Cabinet to make final decision on format of Leaving Cert exams next week

The Cabinet will next week make a final decision on the format of this year’s Leaving Certificate exams with a number of options still under consideration.

Government Ministers and officials met on Monday to discuss the status of this year’s Leaving Cert and potential options for the State exam.

Senior sources believe it will not be possible to have a “traditional Leaving Cert at the traditional time”.

To this end Ministers discussed potentially holding the exam later in the summer, perhaps in July.

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Ministers appear to be divided on this proposal with some favouring it and others saying it is unlikely to find favour.

The front-runner is still a “hybrid” offering where students could potentially pick and mix calculated grades and written exams.

One source said there are fears, however, at what a system of calculated grades would mean for students in terms of their engagement with their subjects and teachers for the next few months ahead of the summer.

“There is no perfect option here. One of the risks around calculated grades would be around a potential educational disconnect. If you set calculated grades this far out, how do the student and teacher engage, what would that interaction look like. There is still a fair bit of work to be done,” a source said.

On the reopening of schools, two sources said the hope is to have all schools open by the end of March depending on the country’s progress in pushing down Covid-19 numbers.

Earlier it was announced that special education is set to partially reopen to thousands of children from February 11th following agreement with school staff unions. The revised plan will see special schools opening from February 11th with 50 per cent student attendance. Special classes in mainstream primary schools are due to reopen fully to all pupils from February 22nd.

Modified papers

Earlier Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said he hopes Minister for Education Norma Foley can bring some clarity on the Leaving Certificate to Tuesday's Cabinet meeting.

The president of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI), Ann Piggott, has said the union's preference is that State exams should proceed this summer, with modified papers.

Ms Piggott told Newstalk Breakfast that modified papers would be fairer since students have missed so many days of school.

Modified papers would mean plenty of choice for students to omit certain areas of the curriculum and would not cause “too much anxiety”.

While the traditional written exam would be the ASTI’s preference, Ms Piggott said, issues could arise if students got to choose between sitting the exam or getting predicted grades.

“The problem with a choice like that is there isn’t an equivalence in terms of a choice – they’re two very different paths.

“One would involve a grade being given to students and from our perspective we would be worried that if a grade is given, does that mean then that motivation is gone? That students would not remain at school in May?

“What would teachers do if they’re teaching for the Leaving Cert as well? If the choice is given, you will certainly have a huge cohort of students as well who will choose the traditional exam. That would make it very difficult for us.”

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has indicated that the phased reopening of schools will start in early March if Covid-19 numbers continue to decline.

The Government, though, is pushing for special schools to be opened up before that.

Inequalities

The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) has stated that a new report has shown how school closures have “exposed and amplified existing inequalities and risks of harm facing vulnerable children”.

The report by the Health Service Executive’s (HSE) National Clinical Programme for Paediatrics and Neonatology highlights that “urgent actions” are required to address the full impact of school closures.

It has pointed out that many children were unable to attend or avail of vital health and social care services including speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and educational support services as a result of the pandemic.

It also found that the redeployment of health and social care professionals has reduced access to vital supports for children and those in care (there are 6,000 in State care in Ireland) who have had less access to family members and key workers.

RCPI dean of the faculty of paediatrics Dr Louise Kyne said the report shows "regression in children with special needs".

She said risks must be balanced but the reopening of schools should be facilitated as a “priority” especially special-needs schools.

Dr Ellen Crushell, a co-author of the HSE report said the prolonged educational lockdowns had the potential for life-lasting effects for vulnerable children particularly those affected by "poor housing, poverty, cultural differences or those children who live with difficult home circumstances".