The Minister for Education and Skills is announcing a radical reform of the Junior Certificate. Plans unveiled on October 4th by Minister Ruairí Quinn T.D. will see students rather than examinations at the centre of the new approach to assessment.

The Minister’s plans amount to the most radical shake-up of the junior cycle programme since the ending of the Intermediate Certificate and Group Certificate examinations in 1991.  Minister Quinn has broadly accepted proposals put forward by theNational Council for Curriculum and Assessment to introduce a new junior cycle programme.

Schools will be expected to deliver a programme that will enable students to develop a wide range of skills, including critical thinking skills and basic skills such as numeracy and literacy.

Most students will generally take no fewer than 8 subjects and no more than 10 full subjects for certification purposes in the new junior cycle.  Students can substitute two short courses for one full subject, allowing options such as Chinese or Physical Education or Digital Media Literacy to be taken.   Schools will also be able to offer their own short courses in accordance with specifications provided by the NCCA. 

Please see the links to The Department of Edcuation and Skills website and the NCCA on our website for further details.