Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 December 2025
423. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Youth the progress on the Programme for Government commitment to increase the number of schools offering physical education as a Leaving Certificate school subject. [73345/25]
View answerIntroduced on a phased basis in 2018 to 64 schools, Leaving Certificate Physical Education is now being offered by 487 schools around the country.
A new specification for Leaving Certificate Physical Education was approved by the Minister in August 2025 and can now be accessed at: curriculumonline.ie/getmedia/e3c33f7c-a88b-4050-bed3-c892ec995ba2/SC-PE-Spec-ENG-INT.pdf
This new specification will be introduced in schools for fifth years in the 2026/27 school year.
The new specification was informed by a comprehensive consultation process and the findings of the NCCA early enactment review of the existing specification.
The revised specification includes an additional assessment component (AAC), called the Physical Education Project, worth 50% of the total available marks. The project provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate their understanding and application of physical education knowledge and skills described in the learning outcomes across the specification. This assessment is intended to integrate with and support ongoing learning, motivating students to engage deeply with the processes of planning, performing, and improving in physical activities while engaging with issues affecting physical activity.
Guidelines to support the Physical Education Project were published by the NCCA this month, with sample examination papers (2xOL and 2x HL) to be published by the SEC in April 2026, sample briefs in September 2026 and the live brief in January 2027.
The introduction of the revised curriculum and assessment arrangements will be supported by a strong programme of teacher professional learning to be delivered by Oide.
As part of the Senior Cycle Redevelopment Programme, the Department is committed to monitoring, via Post-Primary Online Database (PPOD) enrolment data, uptake in redeveloped subjects under the Senior Cycle Redevelopment Programme and the numbers of Leaving Certificate examination candidates. Any emerging patterns or trends will be examined further and appropriate potential action identified.
