Maths suffers due to students’ work experience

Students lose out on one sixth of maths classes during transition year (TY) because of work experience and other activities, a study shows.

The research also suggests schools take greater account of teenagers’ progress during TY when deciding which maths classes they take for Leaving Certificate.

The study, carried out by the Educational Research Centre (ERC) at St Patrick’s College in Dublin, found schools preferred to rely on Junior Certificate results when making the decision, instead of the outcome of more recent test results and classroom assessments.