Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Each school is required to use the Framework for Junior Cycle 2015to plan a programme for each of the three years of the Junior Cycle that meets the requirements set out in the Framework and Circular 0028/2023. When planning its Junior Cycle programme, each school is required to take account of the school’s local context and the backgrounds, interests, and abilities of its students and to reflect the characteristic spirit of the school.

The Junior Cycle Visual Arts specification, was introduced in 2017. This places the student at the centre of their experience of Visual Art in junior cycle. It allows the student to make a greater connection with learning by focusing on the quality of learning that takes place, and by offering experiences that are engaging and enjoyable for them, and are relevant to their lives. Due to the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic it was first examined in 2022.

In the spring term of 2023, the NCCA conducted an early insights review of Junior Cycle Visual Art. The review process entailed consultations with students, teachers and school leaders as part of school-based visits, as well as focus group discussions with teachers in regional settings around the country, and consultations with other relevant stakeholders on their experience of the subjects as enacted. Feedback from all interested parties was also sought via an online survey. A report on the early insights review will be published in Autumn 2023 on www.ncca.ie

Students taking the established Leaving Certificate programme must take at least five subjects. English, Mathematics and Irish are the core subjects for all students, except for those students who have an exemption from Irish. Typically, students take six or seven subjects. The range of subjects offered in an individual school is a matter for the school. The range of subjects offered will vary in accordance with the teaching resources in the school and the needs and interests of the students. Art is one of a number of optional subjects offered by schools.

A new Leaving Certificate Art specification was published in 2019, and was available for students entering fifth year in September 2021. These students will take the examination for this subject for the first time in June 2023. This specification is built around the artistic process and how it supports learning. In this specification, Visual Studies refers to the study of the visual expressions of all aspects of culture, created by past, recent modern and contemporary societies.

For the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme students may engage with two optional modules Visual Art and Craft and Design.

Visual Art consists of two modules: Individuality and Identity and The Local Environment. In each module students undertake research, make contextual references, practice making and developing ideas, and practice reflection and evaluation. The Craft and Design module is divided into four different areas - Fashion and Textiles; Graphic Communication and Print Media; Three-Dimensional Studies; and Lens-Based Studies. The course encourages students to explore different craft and design possibilities using basic tools and equipment and to experiment and become familiar with the basic processes related to their chosen crafts.

A comprehensive suite of teaching and learning resources and supports are available to teachers at Junior and Senior Cycle from the Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT) and Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) .

The table below outlines the number of schools offering the subject at Junior and Senior Cycle since the introduction of the new specifications.