Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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482. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when information will be published about changes to senior cycle subjects, which can be used to help 5th year students pick their final year subjects; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3157/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, since March 2022, an ambitious programme of work for a reimagined Senior Cycle of education has been progressing, including redevelopments to the Leaving Certificate Established (LCE), the Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA), Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) and Transition Year (TY) programmes.

The NCCA has published the schedule for the revision of all Leaving Certificate Established subjects and the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme link modules in five annual tranches from 2025 to 2029 and this is available online here:

Revised specifications for Business, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Arabic, Latin, and Ancient Greek (known as the Tranche 1 subjects) are planned for introduction for fifth years from the start of the next school year, i.e. school year 2025/26. These revised specifications can be accessed here:

In addition, there are also two new subjects (1) Drama, Film and Theatre Studies, and (2) Climate Action and Sustainable Development, planned for introduction in a number of selected schools in the 2025/2026 school year. Students can see which schools have been selected to introduce the new subjects here: www.gov.ie/en/publication/3cc80-phase-one-schools/

Students entering fifth year who wish to pursue the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) student from the start of the 2025/26 school year, also benefit from changes introduced in September 2022 providing access to the LCVP Link Modules (Preparation for the World of Work and Enterprise Education) without meeting the vocational subject grouping criteria or the Modern European Language (MEL) requirements set out in Circular Letter 0040/2013. An updated LCVP Programme Statement reflecting these changes is available at the following link:

Students choosing to follow the LCA Programme from the start of the 2025/2026 school year, may be interested to know that since September 2022, they may now access LCE Mathematics and an LCE Modern Foreign Language (MFL), subject to their school’s timetabling. Students may study LCE Mathematics either in addition to LCA Mathematical Applications, or instead of LCA Mathematical Applications. In such cases, students would subsequently receive an integrated statement of results from the State Examinations Commission.

From the start of school year 2025/26, students entering year one of the Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) programme will be required to study the new Senior Cycle Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum specification. The new specification for Senior Cycle SPHE will replace the current Social Education modules 1 and 4. An updated LCA Programme Statement reflecting these changes for students entering LCA in the 2025/26 school year is available at .

In addition, the initial curriculum areas and modules for the Senior Cycle Level 1 and Level 2 Learning Programmes are now available. The Level 1 and Level 2 Learning Programme Statement, initial curriculum areas and modules are available here:

Students are encouraged to keep up to date with developments by accessing the dedicated Senior Cycle Redevelopment website, which provides information for students on what senior cycle redevelopment means for them at: www.gov.ie/en/publication/45b09-senior-cycle-redevelopment-what-does-this-mean-for-me/

The Department has, to date, issued nine Information Notes for schools. These notes provide updates to school communities on the roll-out of the Senior Cycle Redevelopment programme. The Department has requested all schools to circulate the Information Notes to students, parents and staff in each school, and to the wider school community. The Information Notes that have issued to schools can be found here: www.gov.ie/en/publication/f53c6-senior-cycle-redevelopment/#information-notes