Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 May 2026
631. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Youth given that a one-year extension has been granted to the new Leaving Certificate English specification at the request of the State Examinations Commission, if she will consider an extension to Irish, given that according to experts and many Irish language and educational groups a two-year extension would allow full CEFR alignment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40136/26]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, through the Senior Cycle Redevelopment programme, the specifications for all Leaving Certificate Established curricular subjects are scheduled to be redeveloped by 2029, in annual groupings referred to as tranches.
Leaving Certificate English was initially included among the subjects constituting Tranche 2, scheduled for introduction in September 2026. The specifications for all Tranche 2 subjects, including English, have been approved and published on curriculumonline.ie.
Timelines in respect of the introduction of the Tranche 2 subjects received careful consideration having regard to the planning, implementation and enactment aspects of each of the Tranche 2 specifications. Consequently, in approving the specification, the then Minister decided that enactment of the English specification would not proceed in school year 2026/27 as initially envisaged and, enactment would not be given effect before school year 2027/28.
Leaving Certificate Irish is in Tranche 4, and it is envisaged that those entering fifth year in 2028 will study the revised specifications for Tranche 4 subjects. The Subject Development Group for Leaving Certificate Irish was convened by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) in September 2025.
The Leaving Certificate Irish specification development process is ongoing. It includes working towards alignment of the subject to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) as committed to in the Programme for Government. The revision of the subject will align with the long-standing Departmental policy of encouraging and supporting learners to develop and use their Irish, including enhancing oral and aural skills.
There will be an opportunity to engage with a public consultation on the draft specification, once it has been prepared by the subject development group. All public consultations can be accessed on the NCCA's website.
Consideration of the timeline for introduction of all Tranche 4 specifications, where relevant, will take place following receipt of the final specifications by the Minister in due course. This is currently expected to be in Summer 2027 as part of its consideration by the Minister during the curriculum approval process.
