. I know the ETBs, as Mr. Henderson referenced, are doing considerable work in regional areas. However, that should be supplemented with interpreter services in order that parents can make informed decisions and choices about their children's education. A couple of years ago, we did a consultation with children living in direct provision. While I know we are speaking about Ukrainian children, the children living in direct provision spoke to us about their experiences of our education system in schools. What they told us was that they would like for there to be greater intercultural awareness and training for teachers in order that teachers have a greater insight into where children are coming from. That would help them to integrate into the school community. It would be very helpful if that could be brought beyond English-language support even though, of course, that support is of critical importance for communication.