Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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281. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of post-primary schools in the past five years which have offered the option to study leaving certificate applied in tabular form; and the percentage of students completing post-primary education who chose leaving certificate applied in the period. [31191/19]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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The Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) programme is one of a number of options made available by my Department for Senior Cycle students which schools can choose from, based on the education needs and interests of their student.

Schools that choose to organise the LCA programme are entitled to an additional fixed allocation of 0.5 of a teaching post, over the standard allocation. There is no minimum number of LCA pupils required for schools to secure the additional teaching allocation from my Department.

My Department is committed to supporting this programme, which is appropriate for members of the student cohort whose needs, aptitudes and learning styles are not fully catered for by the other two Leaving Certificate programmes (Leaving Certificate Established and Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme). 

Revised module descriptors in English and Communications, ICT (Introductory Module and Specialism) and Mathematical Applications are being finalised and schools will be advised of details of their implementation soon.

The National Council for Curiculum and Assessment is currently undertaking a review of senior cycle which will comprehend each of the Leaving Certificate programmes, including the LCA. 

The details requested by the Deputy are as follows: