Norma Foley defends decision to ‘defer’ fifth year Leaving Cert exams

Minister for Education Norma Foley has defended her decision to “defer” plans to move some Leaving Cert exams to fifth year following sharp opposition from teachers and concern among students.

The decision to move the English and Irish paper one exams to the end of fifth year from 2024, announced last year, was aimed at easing pressure on Leaving Cert students by spreading the assessment load over a longer period.

However, Ms Foley confirmed on Tuesday that she has postponed the move. In response to questions from reporters on whether it will be reconsidered for 2025, she would not be drawn on any timescale.

“Students and teachers need clarity in advance of the new school year, and they need adequate time to prepare for when these changes are introduced in the future,” she said.

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[ Plan to move some Leaving Cert exams to fifth year from 2024 scrapped ]

“Today’s announcement provides them with that clarity. Over the next few months I and my officials will examine further when and how to implement this change in light of the concerns that have been highlighted.”

Wider changes

When asked if it was credible to envisage more ambitious planned reforms, such as teacher-based assessment for up to 40 per cent of marks, Ms Foley insisted she was committed to these wider changes. The move to switch paper one exams to fifth year was an “interim” measure, she said, distinct from the main body of Leaving Cert reform.

“Senior cycle is born of many elements...it is a once-in-a-generation change of direction for our students and for the education system. There is absolute consensus on the need to reform senor cycle,” she said.

Ms Foley said other changes announced on Tuesday – including the establishment of a delivery board to oversee senior cycle reform and a partners’ forum – were signs of ongoing change.

The response from political parties was mostly muted. However, Green Party’s education spokeswoman Senator Pauline O’Reilly said she was “concerned that the approach taken by the Department of Education will have an impact on the overall objective of reform of the Leaving Cert which is desperately needed”.

The plan had sparked controversy among teachers’ unions who criticised it as “half-baked” and “educationally unsound”, while student representatives expressed concern at the inequity facing students who skip transition year and those moving from higher to ordinary level, or vice versa, during senior cycle.

‘Welcome development’

The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) and the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) described Ms Foley’s decision to defer her reform plans as a “welcome development”.

“Teachers are always in favour of positive, coherently-devised change that enhances the education service. However, a clear educational basis for this proposal was never presented,” the unions said in a joint statement.

The Irish Second Level Students’ Union (ISSU) also said there was a “sense of relief” among students who had been due to sit these exams in fifth year. Its president Caitlin Faye Maniti said students had identified “serious concerns” such as a lack of clarity on logistics, the impact of transition year and the design of the curriculum.