Middle-class students may benefit most from Leaving Cert reform, say principals

Irish Times

29-04-2025

Many school leaders believe students in middle-class schools will benefit most from
Leaving Cert
reforms, while disadvantaged schools may struggle, according to a new survey.
The findings are contained in a poll of principals and deputies across almost 100 secondary schools represented by the Joint Managerial Body (JMB), whose annual conference takes place later this week.
Under
Leaving Cert changes to roll out for fifth-year students from next September
, all subjects will eventually have a minimum of 40 per cent awarded for project work, practicals or research. The remaining marks will go towards the traditional written exam.
The reforms are aimed at easing the stress facing students and providing a broader assessment of students' skills and competencies.
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The JMB poll indicates that, while there is strong support for the aim of the reforms, there are concerns over the equity of changes across schools, fairness of assessments and the administrative burden for school leaders.
In addition,
many school leaders worry about the capacity of the current model of teacher allocation
and say far more resources are needed to support changes to teaching and learning.
The vast majority of school principals and deputies (88 per cent) said they would need additional senior leadership capacity.
In many cases they said they were already burdened with a range of responsibilities, from pastoral care to curriculum delivery, and were finding it increasingly difficult to devote the necessary time and attention to driving change.
As one respondent said: 'Our school of 650 students, with a team of one deputy principal and one principal, cannot possibly realise these ambitions.'
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Respondents advocated for additional senior leadership posts, such as a second deputy principal, to ensure schools have the capacity to manage academic and pastoral demands.
Concerns over equity and fairness also emerged as a key theme in the poll.
There were fears the
reforms could exacerbate existing disparities
, particularly in areas like access to technology and support for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The
Deis
(Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) programme was mentioned as insufficient to support schools in less affluent areas.
One school leader said: 'I worry that schools not designated as Deis, but still serving students with significant needs, will continue to be overlooked in terms of support and funding, creating a two-tier system of implementation.'
The challenge of ensuring all students are fairly recognised for their achievements was a key concern, especially in light of equity concerns.
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Another school leader told pollsters: 'In any reform process, the well-resourced middle-class schools will have the resources to provide high-quality senior cycle programmes. More disadvantaged schools risk being left behind. '
There were also calls for an improved pupil-teacher ratio to enable schools to meet the diverse needs of senior cycle students.
Respondents highlighted that larger class sizes and the challenge of offering a broad curriculum, especially in smaller schools, hinder the ability to effectively implement the new senior cycle.
A broad range of professional development opportunities was also seen as necessary for teachers to adapt to the new senior cycle model.