Written answers

Thursday, 28 January 2021

Department of Education and Skills

State Examinations

Photo of Peadar TóibínPeadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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155. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if school profiling will form part of grading for 2021 leaving certificate students. [4836/21]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is acutely aware of the challenges faced by students, teachers and families as a result of COVID-19. The pandemic has brought significant challenges to the education system, and I am acutely aware of the impacts that this has had on those students preparing to sit their final examinations.

The planning work underway in respect of the Leaving Certificate Examinations in 2021 is being assisted by an Advisory Group of key stakeholders which has met on a number of occasions in recent months. The advisory group has been convened to advise Government on all of the various issues arising in relation to the holding of the 2021 examinations, including public health considerations and appropriate contingency measures. The advisory group includes representatives of students, parents, teachers, school leadership and management bodies, the SEC, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, the Higher Education Authority and the Department of Education, including the National Educational Psychological Service.

At a meeting of the group last week, the ISSU presented its Report on the 2021 State Examinations and Return to School. Following this meeting, the group agreed that there would be an intensive set of engagements in respect of exploring further possible options for the examinations, having regard to the findings of the recent ISSU Report on the 2021 State Examinations. A number of these meetings are planned this week.

All partners are committed to acting in the interests and wellbeing of students, who are at the heart of this process.

From Monday 11 January 2021, all students, including Leaving Certificate students, have been engaging in a programme of remote learning with their schools.

The public health restrictions which resulted in the original closure of schools in March 2020 highlighted the absolute necessity for schools to be agile in providing for continuity of schooling in the future. As a contingency measure against the possibility of partial or full school closures, my Department has already provided a suite of guidance materials, agreed with the education partners, to enable schools to mediate the curriculum safely for all pupils/students in a COVID-19 context. These are available at www.gov.ie/backtoschool. This documentation has been complemented by Circular 0074/2020 (Communication/Teaching & Learning Platform) which requires all schools to have in place appropriate contingency measures to ensure that they are prepared to continue to support teaching and learning in the event of a partial or full closure of schools arising from Public Health advice.

Other documents published by my Department to support the return to school include ‘Guidance for Practical Subjects in Post-Primary Schools and Centres for Education’ and ‘Returning to school: Guidance on learning and school programmes for post primary school leaders and teachers’. These documents provide guidance for teachers and schools that is specific to each practical subject area, so that students can be facilitated to actively engage with their learning. All documentation published is available on www.gov.ie/backtoschool.

Photo of Peadar TóibínPeadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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156. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans in place to offer a counselling structure for students after they receive their leaving certificate results. [4837/21]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Schools have always provided an important role in offering guidance and support to Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied students on results day. Guidance counsellors support students throughout 5thand 6thyear in schools in relation to further and higher education options. In recognising the unique set of circumstances for the Leaving Certificate class of 2020 who receivedcalculated grades, schools were asked to put a number of measures in place to support students on the day of the issuing of calculated grades results in September 2020 and in the following number of days.

In addition, each year a Leaving Certificate student helpline, provided by the National Parents Council Post-Primary with the support of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors and my Department, has been made available on results days and provides advice to students and parents regarding the examination results. The helpline is staffed by qualified guidance counsellors.

The helpline will again be operated next Tuesday, 2 February, when students who sat the postponed Leaving Certificate written examinations held in November and December 2020 will receive their results.

The helpline, at 1800 265 165, will be open from 14.00 on Tuesday 2 February, when the results are issued, until Friday evening 5 February.

Planning for Leaving Certificate 2021 is also underway and theissue of supports for students receiving their results forms a part of this planning.

In addition to the above supports my Department has also published a range of support documentation on www.gov.ie/backtoschool, including information on wellbeing supports for Leaving Certificate students. This includes a series of supports on managing wellbeing, coping with uncertainty and managing stress and anxiety, developed by the National Educational Psychological Service to support students. The webpage also containslinks to more individualised supportsfor students to access, should these be needed. MyDepartment worked with the Department of Health and the HSE to ensure the most appropriate services and resources are clearly signposted for students. E-mental health services are also madeavailable by the HSE and their funded service providers, including the Jigsaw Support Line and the support provided by spunout.ie.

Photo of Claire KerraneClaire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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157. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will allow choice for 2021 leaving certificate students; if she will make her intentions known on plans for these students before the end of January 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4842/21]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department is acutely aware of the challenges faced by students, teachers and families as a result of COVID-19. The pandemic has brought significant challenges to the education system, and I am acutely aware of the impacts that this has had on those students preparing to sit their final examinations.

The planning work underway in respect of the Leaving Certificate Examinations in 2021 is being assisted by an Advisory Group of key stakeholders which has met on a number of occasions in recent months. The advisory group has been convened to advise Government on all of the various issues arising in relation to the holding of the 2021 examinations, including public health considerations and appropriate contingency measures. The advisory group includes representatives of students, parents, teachers, school leadership and management bodies, the SEC, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, the Higher Education Authority and the Department of Education, including the National Educational Psychological Service.

At a meeting of the group last week, the ISSU presented its Report on the 2021 State Examinations and Return to School. Following this meeting, the group agreed that there would be an intensive set of engagements in respect of exploring further possible options for the examinations, having regard to the findings of the recent ISSU Report on the 2021 State Examinations. A number of these meetings are planned this week.

All partners are committed to acting in the interests and wellbeing of students, who are at the heart of this process.

From Monday 11 January 2021, all students, including Leaving Certificate students, have been engaging in a programme of remote learning with their schools.

The public health restrictions which resulted in the original closure of schools in March 2020 highlighted the absolute necessity for schools to be agile in providing for continuity of schooling in the future. As a contingency measure against the possibility of partial or full school closures, my Department has already provided a suite of guidance materials, agreed with the education partners, to enable schools to mediate the curriculum safely for all pupils/students in a COVID-19 context. These are available at www.gov.ie/backtoschool. This documentation has been complemented by Circular 0074/2020 (Communication/Teaching & Learning Platform) which requires all schools to have in place appropriate contingency measures to ensure that they are prepared to continue to support teaching and learning in the event of a partial or full closure of schools arising from Public Health advice.

Other documents published by my Department to support the return to school include ‘Guidance for Practical Subjects in Post-Primary Schools and Centres for Education’ and ‘Returning to school: Guidance on learning and school programmes for post primary school leaders and teachers’. These documents provide guidance for teachers and schools that is specific to each practical subject area, so that students can be facilitated to actively engage with their learning. All documentation published is available on www.gov.ie/backtoschool.

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