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At the invitation of Minister O’Sullivan, the unions outlined their concerns in relation to aspects of the proposed reforms, while underlining teacher support for reforms that will lead to better outcomes for students. The engagement was welcomed by all sides, and the meeting concluded with agreement to reconvene in mid-October.

Commenting after the meeting, Minister O’Sullivan said “I want to welcome the positive engagement I had with both ASTI and TUI this morning. All sides recognised that reform has begun with the introduction of a revised English specification in all schools last week, but that further work is required to reach agreement on the overall reforms.”

I will use the coming weeks to reflect on the concerns which were raised by teacher representatives, and to consider what different forms of engagement might be considered to facilitate an overall agreement between the two sides.”