Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy's question relates to a number of matters. I do not whether she will be interested in this, but I have information on the roll-out of the reform cycle. As she knows, it is designed to provide students with learning opportunities that strike a better balance between learning knowledge and developing a wide range of skills and thinking abilities. I think the Deputy shares my belief that this is a better way to go. The implementation is being rolled out. English has already been rolled out and is coming up for examination this year for the first time. Business studies and science are now in place, and the teachers involved are benefiting from continuous professional development and are availing of professional time to support implementation. The Deputy will have seen that we made significant provision in the budget to release teachers to do such work.

Phase 3, which will begin in September 2017, will involve Irish, visual arts and modern languages, covering French, German, Spanish and Italian. The new curriculum of well-being will also be introduced at that time.

Phase 4 will begin in September 2018 and include mathematics, home economics, history, music and geography. Phase 5, beginning in 2019, includes the remaining technology subjects, religious education, Jewish studies and classics.

The first classroom-based assessment in English has taken place in TUI schools and the second is due to be completed in early December. The written assessment task is to be completed very shortly after that. It is based on the classroom-based assessment, which, as the Deputy said, is an element that will be examined by the State Examination Commission and will count for 10% of the marks.

We continue to have discussions with the ASTI within the Teachers Conciliation Council. All the issues that have been in dispute with the ASTI, including the junior certificate, are contemplated by those talks. As the Deputy knows, to date, members of the ASTI have been directed by their union not to participate in the classroom-based assessments. That continues to be the situation, but we are seeking to resolve it in the course of the present discussions.

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