What is the JCSP?
The Junior Certificate School Programme (JCSP) is a national programme under the auspices of Oide, a Department of Education Support Service. JCSP operates within the Junior Cycle curriculum and not instead of it.
It is an intervention into the Junior Cycle and not an alternative to it.and helps to make the curriculum accessible and relevant to young people who would benefit from a different approach to the Junior Cycle.
The JCSP approach involves:
- analysing students’ strengths and weaknesses and taking note of any specific recurring difficulties.
- planning programmes of work which both build on students’ abilities and address the main obstacles which hinder their progress.
- engaging in dialogue with young people and their parents regarding their needs and their progress in school
The content of the courses which JCSP students follow emphasise skills, knowledge and concepts selected from Junior Cycle subject syllabi and subject specifications which best explore the aptitudes and abilities of these young peoples’ key skills, knowledge and concepts which are essential for students’ progress in all areas of the curriculum.
The Programme is designed to ensure that young people can benefit from their time in school and enjoy the experience of improvement and success. It does this by providing a curriculum framework which will assist schools and individual teachers in adopting a student-centred approach to education and in providing students with a programme to meet their individual needs.