Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 July 2020
530. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Skills the curriculum changes being planned for the children and young persons of primary and secondary schools; if the Professional Development Service for Teachers is leading these plans; if not, the person or body responsible; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18850/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe objective of the Department of Education is to open schools in accordance with the normal start of the new school year to the fullest extent possible, while minimising the risks from a public health perspective. In so doing, the plans and actions of schools to support pupils must be sustainable in a context in which Covid-19 is still present in the country while also being sufficiently agile and responsive to any changes in health advice that may occur over the coming school year.
Taking account of the loss of in-class time at the end of the 2019/2020 school year, the potential challenges facing schools at the outset of the new school year, and the workload of principals at this time, it is acknowledged that this is not a suitable time for significant curriculum change, particularly at the start of the new school year. In order to support schools in the practicalities of re-engaging with students, a number of key decisions have been taken to pause elements of curriculum change as set out below.
At primary level the consultation period on the new primary curriculum framework is being extended to at least end year with completion expected by end Q2 2021. The effect of this will push out the timeframe for the Primary Mathematics Curriculum and the curricula for each of the other subject areas. Support for the Primary Languages Curriculum/Curaclam Teanga na Bunscoile will restart in early 2021.
The NCCA will continue to undertake development work in the area of relationships and sexuality education (RSE) and traveller history and culture; and the Department will continue to undertake development work in relation to the Education for Sustainable Development strategy, the Literacy and Numeracy strategy and the STEM education implementation plan.
At post primary level this pause includes the following:
- Junior Cycle – Schools were originally required to increase the number of hours of Wellbeing provision at Junior Cycle from 300 to 400 hours from September 2020. They will now be able to defer this until September 2021
- Senior Cycle – A number of schools were due to introduce new optional subjects from September 2020, including Leaving Certificate Computer Science, Physical Education, and the Leaving Certificate Foreign Languages of Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Lithuanian and Portuguese. These schools will now be provided with the option to defer implementation until September 2021. Implementation in schools of the revised specification for Leaving Certificate Art will be deferred by one year to September 2021. The implementation of a number of new Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) Module Descriptors will be deferred by one year to September 2021.
- Also at Senior Cycle planned consultation on new specifications for Leaving Certificate Irish is being deferred from the second half of 2020 to the first half of 2021. Consultation on a number of other Leaving Certificate subjects will also be deferred, including Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Arabic, and Latin and Ancient Greek.
- Work on the NCCA’s review of Senior Cycle has continued throughout 2020 and it is envisaged that Council’s Advisory Report to the Department will be finalised around the end of the year.
My Department published curriculum guidance this week at both primary and post primary level. This guidance is designed to support school leaders and teachers in preparing for the re-opening of schools in August/September, in mediating the curriculum during 2020/21, and for those at post primary level, to support schools in the preparation of students for the State examinations in June 2021. In this regard, guidance has also been issued to support schools in running Transition Year programmes and the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme.
In this guidance at primary level my Department recognises that it will be necessary for schools to prioritise certain aspects of the curriculum when the new term begins. Schools will need to re-orientate their work with the curriculum especially during the initial weeks of the first term as they give greater time and attention to areas such as Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE), Physical Education (PE), Language and Mathematics. Gradually, as schools build comprehensive pictures of where pupils are in their learning, they will work towards more ‘typical’ curriculum plans.
At post primary level, this guidance highlights that one of the priorities for all schools in the coming school year will be to provide rich and progressive teaching and learning experiences for all students and, in so doing, to ensure that those learners most impacted by the school closure period are enabled to reconnect with and progress in their learning. Teachers should focus on enabling students to learn again, on developing their learning readiness, and on promoting student confidence in and motivation for learning.
Progressing students’ learning is at the heart of the decisions that are made by school leaders and teachers in managing the curriculum. In the context of the return to school, supporting students’ wellbeing and helping them develop as confident and engaged learners are key objectives. These objectives can be achieved through purposeful forward planning that adapts to the challenges already experienced by schools and those that may emerge in the course of the next school year.
The guidance documents, which were developed by my Department, working closely with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, the Professional Development Services and in relation to the Post-Primary the State Examinations Commission, contain more detail on all of these alterations, can be found on the Department’s website.
