Mr. Michael Gillespie:

The Teachers Union of Ireland, representing teachers across second level schools and centres, welcomes the opportunity to address the committee on senior cycle redevelopment. While supportive of progressive educational reform and the underlying principles of innovation, equity and enhanced student experience, the TUI expresses serious concern about the pace, planning and implementation of the current redevelopment process. While reform is necessary and overdue, it must be coherent, adequately resourced and inclusive.

The TUI reaffirms its support for a modernised, student-centred senior cycle that fosters critical thinking, creativity and real-world skills. However, the accelerated nature of the roll-out threatens to compromise both quality and equity. Without adequate time, resources and professional development, the potential benefits of reform could be lost. Reforms must ensure consistency of opportunity for all students, regardless of school type, location or socioeconomic status. The TUI fears that the reforms, without the required preparation and resourcing, will amplify disparities between well-resourced schools and those that already face challenges. We further stress that assessment reform must be meaningful. Additional assessment components, which will count for 40% of student grades at a minimum, should measure skills that cannot be captured in written exams. Otherwise, they risk being tokenistic and may distort the purpose of assessment reform.

The TUI acknowledges progress achieved through negotiations with the Department of Education and Youth, notably the implementation support measures package accepted by members in May 2025. Clear mechanisms will be developed for the authentication of coursework. The increased science grants are now annual and long overdue. There are new AP I and AP II posts of responsibility, with time alleviation, to strengthen leadership in schools. There are dedicated posts for supporting level 1 and level 2 programmes at senior cycle. There is a rebalanced, high-trust approach to Croke Park hours, giving teachers greater professional autonomy. Delays in the roll-out of English and accounting reforms allow more preparation time, though TUI remains concerned that science is proceeding too quickly. There are bonus marks for students completing subjects through Irish. There is a right to a contract of indefinite duration for teachers after one year. While these measures represent meaningful progress, their success depends on adequate resourcing, consultation and genuine follow-through. We must ensure that these supports do not become symbolic rather than transformative.

Despite the progress, the TUI identifies a series of serious, unresolved challenges. Training has been rushed and overly generic. Teachers of the nine tranche 1 subjects, particularly in the sciences, feel unprepared, with training seen as top-down and not addressing practical questions. On programme integration, poor integration between the new senior cycle and existing programmes such as transition year or the leaving certificate applied risks fragmentation and loss of valuable pathways for students. On infrastructure deficits, many schools, especially rural, stand-alone and disadvantaged ones, lack the basic infrastructure, such as science labs, IT capacity and classroom space, to deliver the reformed curriculum effectively. On assessment and artificial intelligence, a one-size-fits-all model of 40% AACs does not suit every subject. The impact of AI on coursework integrity has not been addressed. The State Examinations Commission needs time and clear policy direction, especially around this issue. On equity and inclusion, pressure on the remaining 60% written exam may heighten student stress, undermining inclusion and well-being. Non-mainstream settings such as Youthreach and prison education have been overlooked entirely in the reform. On workload and well-being, teachers already face unsustainable workloads, large class sizes, work intensification and increased bureaucracy, leading to burnout and early retirement. The senior cycle redevelopment roll-out, unless properly managed, will exacerbate these issues. On funding shortfalls, while €12 million in science funding is welcome, it is far below the level required for meaningful reform. Schools also need flexibility in how they can allocate these resources.

The TUI urges comprehensive, subject-specific CPD delivered in a timely, relevant and consultative manner; significant investment in physical and digital infrastructure to enable reform; a clear and sustained focus on equity across all schools, including disadvantaged and non-mainstream settings; authentic teacher engagement in policy design through ongoing consultation; a sustainable, phased roll-out that prioritises depth and quality over speed; a tried, tested and resilient IT system capable of handling the large-scale uploading of AACs without risk of overload or technical failure, thereby ensuring fairness, consistency and confidence in the assessment process. The TUI and its members are not opposed to change, but they demand reform that is sustainable, inclusive and properly resourced. We ask the committee to ensure that senior cycle redevelopment builds upon, rather than undermines, the trust and transparency that have long characterised the Irish education system. The success of the senior cycle redevelopment will depend not on speed but on collaboration, preparation and fairness, ensuring that every student, in every school, has an equal opportunity to succeed.