Leaving Cert overhaul could be done 'within two years', Children's Ombudsman says
Now is the time to overhaul the Leaving Cert, the Ombudsman for Children has claimed. File Picture.
It is time to revisit national policy on bullying in schools and to reform the Leaving Cert, the Ombudsman for Children has warned.
Dr Niall Muldoon made his comments after the latest annual report from the Office of the Children's Ombudsman (OCO) which showed a fall in the number of complaints made last year, but a rise in the percentage of complaints associated with education.
The OCO received 1,503 complaints, down from 1,622 in 2018, but 49% of the complaints related to education, up from 42% in 2018.
Of those complaints, 75% related to schools, 17% to the Department of Education and Skills, and 4% were associated with other educational agencies such as the National Council for Special Education and the State Examinations Commission.
Our Annual Report for 2019 highlights some of the OCO’s main activities last year across a range of areas like education, health & housing.
— Ombudsman for Children (@OCO_ireland) September 16, 2020
You can download the report here: https://t.co/zRcNx7ZBoL pic.twitter.com/83WYofOyxW
Dr Muldoon said some issues had been addressed in recent years, such as the so-called 'baptism barrier', but that often complaints were around communication and how schools dealt with issues raised by parents.
"We are seeing a lot more special needs [issues]," Dr Muldoon said. "Bullying is coming up on a regular basis."
He said his office has contacted the Secretary-General of the Department of Education asking for a review of the 2013 policies available to schools on bullying, as he said bullying can often "hide" other problems, such as racism or issues of a sexual nature.
"Now would be an appropriate time to look at the whole process," he said.
Dr Muldoon also said that since schools already make returns to the department on finances and other issues, it should not be hard to collate data on bullying.
He also said his office would expect an increase in the number of contacts this year in relation to the Leaving Certificate exams, calculated grades and the appeals process. He said when the possibility of the exams being shelved first emerged it sparked a surge of calls from students, and that there were no questions over the appeals process.
Dr Muldoon said now would be an apt time to look at reviewing the entire Leaving Certificate process, such as introducing more assessments and having fewer exams.
"I think within two years we could overhaul the whole thing," he said.
The pandemic has impacted on the lives of children, he said, not least in the area of disability and special needs, with children's routines turned upside down by the closure of schools.
He said it highlighted how July provision needs to be extended and access to it made easier.
The report also addresses areas of concerns such as assessment of need and mental health and cases in which the OCO successfully intervened.
One involved Tusla providing 24-hour care to a young person who had previously been placed in an emergency hostel for a number of weeks, during which time she was exposed to drink and drug misuse and sexually exploited.
Dr.Niall Muldoon's interview can be heard 24mins into the show 📻
— Ombudsman for Children (@OCO_ireland) September 16, 2020
A separate case involved a boy with autism, depression and anxiety who had been staying in a paediatric ward at a hospital for almost five months as HSE Disability Services had not identified a place for him to stay as he could not return to his family home.
The HSE later secured an individual placement for him that was supported by a private care services provider.
