Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers. Senator O'Reilly would like him to outline the continuing professional development provided to teachers to enable them to identify and support gifted and talented students in our education system.

Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, who, I can only imagine, was a both gifted and talented student himself. I acknowledge the long and dedicated work of a former Member of the Seanad and a personal friend of mine, Dr. Fidelma Healy Eames in this area of identifying and supporting gifted children and helping them to blossom. Her seminal work in this area, The Gifted Learner: How to Help, was a trailblazer and has been very important.

Gifted and talented students are a frequently overlooked, yet critical, component of our educational system. These students account for up to 10% of our population and attend every school in Ireland. Despite their potential, they are one of the most underserved and vulnerable cohorts in our schools today. According to research, gifted students who are not appropriately identified and nurtured can have serious mental health problems, such as depression, substance addiction and even suicidal ideation. This stark truth emphasises the significance of treating their needs seriously.

The Acting Chairman is a neighbour of mine. I am very proud that in Breifne College, Cavan, a wonderful scheme has long been ongoing to identify and support gifted children. The initiative, which is supported by the principal, Breege Reilly, and co-ordinated by a member of the teaching staff, Alma, has been very well received and featured on "Nationwide" recently. This is a testament to how Cavan, as usual, is ahead of the curve. The programme not only recognises the potential in these students but actively nurtures it. It is setting an example for what can be achieved with the appropriate support, and there is a need for a postholder and timetabling to support him or her in dealing with gifted children, which is one of my asks, for which Breifne College is the case in point.

Continuing professional development for teachers is critical in this regard, which is the second of my asks. Teachers are on the front line of recognising and supporting exceptional pupils, yet they may lack the necessary skills to identify them. They require extensive training to assist them in understanding and meeting the various needs of these pupils. This includes the capacity to detect underachieving gifted individuals, as well as those who are doubly exceptional, namely, brilliant students who might have a learning disability, such as dyslexia. These pupils frequently go undetected because their limitations obscure their skills. Nevertheless, with adequate training, teachers can learn to look past these barriers and help these youngsters thrive. Our system must ensure gifted children are neither forgotten nor overlooked. Many of these adolescents lose interest in school because they are not pushed or recognised for their ability. They require a curriculum that is not only accelerated but also rich in chances for practical application and creative expression.They require intellectual companions who share their interests, provide challenges and engage their natural curiosity. In that regard, I must compliment Dr. Colm O'Reilly and the team in DCU, where the Centre for Talented Youth, Ireland, CTYI, is based.

The OECD confirms the Irish situation in an international context. Our rate of gifted children is 10%, which is a very high percentage. Yet, ten in every 100 are at the moment not adequately catered for. Parents can play an important role as the champions and supporters of these children, and that is happening in Breifne College. We need to bridge the gap between these parents in the schools and have them involved in the programmes. That has to be part of the training of the teachers.

I am asking the Minister of Education to consider implementing a comprehensive, continuous professional development strategy that focuses on recognising, understanding and supporting gifted and talented kids. This should include teachers with a designated post of responsibility within schools to maintain continuity and focus on gifted education, as well as the resources and the time required for instructors to effectively engage with these pupils. By doing so, we can help our brilliant students reach their full potential and receive the education and assistance they deserve.

I look forward to the response by the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers. I know he will be relaying the response from the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley. It is critical that the Minister, Deputy Foley, knows this must be given priority.

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate Sentator Joe O'Reilly raising this important issue. I am taking this on behalf of the Minister for Education who was not available this morning. I thank the Senator for raising this and allowing me the opportunity to outline the provisions that are in place to support gifted and talented students.

Our students are among the top performers, as seen in international testing, but it is acknowledged that we need to strengthen our focus on the gifted and talented or exceptionally able students. To this end, the Department of Education proposes to develop a policy which will set out how we will further support these learners. Ireland’s Literacy, Numeracy and Digital Literacy Strategy 2024­2033, which was published yesterday, highlights the importance of the need for students with exceptional abilities. One of the key challenges for the Department in conjunction with other stakeholders is to ensure that exceptionally able learners are identified at an early stage and are challenged and supported appropriately, particularly in the areas of literacy, numeracy and digital literacy. The provision of education for children with additional educational needs is a priority for Government and that is reflected in the allocation of €2.7 billion to support special education and inclusive education. That is at the core of the Department's policy, which requires differentiated teaching approaches to cater for the varying levels of ability in the classroom, to provide additional supports to those experiencing difficulty and to ensure the appropriate levels of challenge and enrichment for exceptionally able students.

