Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Burton has raised a few issues. There is no doubt that this is a very important area. We need to look more deeply at its impact and at the quantity and quality, and that is why this review is being carried out. At the moment we have 206,000 CPD deliveries, which is up by 23% in the last four or five years. It includes substantial elements for new teachers, including induction under Droichead. It has special education, curricular support and the junior cycle. It also has school leadership as a significant element, with a new centre for school leadership. I share the Deputy's view that transitions are absolutely crucial, and we should look more closely at those transitions between pre-school and primary and between primary and secondary. Those are points where children can get lost in the system. The purpose of the review of the curriculum the NCCA is talking about is to see if we can better aligned those, both at the start and end of primary education, to ensure that children make those transitions more successfully. I agree with the upskilling of our teaching workforce in a time of very rapid change in education. The advent of technology and the power that can have to change the learning environment is an area we need to focus on and get good value from.

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