Beginning on a phased basis in September 2014, the new junior cycle features revised subjects and short courses, a focus on key skills, and new approaches to assessment and reporting. Schools have more freedom to design junior cycle programmes that meet the learning needs of all students. For students, the new junior cycle means that the curriculum available in their schools is a mix of subjects and short courses as well as other learning experiences.
The Junior Cycle follows the Framework for Junior Cycle 2015.
Further information for parents:
Information for Parents of Primary Students
Information for Parents of Post-Primary Students
Ongoing Assessment Reporting
The Junior Certificate School Programme (JCSP)
The JCSP was introduced by the Department of Education and Science in September 1996 as an intervention within the Junior Certificate specifically aimed at those students who are potential early school leavers. The Programme is designed to ensure that these young people can benefit from their time in school and enjoy the experience of improvement and success. It does this by providing a curriculum framework which will assist schools and individual teachers in adopting a student centred approach to education and in providing students with a programme to meet their individual needs. It sets out to make the experience of school relevant and accessible to those young people who find it difficult to cope with the school system and who would benefit from support in working towards the aims of the Junior Certificate.
Students who may be at risk can be identified at an early stage in their school careers. Schools whose staff are experienced in working with young people who have experienced failure during schooling and/or who are under-achieving have noticed that many students who fail or drop out display a combination of the following indicators:
- poor attendance or truancy
- serious difficulties in the primary school
- difficulty with some of the basic skills and knowledge which are necessary for coping with second-level school, for example, reading, writing and numeracy
- signs of being alienated or disaffected and non-co-operative behaviour such as disrupting class or withdrawal from school life
- difficulty in getting along with their peers especially in the case of those who show signs of poor self-esteem
The Junior Certificate School Programme operates within the Junior Certificate curriculum. It follows the curriculum framework set out for the Junior Certificate, which is re-focused to cater for JCSP students. It is an intervention into the Junior Certificate and not an alternative to it. It helps to make the curriculum accessible and relevant to young people who would benefit from a different approach to the Junior Certificate.
Useful Websites
¦ www.curriculumonline.ie
¦ www.ncca.ie
¦ www.jct.ie
¦ www.jcsp.ie