Jess Casey: Focus now turns to CAO results and the class of 2021

Many students who completed the Leaving Cert Vocational Programme and Leaving Cert Applied saw their scores increase, writes Jess Casey

Clive Byrne, the director of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD), said next year's Leaving Cert students have an equal or even greater challenge. File Picture.

As the dust begins to settle on two major educational milestones, the results and the reopening of schools, attention now turns to the first round of CAO offers, due to be issued to students this Friday. 

Some are concerned that so much emphasis was put on ensuring the system was fair for this year's students, that maybe students in other years were overlooked. 

Students who held off on applying to the CAO naturally are worried about what the record grades will bring.

Separately, principals are urging for the focus to turn now to the impact of Covid-19 restrictions on the Leaving Cert class of 2021. 

Incoming sixth years have had, and will have, equal if not greater challenges than this year's school leavers, according to Clive Byrne, director of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD). 

“March’s school closures came at a time when many fifth-year students were getting to grips with crucial course material that, in a normal year, they would move to revise and refine in sixth year," he said. 

Teachers made every effort but many students were disadvantaged, he added. 

Meanwhile, significant numbers of students who completed the Leaving Cert Vocational Programme (LCVP) and Leaving Cert Applied this year also saw their scores increase. 

This year, roughly 22% of more than 60,000 Leaving Cert students followed LCVP. Almost 5% of students followed the Leaving Cert Applied Programme. 

The LCVP, an optional, two-year programme sees students take a mix of established Leaving Cert subjects as well as a practical programme called the links modules. These include a mix of work experience and vocational training. 

This year saw a slight increase in the number of students completing this, though the numbers of students unsuccessful in passing the programme dropped dramatically - from 1,085 in 2019 to 599 in 2020. 

On the other end of the scale, more than 21% of students this year achieved a distinction, compared to just over 8% of students in 2019. 

On the LCA programme, students receive a single award made on the basis of credits accumulated over the two-year cycle and in a final set of exams.

They are then awarded on three levels; pass for students who receive total credits of 60% or more but less than 70%, merit for 70% but less than 85%, and distinction for 85% and above.

This year, 35% of students received distinctions, compared to 22% of students in 2019. 

Slightly more students opted for LCA this year; 2,850 compared to 2,716 in 2019.