I propose to take Questions Nos. 182 and 183 together.
As the Deputy is aware, on 29 March I announced an ambitious programme of work for a reimagined Senior Cycle of education where the student is at the centre of their Senior Cycle experience.
In my announcement I set out a clear vision for Senior Cycle, building upon the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment’s (NCCA’s) Advisory Report. The NCCA’s review of senior cycle involved an extensive range of research, consultations and communications with a wide range of stakeholders. It should also be noted that teachers are represented on the Council of the NCCA and also on the various working and development structures employed by the NCCA.
The three tenets of Senior Cycle reform are to:
- Empower students to meet the challenges of the 21st century
- Enrich the student experience and build on what’s strong in our current system
- Embed well-being and reduce student stress levels
As the Deputy is aware, between 2016 and 2020 the NCCA undertook an extensive review of senior cycle programmes and vocational pathways.
The subject of Senior Cycle reform is one that needs to be carefully considered in all aspects. The NCCA review involved a very broad range of research, consultations and communications with a wide variety of stakeholders, including students, teachers and parents, on all aspects of review and redevelopment over a number of phases over the period of the review.
The review, which informed the Senior Cycle Advisory Report, was carried out across three phases involving extensive consultation, research and deliberation, to capture and consider a range of perspectives on key aspects of senior cycle education.
I am advised by the NCCA that teachers, students and parents in 50 schools fed into its consultation with external analysis conducted by the ESRI.
A further programme of 7 national seminars with 616 attendees across teachers, students and parents took place with an additional 135 attendees at the final national conference. Additional engagement with teachers, students and parents included 12 focus groups held nationally, bilateral meetings with 21 representative bodies and ongoing engagement with regional assemblies and local representative groups.
Teachers, students and parents also contributed significantly to the public consultation through written submissions from both individuals and schools and their views accounted for over 80% of the 4,300 survey responses received. As part of their external assessment of the review process, the OECD also met with various stakeholders, including teachers, parents and students to hear their views.
Introducing significant change at Senior Cycle needs to be thought through carefully and it is essential to ensure that the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), State Examinations Commission (SEC), the Department and schools can work through the changes with all stakeholders over a sustained period of time.
I have requested the NCCA to invite a selection of schools, representative of the different types and sizes of schools across Ireland, to become “network schools”. In order to successfully deliver on the vision I have set out, we need to partner with schools to trial, evaluate, learn, adjust and succeed.
Network schools will be given the opportunity to participate at an early stage in revised curriculum and assessment arrangements. These schools will receive support through a variety of forms to enable their participation. The network school approach will allow the curriculum and assessment arrangements to be co-constructed with students and their teachers allowing specific aspects of these proposals to be progressed and evaluated.
