Minister Bruton announces first schools to study PE as Leaving Certificate subject

The Minister for Education and Skills, Mr. Richard Bruton TD, today announced that schools across the country will be partaking in the first phase of the implementation of the new Physical Education for Senior Cycle programmes. 80 schools will implement either the examinable Physical Education Leaving Certificate subject or the new Senior Cycle Physical Education Framework which is not for examination, or both.

This announcement is part of the overall emphasis this government is putting on encouraging healthy lifestyles and is a key commitment in the Action Plan for Education, which aims to make Ireland’s education and training system the best in Europe by 2026.

Students taking the new Leaving Certificate subject from September 2018 will sit the first Leaving Certificate Physical Education (LCPE) exam in 2020. The subject can be taken at both higher and ordinary levels. The new Senior Cycle Physical Education (SCPE) Framework, will provide a new modern curriculum for teachers to teach P.E. to all students at senior cycle.

A total of 369 schools applied to participate in the phase 1 roll-out, showing an outstanding demand across the country for Physical Education at Senior Cycle. The Minister said he was delighted that his department had been able to offer places to so many schools for this first phase, and that the department intends to roll out the new specification and Framework to all schools from 2020.

Speaking at one of the participating schools, Our Lady of Mercy Secondary School in Beaumont, Dublin 9, Minister Bruton said:

The Minister thanked the NCCA for its work on developing the subject specification and the Framework and the PDST for developing the training programme for teachers. The Minister also acknowledged the important role that students, teachers, parents and stakeholders played in the consultation and in-depth research necessary to develop the specification and Framework.

ENDS

Leaving Certificate Physical Education Specification

The specification for Leaving Certificate Physical Education (LCPE) will provide learners with an opportunity to study physical education for the Leaving Certificate examination, providing an additional optional Leaving Certificate subject.

The specification is presented in two strands.

Strand 1 Topics:

• learning and improving skills and techniques
• physical and psychological demands of performance
• structures, strategies, roles and conventions
• planning for optimum performance

Strand 2 Topics:

• promoting physical activity
• ethics and fair play
• physical activity and inclusion
• technology, media and sport

There are three assessment components in LCPE:

• physical activity project – 20%
• performance assessment – 30%
• written examination – 50%

Framework for Senior Cycle Physical Education

The Framework for Senior Cycle Physical Education provides a structure for PE teachers to plan a broad and worthwhile programme in PE for students. The aim of the Framework is to encourage learners’ confident, enjoyable and informed participation in physical activity while in senior cycle and in their future lives. It will enable students to engage in meaningful learning through their engagement with the various curriculum models and hopefully create a pathway for lifelong involvement in physical activity.

The Framework contains six curriculum models:

• health-related physical activity
• sport education
• contemporary issues in physical activity
• adventure education
• personal and social responsibility
• teaching games for understanding

List of Schools