One-in-3 schools ‘mix’ students due to staff cuts

ONE-IN-THREE second-level schools have had to mix students of different levels or from different years because of staffing cuts imposed by the Government, according to a teachers’ union.

The funding cuts for schools have also led to almost one-in-10 schools discontinuing or reducing the number of students eligible for the Leaving Certificate Applied programme, an alternative to the traditional exam aimed at teenagers who might not otherwise finish their education and is offered by around half of the state’s 740 second-level schools.

The cuts have also meant that six out of 155 schools surveyed by the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) this month have either dropped or reduced the number of pupils on their transition year programme.