Mr. Humphrey Jones:

No. I actually studied the combined physics and chemistry course myself when I did my leaving cert because, due to my timetable, I could not do all three separately. I was able to do the combined course and biology. I found it as a fantastic foundation for me going into a third-level science degree. It did not dumb science down. It is quite an academic course that goes into the fundamentals of each of the two subjects.

For the junior cycle course, we have a course that is a mile wide and an inch deep; that is the reality. Again, it is not outcomes based. Because there are no definitive prescriptions of what we want our pupils to know and understand by the end of the three-year cycle, teachers find it very difficult to create meaningful teaching opportunities for their pupils. Both courses are chalk and cheese, to be honest. What pupils do in physics and chemistry in the junior cycle course does not prepare them for the leaving certificate. That is a big concern.