Last Wednesday, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) launched the new junior cycle level one programme in Croke Park. It is a significant development in the field of inclusive education. It will run parallel to mainstream junior cycle (formerly junior cert) and slots broadly into the national framework of awards at level one.

While the new programme hugely enhances the curriculum development in special schools, it can also be accessed in post-primary schools by students with special needs. It is the pathway to real inclusion. Students of all abilities can now access a junior cycle programme alongside their mainstream peers. Level one is a three-year or sometimes longer programme with short courses attached that are applicable to every student. Level two was introduced last year and level three is the new junior cycle in mainstream schools. Students of all abilities can now access a programme leading to certification. This is really significant for all our young people.

STUDENT CENTRED

The student is the absolute centre of the programme, with the teaching designed for each student. Assessment is done continuously, with the students work presented in folders. There is a lot of paperwork involved for teachers but as we get used to the system, I’m confident that it will get easier.

Teachers have been implementing much of these programmes in the past without the element of certification. The missing piece has been national acknowledgement of the students work. Credit is due to the NCCA staff and the professional network of people who have been consulted to bring this piece of work to fruition. We in Our Lady of Good Counsel School in Ballincollig are very proud of the part we have played in this initiative. We have developed and piloted aspects of both the level one and two programmes.

Our ex-principal Siobhan Allen was key in the early days of development, as was our retired colleague Cherryl Elliot. In fact, the rest of us wondered how it would continue without them. We need not have worried. Aisling Heidt, our new principal, has stepped up to the plate with enthusiasm for the initiative, while Lisa Coughlan filled Cherryl’s shoes with eagerness.

Change is not easy but, in this case, the reward for the students is unquantifiable and so we are committed. We’ve come to know the NCCA staff, Margaret Flood and her colleague Denise Kelly, who have been of tremendous support to us throughout the development process.

COLLABORATION

During the week before the event, Lisa and I prepared our large poster for presentation at the Croke Park event. There is real satisfaction in completing a collaborative piece of work. We called in our art teacher Mary Galvin for guidance. Three of our students, Katie Sheerin, Liam O’Sullivan and John Martin Bernard travelled with their families to the event. They were very happy.

There was a buzz of excitement in the room when we arrived. The students were thrilled to be in Croke Park and were able to get a proper look at the magic stadium while it was empty. Teachers, parents and students, along with stakeholder representatives were happily viewing the posters from the 12 participating schools. One post-primary school was also involved. In all, 22 teachers participated with 69 pupils and their families. Each school tried out different sections of the programme. Huge work has gone into the development of junior cycle level one.

The process, under the NCCA, began in 2014 with the development of level two programmes. Quite quickly, teachers pointed out that there was still a cohort of students with special needs who had absolutely no recognition of their learning and who were still not able to access level two. So, level one was drafted and is ready for use by schools in September. There is no doubt that recognition and accreditation is important to every single student. Irish people regard education highly and want real meaningful education for all of their children.

At the launch, each student received a certificate of participation presented by the Minister of Education and Skills, Richard Bruton TD. He refreshingly spoke off the cuff, welcoming the change in attitude in recent years toward the education of students with special needs. He recalled when he first entered politics the view was that education was not right for people with severe disabilities. There were few in the room old enough to remember those times and the court battles that were hard fought by Marie O’Donoghue for her late son, Paul, and Kathy Sinnott for her son, Jamie. I was glad the minister acknowledged those pioneers. I guess that’s why I found the whole day so emotional and uplifting. I recognise just how far we have come in the journey towards inclusive education. CL