Senior Cycle Redevelopment
We are entering an exciting new era for post-primary education in Ireland. The Senior Cycle Redevelopment is a landmark evolution of our school system, designed to ensure that every student leaves school with the skills, resilience, and knowledge needed to thrive in the 21st century. This process isn’t just about changing exams; it’s about enriching the entire student experience to be more inclusive, flexible, and balanced.
Why is the Senior Cycle Changing?
The world is changing rapidly, and our education system must keep pace. The redevelopment focuses on three core pillars:
Empowering Students: Creating more pathways that cater to different strengths and interests.
Reducing Stress: Spreading out the assessment load to move away from the “high-stakes” pressure of a single exam period in June.
Modern Skills: Prioritizing critical thinking, creativity, and digital literacy alongside academic excellence.
Key Highlights of the Redevelopment
The transition is happening in phases, with several significant updates already underway:
New and Revised Subjects: New subjects like Climate Action and Sustainable Development and Drama, Film and Theatre Studies are being introduced to reflect modern career paths and global challenges.
Teacher-Based Assessment: A shift toward Additional Assessment Components (AACs). This means a significant portion of a student’s final grade (typically 40%) will be based on project work, orals, or practicals completed before the final exams.
Level 1 and Level 2 Programs: For the first time, the Senior Cycle will explicitly include programs (L1LPs and L2LPs) for students with additional educational needs, ensuring that every learner’s achievements are formally recognized.
Transition Year (TY) Expansion: Enhancing the TY program to provide a more consistent experience across all schools, focusing on personal development and life skills.
What This Means for Our Students
At Deele College, we are committed to guiding our students through these changes. The “new” Senior Cycle aims to provide a bridge to the future, whether that leads to higher education, apprenticeships, or direct entry into the workforce.
By diversifying how we assess learning, we allow students to showcase their talents in different ways—be it through a research project, a performance, or a digital portfolio.
Looking Ahead
We will continue to update our school community as the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and the Department of Education roll out further subject specifications.
For parents and students looking for more technical detail, we recommend visiting the NCCA Senior Cycle Review portal. We look forward to embarking on this transformative journey together, ensuring our students are ready for whatever comes next.
The programme of study followed in senior cycle is of two years duration.
The majority of students take the Leaving Certificate (Established) which is the traditional final examination in post-primary education. Subjects offered are based on the needs of the students each year. Subjects are offered at both higher and ordinary levels. Students study 7 subjects to Leaving Cert and are encouraged to take subjects at higher levels.
Senior Cycle Curriculum for Leaving Certificate
All Senior Cycle students study English, Irish, Maths, SPHE, Religion and PE. Students in 5th year then select 4 option subjects to study.
Core Subjects
- English
- Irish – (Students exempted from Irish get extra support with literacy and numeracy)
- Maths
- Religion / Guidance
- SPHE / Spanish (LCVP Spanish) / PE
- LCVP
Option Subjects (Students select 4 subjects)
- Accountancy
- Ag Science
- Art
- Biology
- Business
- Chemistry
- Construction
- DCG
- Economics
- Engineering
- Geography
- History
- Home Economics
- Music
- Physics
- Physical Education at LC Examination level
- Computer Science at LC Examination Level
