Ms Helen Walsh:

I thank the Senator for the question. The whole sector is subject to teacher shortages and teacher recruitment issues and the NCSE is no different in that space. In an ideal world, would we like to fully be able to embrace inclusive education through our adviser service? Absolutely, that is the case. It depends on the model being offered, however. What AsIAm is offering is very different from, but complementary to, what our advisers offer. The Senator is aware of practices relating to inclusive pedagogy and sustained support. Those are different models of service provision to the school sector. We have to acknowledge that while our advisers go out and support schools, possibly on a one-to-one basis, they equally support in communities of practice. NEPS supports in communities of practice. I could talk about sustained supports until the cows come home in the context of the level of intense support teachers need in order to change practice and build their own capacity. I, too, am a recovering post-primary teacher. In that space, the needs of the sector are intense and the response must be varied. In an ideal world, would we be providing the full comprehensive suite of resources to schools? I would like to say that we could. Ideally, the NCSE could do that and would have a sufficient number of advisers to do it. I see this as a service that is complementary to what we already do, however.