Mr. John Kearney:

I thank the Deputy. I will begin on some of the queries on the professional development of teaching staff. It is the starting point to bringing in the necessary change, the development of leadership and the teaching and learning development capacity in a school. For many years, it is decades at this stage, the Department has been supporting staff in participating in up-to-date professional development courses at graduate level, particularly at St. Angela's College in Sligo. There is also the progression to the masters programme that is envisaged. We have been reflecting and developing our own portfolio in a range of programmes on sensory, communication, interaction, assessment planning and curriculum access aspects of autistic programme development. An area we have particularly targeted is supporting the continuing professional development of special needs assistants. I will invite my colleague, Ms Prendeville, to elaborate more on this. Before that, I want to tell the Deputy I concur with her on the importance of the summer programme. The Department has very much been leading to it, with regard to its development, enhancement and roll-out.