Teachers to vote on junior cycle co-operation

In spite of the Department of Education’s decision to extend the timeframe for adding subjects to the new junior cycle, teachers are to be balloted for non-co-operation as they say many of their concerns have still not been addressed.

Yesterday, at a working group with unions, school managers, and parents’ bodies, department officials confirmed they were slowing the completion of the roll-out from 2020 to 2022.

nThey confirmed that, in English, the first subject to be introduced in September, there will be minimal curriculum changes in 2014-15 and that formal school-based assessment will not be required until students reach the end of second year in the summer of 2016;