Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 March 2019
314. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the proportion of the in-service training in respect of the new junior certificate dedicated to enabling those children with disabilities to participate to the fullest extent possible. [13147/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraA dedicated Junior Cycle CPD team, Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT), was established by the Department in July 2013. Its primary function is to provide high quality continuing professional development (CPD) support to teachers and school leaders in the context of their implementation of the new Framework for Junior Cycle.
JCT CPD is available to teachers in special schools and mainstream post-primary schools to prepare all students, including pupils with special educational needs for the award of the Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement. The Junior Cycle principle of an inclusive education is a key design feature of all JCT CPD. It is a particular feature of the JCT Whole School days.
JCT provides CPD to teachers in special schools and mainstream schools on Level 1 and Level 2 (L1 and L2) Learning Programmes which are specifically designed to address the learning needs of students across the range of general learning disabilities, from low mild to severe and profound. JCT has a dedicated L1/L2 Team which has provided 177 school visits across special and mainstream schools to date in the current school year .
A specific section for Level 1 Level 2 Learning Programmes is available on JCT’s Website. This section includes a range of resources to support teacher to enable students with special educational needs to participate in their Junior Cycle to the fullest extent possible.
