Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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32. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on the negotiations relating to junior cycle reform; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21864/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I welcome the breakthrough in negotiations on junior cycle reform, following the publication on 27th May of proposals agreed between myself and the leadership of the two second-level teacher unions.

I wholeheartedly recommend these revised proposals, and believe they merit the support of all involved in education in Ireland. They place the student at the centre of the learning process, and allow for new ways of learning to be properly assessed.

Expanding the type of assessment and the skills to be assessed is central to junior cycle reform, and, through negotiation, we have been able to deliver the best of both worlds. Students will sit a valued written exam, and have much more of their development and progress measured through classroom assessment.

All of these changes have been a long time coming, and I hope that with this announcement, we can move to implementing the measures that are needed to best serve our young people.