Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 May 2024
285. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education to provide a list of alternative leaving certificate courses recommended for students with ASD and learning disabilities that do not include the leaving certificate applied; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22447/24]
View answerThe LCA programme is one of a number of options made available by the Department of Education for Senior Cycle students from which schools can choose based on the education needs and interests of their students. In 2022, I announced an ambitious programme of work for a reimagined Senior Cycle, where the student is at the centre of their learning experience. Since September 2022, LCA students have had improved access to Leaving Certificate Established LCE Mathematics and Modern Foreign Languages, broadening the options for LCA students in their chosen path beyond senior cycle. A new and much needed dimension to Senior Cycle Redevelopment will be 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/L2 Learning Programmes will provide enhanced options so that students can follow the pathways that are most appropriate to their needs and will build on the junior cycle equivalent provision.
The draft programme statement and the first draft modules for the Level 1 and Level 2 follow-on programmes for senior cycle have been published. The public consultation on the Programme Statement ended 10 April 2024. The feedback on this consultation will inform further work on this new and much-needed dimension to senior cycle. The first group of modules will be introduced in schools this year and Oide, the support service for teachers and school leaders, is already advancing their work on providing TPL for these modules.
