Junior Cycle

Junior Cycle: First Year to Third Year

Junior Cycle Curriculum

We have designed a rich Junior Cycle programme for First to Third year students at MSCC. Our programme includes a mix of subjects and short courses, prioritises literacy and numeracy development and also offers wider learning experiences for our students.

Core Subjects: English, Gaeilge & Maths

Modern Foreign Language: French, German or Spanish

Foundation subjects for all: History, Geography & Religion

Subject options: Woodwork, Visual Art, Music, Science, Home Economics & Business

Short courses: PE, CSPE, SPHE

Short courses – options subjects: Digital Media, Artistic Performance, Cookery & Coding

In addition, students have tutorial time to start each school day, and a Pastoral Care session focussed on wellbeing, school values and personal development once a week. Students also have the benefit of using the library once per week as part of their English provision.

The Junior Cycle programme includes new approaches of assessment and reporting. Classroom-based assessments take place in Second and Third Year. In addition to these ‘CBAs’, students complete state examinations at the end of their three year junior cycle and receive a Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement. (see below for this year’s calendar).

Junior Cert Short Courses

Artistic Performance

This short course comes under the umbrella of ‘arts education’. Through movement, sound, symbol and image, the arts can transform a student’s creative idea into a work of expression that is communicated to an audience, usually in a group performance.

The course is delivered in three strands:

• Strand 1: Experiencing the arts – artistic performances are discussed and evaluated so that the student gets an idea of the actual experience of the arts. Students will gain an insight into what the art form is communicating, how it is communicated, and to consider their potential role in the final group performance.
• Strand 2: Planning and Preparing – The students plan and prepares for the performance they are going to be involved in. They consider their own strengths and those of others in order to make decisions on the performing/non-performing roles to be undertaken. Through individual and collaborative activities, students will develop the skills necessary to be successful in their particular role. This may be done through research, further observations and experiences, use of outside or in-school expertise, and regular attendance and practice at rehearsals.
• Strand 3: Participation and Performance – This strand brings the experiences of the arts as an observer and a participant together in the final group performance.

Assessment

There is one Classroom-Based Assessment (CBA), the final performance, which is the culmination of work undertaken in the three strands of the Artistic Performance short course. The assessment considers technical control, creativity, interpretation and teamwork. As part of the Classroom-Based Assessment, students include a reflection on their experience of engaging with the arts as they progress through the three strands. This can be presented in written, digital, visual or audio form, or any other format that is deemed suitable by the student and appropriate for capturing the essence of the reflection.

Digital Media Literacy (DML)

Creating and sharing media in a digital environment has become an increasingly important feature of how young people communicate and engage with each other and with the wider world. Young people are actively manipulating digital media to participate in social and cultural life, to pursue their interests and to express themselves online.

Through studying this digital media literacy short course, students learn to use digital technology to engage in self-directed enquiry, to discriminate between multiple sources of information and to participate safely and effectively in an online environment.

Classroom Based Assessments

During second and third year, students complete a number of Classroom-Based Assessments.

For a small group of students with special educational needs, priority learning units (PLUs) will be provided. These components will enable the statements of learning, literacy and numeracy and other key skills to be become a reality for the students throughout their three-year junior cycle.

Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement & Junior Certificate Schools Programme

All students receive a Junior Cycle Profile Achievement upon completing the Junior Cycle at the end of Third Year.

The Junior Certificate School Programme aims to provide a curriculum framework that assists schools and teachers in making the Junior Certificate more accessible to those young people who may leave school without formal qualifications. It supports and supplements the Junior Cycle Programme by offering students the option of continuous assessment. The JCSP is based on the concept that all young people are capable of real success in school and that they can have a positive experience of school if the conditions are favourable.

It attempts to help young people experience success and develop a positive self-image by providing a curriculum and assessment framework suitable to their needs. On completion of the programme students receive a profile which is an official record of their achievements, validated by the Department of Education and Science. Please visit www.jcsp.ie for more information about the JCSP

Mount Seskin Community College has a School Library setup to allow students use it both during Class but also in use at lunch time and after school. The library is staffed by a full-time Librarian, Shane Doyle. You can read more in our Pupils Area here: JSCP Library | Mount Seskin Community College (mountseskincc.ie)

The JCSP programme supports and tracks the progression and achievements of individual students over the three-year cycle. Class teachers and students record progress and at the end of this cycle, students are presented with profiles & achievement folder.

L1 and L2 Programmes

Level 1 and Level 2 Learning Programmes (L1/L2LPs) are available at both Junior Cycle (JC) and Senior Cycle, providing pathways for students with diverse learning needs. These programmes are designed to follow on from Junior Cycle L1/L2LPs, offering a tailored approach to learning that focuses on preparing students for life beyond school, including independent living and lifelong learning.

Junior Cycle L1/L2LPs:

• Introduced in 2015 (L2LPs) and 2018 (L1LPs), these programmes cater to students with special educational needs.
• SCL1LP) is designed for a distinct group of students who may have significant global developmental delay across a number of areas, including learning, communication, language and adaptive skills leading to complex, multiple cognitive and functioning needs. Students may have difficulty understanding the world around them and their place in it or may also find expressive and receptive communication challenging.
• The programmes are personalised, with a focus on developing essential skills like communication, language, literacy, and numeracy. They emphasise practical skills and real-world application, with opportunities for students to consolidate and progress their learning.