Junior Certificate Schools Programme
The aim of the Junior Certificate School Programme is to provide an innovative approach to the Junior
Certificate Programme for potential early school leavers who are struggling to cope with secondary school. It is
an intervention for these students based on the concept that all young people are capable of achieving real success in school. It is not an alternative to the Junior Certificate. It is a framework designed to help schools and teachers develop an imaginative approach to the Junior Certificate course.
All the students in the Programme are entered for the Junior Certificate examination. The JCSP Programme is aimed at 12–16 year olds who are potential early school leavers. There are no core subjects, however, all students must be entered in the Junior Certificate Exam in English and Maths and they must follow a suitable course in Irish. Through a system of profiling a student’s work in Junior Cycle classes, students are provided with opportunities to engage with the curriculum and to achieve success at school. They get an official certificate of their achievements, validated by the Department of Education and Science, in addition to their Junior Certificate Examination Certificate.