The Guide issued by the Department of Education on 9th March has been updated to deal with a number of concerns that have been raised. It can be accessed here.
Key aspects of the revised guide are as follows:
- Section 3 of the Guide clarifies the distinction between the State certificate of completion of Junior cycle and the school report. The previously confusing reference to a “dual form of certification” has been removed.
- Greater clarity has been provided for schools in the guidelines regarding the administration of end-of-term examinations. It provides as follows;
‘Where a school administers an end-of-term examination as part of this approach to assessment, public health guidelines should be followed. This will mean maintaining physical distancing, wearing of masks, hand-hygiene and sanitisation to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19. If an end-of-term examination is put in place for a subject, it is recommended that it is administered to individual class groups in their classrooms rather than in large assembly-style groupings.’
