On Tuesday, 27th June, the School of Education, Trinity College, hosted the Irish Second-Level Students' Union (ISSU) Education Symposium. On the day, the ISSU launched their Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) Reform Report. The event attracted a wide range of senior education stakeholders with representatives attending from Jigsaw, The National Centre for Youth Mental Health, the National Adult Literacy Association (NALA), the Dyslexia Association of Ireland (DAI), CDETB, DDLETB, ShoutOut, SIPTU, TUI, INTO, School Completion Programme, senior officials from the Department of Education, the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD), the Leaving Certificate Applied National Association (LCANA), State Examinations Commission, SIPTU, IBEC, the Edmund Rice Trust (ERST), Educate Together, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), Down Syndrome Ireland, the National Parents' Council together with political figures.
ISSU Education Symposium
The ISSU launch ‘Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) Reform Report’.
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Today we mark the launch of the LCA Reform Report at the inaugural ISSU Education Symposium 2023. Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) is a crucial component of the Senior Cycle, but yet is often forgotten. Today we take a step in the right direction in breaking the stigma surrounding LCA, essentially ‘Reforming the Norm’. There is special onus on education stakeholders that they ensure LCA Reform is at the top of their priority list for future reforms. The next four years will be critical in shaping our Senior Cycle for decades to come.
Speakers on the day included Professor Carmel O'Sullivan, Head of School of Education, Trinity College; Assistant Professor Louise Heeran Flynn, School of Education, Trinity College; Yvonne Keating, Chief Inspector, Department of Education; Dalton Tattan, Assistant Secretary General, Department of Education; Professor Áine Hyland, Emeritus Professor of Education; Andrea Feeney, CEO, State Examinations Commission; Esther Doyle, Post Primary Inspector, Department of Education as well as Sharon Kiely, Deputy Principal of Ringsend College with some of her Leaving Cert. Applied students.
I am heartened to read that a large majority of students value the creativity, curiosity and engagement which their experiences on the LCA has provided them with, but the report also highlights that there is much to be done in the context of public perception of the Leaving Certificate Applied programme. The much anticipated reform of the wider Leaving Certificate including the LCA is expected to address the place and value of this innovative programme to a wider reach of students in Ireland.
The report is based on a survey conducted by the ISSU among a sample pool of schools offering the LCA Programme. Key statistics include:
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78.7% of respondents believe that the LCA programme encourages creativity, curiosity and engagement.
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77% of respondents feel strongly about their progression options regarding further educational opportunities.
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Only one in four believe society places moderate value on LCA
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Just under half of respondents feel that their peers look down on the programme