The Education Act 1998 requires boards of management of each school to publish the policy of the school relating to participation by students with special educational needs, including students who are exceptionally able. It is the duty of the boards of management to ensure that appropriate education services are made available to such students. Schools at both primary and secondary levels have been encouraged to use strategies such as curriculum differentiation, curriculum enrichment and acceleration to facilitate the development of pupils who are exceptionally able.

The new primary curriculum framework sets out a fresh vision for children's learning that is characterised by playfulness, creativity, challenge, risk-taking and opportunity to reasoning and solving real-life problems. As the full redevelopment of the curriculum progresses, new curriculum specifications will be developed by the NCCA for the five curriculum areas and their associated subjects, which will be available for the school year 2025-2026.

Syllabi and curricula for second-level schools have been designed in such a way as to enable teachers to cater for a wide range of student abilities. Content is outlined in the curricula at both levels and the process is also heavily emphasised. Enabling children how to learn is stressed and facilitated. The development of language skills, investigatory and problem-solving skills, higher-order thinking skills and working individually and as a member of a group, are all encouraged at both levels.

The new junior cycle framework incorporated a modernised curriculum across all subjects in a balanced range of assessment modes that provide a learner experience that is appropriate to the needs of the 21st century. It provides students with learning opportunities to strike a better balance between learning, knowledge, and developing a wide range of skills and thinking abilities. In addition, the National Council for Special Education, NSCE, has advised that while it offered professional teaching and learning on a collective basis over past years, take-up was low, so it now provides advisory support directly to schools that require support and an individual basis. Furthermore, schools can apply for in-school supports where professional learning leaders will respond to the contextual needs of the school and its learners.

It is recognised that students are diverse. Through the provision of a wide range of supports for teachers, they are supported to examine and develop teaching and learning approaches that meet the needs of all learners, including gifted and talented students. There is also bespoke, on-site, school-based support, which allows teachers and school leaders to respond directly to the needs of all learners in their own unique context.

Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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Right on time. That was exactly four minutes. You have great timing. I ask Senator O'Reilly to make his concluding remarks.

Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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I want to say respectfully to the Minister of State that I am heartened by his saying that this issue has been incorporated into a policy statement that was published yesterday. There is an onus on boards of management and the primary curriculum is new in this regard. I agree with the Minister of State about the differentiated teaching approaches.

However, I say respectfully to the Minister of State that all of this is a theoretical framework. It is there in writing but, truthfully, in reality in schools across this country, there is not an adequate focus on this 10% of children. They are potentially the leaders of our country. They will lead the economy. They will lead every facet of our society and, indeed, the world. While we have a theoretical framework, we do not have it in reality, but I am proud that we have that reality in Breifne College in Cavan.

Can the Minister of State please bring this issue to the Cabinet and Minister of Education? We need a proactive approach by the Department of Education. We need every school to be like Breifne College. We need every second-level school in Ireland to focus on this cohort of children. Of course, there is rightly a big focus on the weaker students, who are an absolute priority. That is something we do well. We need to do it even better and we need to keep doing it. Yet, I am speaking about something we are not doing well regarding the top 10% of students. I respect the Minister of State's response, as well as his sincerity, but we need to get this practical expression on the ground.

Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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You never lost your good múinteoir ability, Senator O'Reilly.

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator. I will reflect the feedback and perspectives he has given on the success of what is happening in Breifne College, Cavan, as well as the need to make sure all children and young people are given the opportunity to thrive based on their ability. The Senator's point is that we must mainstream that in a much more significant and substantive way within our education system.

In the context of my taking this Commencement matter on her behalf, the Minister has set out to me that we have a framework that enables that. Yet, the Senator's point is about the outworking of that in schools and how they do it on a practical basis. I will reflect the points the Senator raised today to the Minister. We must ensure that everyone in our classroom, including those who need exceptional levels of support and everyone else, can fulfill their opportunity within the education system. I will bring that to her attention and I appreciate the Senator for raising this today.