Mr. Shane O'Connor:

We thank the Chair for inviting us here today and for the opportunity to present our research project Assessing the Impact of Second-Level Education on Key Aspects of Adolescents’ Life and Development and to contribute to this very valuable discussion of the progression of STEM in Irish education.

The perspective that we can provide is as students ourselves and from our research.

Throughout the past three years of conducting this research, one of the main aims of our study on the impact of secondary school on the experiences of students was for it to translate into actual policies implemented at a grassroots level. To provide some context on the study itself, our research was conducted over the years 2020, 2021 and 2022, focusing on the impact of second level education on students' social development, physical health and mental well-being as well as gauging the impact of remote learning. Undoubtedly, each of these areas influences a student's learning abilities and the optimisation of the school experience is vital in strengthening the value that students reap from their time in school. Many of our key findings present tangible opportunities for growth and improvement within the education system.

Mental well-being is a topic of discussion in many classrooms across the country. This is evident in the volume of opinions on the matter from both students and teachers. Students who are likely to report a negative impact of secondary school on their mental health are females, senior cycle students and students in single-sex female schools. While it is evident that mental health is something that teachers and students are acutely aware of, 72.8% of students indicate that they do not receive educational guidance on their mental health within the school environment and 33% of teachers believe that their schools do not take action to support students' mental health. Students and teachers most frequently cite practical well-being classes as a possible improvement that could be made. While both parties are aware of the literature available on the topic, they feel a more practical application of this knowledge would be the most productive approach.

Social development was undoubtedly the most positively rated area among students and teachers. Being with friends and socialising were the most frequently cited positive aspects of second level education. While the proportion of students who believed that second level negatively impacted their social development and interaction was in the supreme minority, these students felt that excessive homework and exam pressure were limiting factors.

In terms of physical health, males had a much more positive outlook on the impact of second level on their physical health versus their female peers. In several cases, focus group results showed a severe lack of physical education, PE, classes in many single-sex female schools. This is reflected by the low ratings from these students. Another key area we wish to highlight is the dropout rate in sports. Some 13% of students dropped the majority of their physical activities while in secondary school. Most strikingly, 85.9% of these students dropped their activities during junior cycle, with the majority doing so in first year.

One of the most inspiring results from this research came from a studied mixed DEIS school where simple, informal and short lunch-time physical activities resulted in this group of students moving from the lowest rating in terms of physical health to the second most positive in year 2, with the trend continuing in year 3. Physical health is strongly correlated with social interaction and mental health. Correspondingly, when the students in this school improved in terms of physical health, so, too, did their social interaction, social development and mental well-being. This displays that simple actions from school management and leaders can often have exponential benefits for the student experience.

I will now pass over to Liam.