Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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253. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the specific measures she will take to address the ongoing challenges in implementing the new Junior Cycle curriculum, particularly in terms of teacher workload and resource allocation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14907/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Junior Cycle Framework (2015) incorporates a modernised curriculum across all subjects and a balanced range of assessment modes that provides a learner experience appropriate to the needs of the 21st century. It provides students with learning opportunities that strike a better balance between learning knowledge and developing a wide range of skills and thinking abilities.

To support the implementation of the Junior Cycle Framework, teachers received comprehensive professional development in areas such as educational assessment, including processes of moderation, providing feedback to students, subject-specific methodologies etc. The teacher support service, now under Oide, continue to provide a comprehensive suite of supports for Junior Cycle, including but not limited to Subject Clusters in English, Gaeilge, Geography, Guidance, History, Home Economics, L1LPs/L2LPs, Mathematics, Modern Foreign Languages, Music, Physical Education, Visual Art. In addition to this the Oide Wellbeing team continue to provide two day events in Junior Cycle Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) and Teaching Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE).

Principals and deputy principals in their leadership role received professional development in curriculum leadership, educational assessment including moderation, and change management. In recognition of the fact that the introduction of the Framework for Junior Cycle 2015 has implications for school leaders, extra hours were allocated to schools (via substitution) with effect from 2016 on an interim basis pending the restoration of leadership posts in schools, to help with the facilitation of this additional work.

The implementation of the Framework for Junior Cycle continues to be reviewed, in partnership with school leaders, teachers and other education partners. As part of the process of review, the University of Limerick was commissioned by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) to conduct a longitudinal research study - Evaluating the implementation and impact of the introduction of the Framework for Junior Cycle in Irish post-primary schools. This research began in late 2020. A number of interim reports have been published, and these have highlighted the benefits being seen from the Junior Cycle reforms such as an increase in student centred learning, as well as concerns in areas such as assessment. The final report is due to be published this year and its findings will inform consideration on the ongoing implementation of Junior Cycle.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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254. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the means by which she plans to ensure that the Senior Cycle reform addresses both academic and vocational pathways to better prepare students for future careers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14908/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, in March 2022, the Minister for Education announced an ambitious programme of Senior Cycle Redevelopment that delivers “equity and excellence for all” and will empower students to meet the challenges of the 21st century with a focus on the development of key competencies.

The redeveloped senior cycle key competencies help students become more engaged, enriched and competent, as they further develop their knowledge, skills, values and dispositions in an integrated way. As part of teaching, learning and assessment, students will have many opportunities to demonstrate their key competencies. You can read more about the knowledge, skills, values and dispositions students will develop across all subjects and modules in a redeveloped senior cycle here Student key competencies | NCCA

Senior Cycle Redevelopment aims to develop a more integrated Senior Cycle where every student is supported in accessing and exploring different academic, learning and potential career pathways. By striving for this more integrated experience, Senior Cycle Redevelopment will ensure that all learning pathways in school are accessible and equally valued.

Redevelopment of Senior Cycle encompasses Leaving Certificate Established (LCE), the Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA), Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) and Transition Year (TY) programmes.

A new and much needed dimension to Senior Cycle that will build on the Junior Cycle provision, is the introduction of a new Programme Statement for Senior Cycle Level 1 and Level 2 Learning Programmes (L1/L2LPs). The introduction of Senior Cycle L1/L2LPs provides enhanced options so that students can follow the senior cycle curriculum areas and pathways that are most appropriate to their needs.

As part of this overall programme for redevelopment, the curriculum and assessment arrangements for all Leaving Certificate subjects will be updated over the coming years. The first set of revised LCE subjects to be introduced in schools in the 2025/26 school year are now available online. These are Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Business, Arabic, Ancient Greek, Latin and two new subjects: Drama, Film, and Theatre Studies, and Climate Action and Sustainable Development.

Each of the new and revised subjects will incorporate externally assessed components that are not a traditional written examination, called Additional Assessment Components (AACs). These components will be externally assessed by the State Examinations Commission (SEC) and will be worth at least 40% of the total available marks. The introduction of AACs will broaden how students are assessed and will allow students to demonstrate their learning and key competencies in different ways.

There have also been changes made to the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) and the Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) to expand pathways for students and create a more integrated experience. LCVP students, for example, can now access the two 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. Numbers of students taking the link modules has increased since these changes were introduced. The Link Modules are part of tranche 2 and are currently out for public consultation. The draft specification has been renamed to Community, Life and Work Studies and aims to provide a variety of practical learning opportunities for students to engage with their local community and the wider world, supporting them to develop their own understanding of their personal contribution to society. As students engage with Community, Life and Work Studies, they will learn how to make informed decisions as they prepare for their future post-school lives, which includes a focus on building workplace and career foundations in addition to active citizenship.

The LCA programme aims to prepare Senior Cycle students for transition from the world of the school to that of adult and working life. To this end, modules are intended to prepare students for apprenticeships, further education, or entry to the world of work. Since September 2022, LCA students have had improved access to LCE Mathematics and Modern Foreign Languages, broadening the options for LCA and facilitating more pathways into further education and training, including apprenticeships.

As part of the redevelopment of Senior Cycle, a new Programme Statement for TY has also been published. The Programme Statement will guide schools in developing innovative programmes that facilitate students to explore diverse future pathways, gain first-hand workplace experience, and develop career-related competencies so they can identify the links between education and career opportunities. Students will be encouraged to identify and review career-related goals more regularly by developing greater capacity to research and critically reflect upon career pathways.

Schools can also offer students specific micro modules during Transition Year. A TY micro-module is typically designed to provide a concentrated learning experience, within the parameters of the Transition Year Programme Statement, to enhance the educational experience of students. They can be designed and delivered as standalone components or designed to be integrated with other TY components.

TY micro-modules can be developed for a duration of up to 10, 20, or 30 hours, whilst having the flexibility for schools to decide on the most suitable balance of class contact time and self-directed, independent learning. Schools can offer micro modules that are designed by the NCCA or external providers.

In January 2025, the NCCA, in collaboration with ETBI and SOLAS published the initial vocational education and training (iVET) module. This is a flexible module that gives students the opportunity to engage in interactive programmes and off-site learning through collaboration with industry and Further Education and Training (FET) providers during their Transition Year.

Alongside these developments, Guidance in schools provides a range of learning experiences provided in developmental sequence that assist students to develop self-management skills which will lead to effective choices and decisions about their lives. It encompasses the three separate, but interlinked areas of personal and social development, educational guidance and career guidance. In December 2023, the Minister for Education and Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science published the National Strategic Framework for Lifelong Guidance in Ireland (2024-2030) and accompanying Strategic Action Plan (2024-2030) marking a significant milestone for systems of guidance in Ireland.

Progress across the entire breadth of our Senior Cycle programmes means that we are now delivering on the ambition of an excellent and more inclusive Senior Cycle that recognises the many talents of our students, and ensures they have the kind of 21st Century education needed to bring those talents to bear as they make their way in the world of work and beyond.

My Department and I will continue to engage with all our education partners to ensure we deliver a redeveloped Senior Cycle that will significantly enrich the student experience, address academic and vocational pathways, and maintain the high-quality education system Ireland is well-known for.