The Department of Education with the NCCA (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment), the State Examinations Commission, schools, teachers, parents & students has started to introduce a more modernised the Senior Cycle and Leaving Certificate Programme
The aim is to make the Leaving Cert more relevant to today’s world: more choice, more varied skills, clearer learning outcomes, teaching and assessment methodologies.
Instead of changing everything at once, subjects are being redeveloped in five tranches. Each tranche is a batch of subjects whose curricula and assessments are being updated, and each tranche has a roll-out year when all schools will use the new version.
Here are the tranches:
SPHE (Social, Personal and Health Education) at Senior Cycle:
This subject is being updated and will be mandatory. Schools have until September 2027 to introduce the new SPHE curriculum for students entering fifth year