JCSP - The Junior Certificate School Programme

The Junior Certificate School Programme (JCSP) is a national programme under the auspices of the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST). Currently, the programme is offered in 223 schools throughout the country. JCSP operates within the Junior Certificate/ Cycle curriculum. It follows the curriculum framework set out for the Junior Certificate/Cycle, which is re-focused to cater for JCSP students. 

It is an intervention into the Junior Certificate/Cycle and not an alternative to it. It helps to make the curriculum accessible and relevant to young people who would benefit from a different approach to the Junior Certificate/Cycle.

The JCSP approach involves:

• analysing students’ strengths and weaknesses and taking note of any specific recurring difficulties.
• planning programmes of work which both build on students’ abilities and address the main obstacles which hinder their progress.
• engaging in dialogue with young people and their parents regarding their needs and their progress in school.

The content of the courses which JCSP students follow emphasise skills, knowledge and concepts selected from Junior Certificate/ Cycle subject syllabi and subject specifications which best explore the aptitudes and abilities of these young peoples’ key skills, knowledge and concepts which are essential for students’ progress in all areas of the curriculum. 

The Programme is designed to ensure that these young people can benefit from their time in school and enjoy the experience of improvement and success. It does this by providing a curriculum framework which will assist schools and individual teachers in adopting a student-centred approach to education and in providing students with a programme to meet their individual needs.

Aims

The Junior Certificate School Programme attempts to help young people experience success and develop a positive self-image by providing a curriculum and assessment framework suitable to their needs. The programme aims to ensure that students actively participate in their learning, make progress and build on their achievements. The programme also aims to develop students’ literacy, numeracy, communication and group work skills. On completion of the programme, students receive a profile which is an official record of their achievements from the Department of Education and Skills.

GENERAL ENQUIRIES

Junior Certificate School Programme, Blackrock Education Centre, Kill Avenue, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin. 

Telephone: 01-2365000  

Email: jcsp@pdst.ie