Ms Andrea Feeney:

To clarify, the number being accommodated under the scheme is 36,000 of 140,000. Those with dyslexia are included in the cohort accommodated on grounds of learning difficulty, which represents about 70% or 25,000 of the 36,000. There was a lot of focus in the earlier discussion on what is not incorporated in the scheme, but a huge number of students - more than one in four - are being provided with access and support arrangements in taking the certificate examinations with the variety of accommodations I mentioned.

On additional time, I spoke to the Joint Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen in May 2024 and was asked at that stage how long the review would take. I said two to three years, which was an honest answer at that time. We have made great progress on the scheme and we had a pilot on additional time for 2025 for students who are vision impaired. It was the first significant change made to additional time in over 20 years. We have put our bona fides out about what we are capable of doing within the review. We are not waiting for a big bang at the end. Our 2026 RACE instructions will issue to schools next week. They will not include a specific change on additional time, but we are looking at what we can do on a pilot basis for 2026.