Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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1013. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she plans to have calculated grades in 2022 as well as an examination in view of the enormous disruption to students' school life in the senior cycle and in view of the two year nature of the leaving certificate course; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40481/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is very aware of the disruption caused to students as a result of school closures arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. From 11 January 2021, all students, including students who were in fifth year and who are due to sit the Leaving Certificate examinations in 2022, engaged in a programme of remote learning with their schools. Students in fifth year were prioritised for a return to school following the return of sixth year students.

The public health restrictions which resulted in the 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 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.

The nature of distance learning, which was necessitated during the unprecedented closure of schools last year and early this year, required educators to take on a range of approaches to support their pupils’ continuity of learning during that period. Assisted by Department-funded resources and supports, schools and teachers demonstrated great innovation in adapting to the unprecedented situation including the use of digital technologies and online learning platforms for teaching and learning.

Extensive guidance and supports have been and continue to be made available by my Department and its support services to support schools in relation to online and remote learning.

I am conscious that students who are due to take their Leaving Certificate examinations in 2022 have experienced a degree of disruption to their learning.

On 30 June, the Advisory Group on Planning for State Examinations received an update in relation to the 2022 Leaving Certificate and Junior Cycle examinations. Following this meeting, I announced that the level of adjustment to the assessment arrangements for the 2022 Leaving Certificate Examination cohort would be broadly the same as that applied by the Assessment Arrangements for Leaving Certificate Examinations 2021, as set in December 2020. These arrangements were announced before the second period of school closures. Minor changes will be made to that document to reflect syllabus content specific to the 2022 examinations. The revised document will be published shortly.

On the same date I also announced that the State Examinations Commission (SEC) will run an alternative set of Leaving Certificate Examinations in 2022, shortly following the main set of examinations. The SEC will set out the eligibility conditions for these examinations, which will be limited to certain students who are unable to sit the main set of examinations due to close family bereavement, COVID-19 illness during those examinations, and certain other categories of serious illness, to be clearly and strictly delineated. The SEC will issue further details regarding these examinations, with all arrangements guided by prevailing public health advice. There will also be further engagement with stakeholders in this matter.

Both the Calculated Grades and Accredited Grades processes were provided as exceptional measures in 2020 and 2021 respectively, recognising the sudden and very challenging position at that time and the impossibility of running examinations in their traditional form safely. It is expected that there will not be the same disruption to learning in the coming school year and it is planned that the Leaving Certificate examinations will be held as normal next year.