Mr. Adam Harris:

On appeals, a concern we have is that the deadline is in March. Many of our children do not get school places until the summer months. Families hold on waiting to see if they will get a special class place before accepting a place in mainstream. We are seeing a rise in that. What is also concerning about the guidelines, which Deputy Clarke brought to my attention, is that, for example, for an autistic girl who may be diagnosed in fifth or sixth class, the guidelines make very clear that the emerging need or identified need that previously perhaps existed will not be seen as a grounds for an exceptional review. That misunderstands how the receipt of a diagnosis can impact on a child and their support needs.

On data, while we recognise nothing is being taken out of the system, it is purely historical data now relating to complex needs. We see literacy and numeracy as a very limited predictor in understanding complex needs in the classroom.