Ten Cork schools are among the 80 secondary schools nationwide, to be part of the first phase implementation of Physical Education (PE) for Senior Cycle programmes

An Tanaiste Simon Coveney and Cork South Central TD welcomed the news saying: “I am delighted that so many Cork schools are included in the pilot scheme for schools to study Physical Education at Senior Cycle. This means Cork students could be among the first in the country to take the Leaving Cert exam in PE.”

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. It will be rolled out to all schools from 2020 so all students in Cork will benefit from this before too long.

“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 PE to all students at senior cycle.

“The assessment process will have 20% going to a physical activity project; 30% to performance assessment and 50% to a written examination.”

“The Fine Gael Government is taking physical education seriously for the health of our nation and this announcement is part of the overall Government focus on encouraging healthy living. We want to support families and communities in Cork to make healthy choices. The announcement is also a key commitment in Minister Richard Bruton’s Action Plan for Education, which aims to make Ireland’s education and training system the best in Europe by 2026.”

ENDS