New subjects for Tipp schools
St Mary's Secondary School in Nenagh and Newport College have been chosen among the first schools in the country to offer new Leaving Cert subjects to their students.
Drama, Film and Theatre Studies will be taught at St Mary's from the start of the 2025/2026 school year. Newport College will meanwhile be offering from next year a new subject of Climate Action and Sustainable Development.
Announced by Minister for Education Norma Foley this week, the selection of the local schools to run these new subjects marks an important moment in the national Senior Cycle Redevelopment Programme. The Nenagh school is one of 57 around the country that have been selected to introduce Drama, Film and Theatre as a Leaving Cert subject. It already has a grounding in the arts, having run a film club for a number of years as part of its extra-curricular programme.
Two St Mary's teachers will begin training next month - with Oide, the teacher support service - so that they will be ready to deliver the new subject next September.
New Principal at St Mary's John Cullinane said everyone at the school is delighted that the Nenagh institution has been chosen to offer this new subject.
“We're thrilled to be expanding our curriculum and providing an opportunity for girls who have an interest in drama, film and theatre,” he said. “Obviously, anything that can provide a broader experience and give more students an opportunity to follow something that they have an interest or passion in can only be a good thing.”
Mr Cullinane - who has just taken up his new role at St Mary's having been Principal at St Anne's Secondary School in Tipperary Town for the last three years - pointed out that schools had to apply to teach the new subjects. He praised those involved in securing St Mary's selection, ensuring that it will be one of the first schools in the country to teach Drama, Film and Theatre and pave the way for future students of the new subject.
"We'll be feeding back into the National Council for Curriculum Assessment and the Department of Education in terms of how it's implemented on the ground. You would imagine there will be tweaks and adjustments made on the basis of the feedback that us and other schools provide, so that's a great position to be in as well."
There are 93 Transition Year students in St Mary's at present. Mr Cullinane hoped that a good number of these, along with girls moving straight from Third to Fifth Year in 2025, would take on the new Leaving Cert subject when it becomes available.
"It's a great opportunity for girls from the locality to get involved in something that, who knows, may lead to them having a future career down the line. They might study it at third level or work in that area, so it's great to be able to offer them that," Mr Cullinane enthused.
'GREAT CHANGE' IN NEWPORT
Meanwhile at Nenagh College, Principal Donal Madden welcomed Minister Foley's announcement among a raft of positive developments in train for his school. Among these, Newport College this week commenced the One-to-One digital learning, wherein every student has a laptop. Mr Madden is also looking forward to the commencement of a multi-million euro upgrade of the school, which was built in 1959, as well as an extension that will add new science, home economics and other classrooms.
Newport College is one of 43 schools in Ireland that have been selected for Leaving Cert Climate Action and Sustainable Development. Mr Madden said the school submitted a proposal out of interest among teachers and students in protecting our natural environment.
"For us, it's about helping our students to become critically conscious and critical citizens, and that going forward they will be conscious of the environment and their role in building a better society for future generations," he said.
The current cohort of 53 TY students at Newport College are already learning about the subject area with a view to studying it as a Leaving Cert subject next year. Like St Mary's in Nenagh, two teachers are about to begin training in the new subject.
"It's a time of great change and innovation," said Mr Madden, who mentioned that Newport College was also one of the first schools to introduce - successfully - Physical Education as a Leaving Cert subject. "There is great excitement among us all here at Newport College."
All schools selected in this first phase of the rollout of the new subjects will be provided with the necessary resources to establish new subject departments, and to support the teaching and learning of the subject. Minister Foley said the rollout is part of her vision for a senior cycle that provides young people with an opportunity to study a range of subjects that align with their talents and passions.
“It was fantastic to see a strong level of interest from schools of all types in Tipperary and across the country in taking part in this first phase of delivering the new Leaving Certificate subjects," she stated. "These subjects are being introduced to provide greater choice for students to better reflect their range of interests and support the development of a wider range of talents and skills," Minister Foley stated.