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

A review of senior cycle programmes and vocational pathways is a key action in my Department’s Action Plan for Education 2016-19. This review has been commenced by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA with a view to recommending areas for development. The senior cycle review will consider all assessment approaches. Specifically, it will consider if the range of assessment approaches is most appropriate to meet the purposes of senior cycle education and the wide range of needs of students at senior cycle. In this context, assessment approaches adopted must be diverse and fit-for-purpose.

All specifications for leaving certificate subjects and courses developed in recent years identify the development of students who are confident, engaged, resourceful and active learners as a priority. All specifications identify five key skills: information processing; communicating; being personally effective; working with others; and critical and creative thinking. These key skills are embedded in the learning outcomes of each subject and in the learning activity that are used to realise those outcomes. In recent years there has been a strong convergence in the views of business and educationalists as to the skills that are most important for young people at this time, with both sectors agreeing that generic skills of the kind above should be prioritised.

I am committed to student well-being and life skills, and my Department will shortly publish a policy statement on well-being.  This policy statement will set out key elements and actions considered necessary to achieve an improved well-being experience in schools.

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