€12 million made available for LC Science reforms

Funding of €12 million is to be made available to support post-primary schools with the roll-out of revised Leaving Certificate science subjects, Minister for Education Norma Foley has announced.

Three science subjects - Biology, Chemistry and Physics - have been revised as part of Stage One of the redevelopment of Senior Cycle subjects.

The revised specifications include a traditional written assessment worth 60% and a new additional assessment component, worth 40%.

The Department of Education says the additional assessment component will broaden the types of assessment used in Senior Cycle.

Every student's additional assessment component will be externally assessed by the State Examinations Commission.

Minister Foley said the funding would be paid to schools shortly.

All schools in the free scheme will receive additional funding with a minimum base payment of €13,000 up to a maximum of €22,000.

There will be no application process, and the payment will be made on an automatic basis.

The revised specifications for Biology, Chemistry and Physics will be implemented in schools nationwide for fifth year students from August/September 2025.

The Science Implementation Support Grant funding will be allocated based on four bands of enrolment, ensuring that funding is fair and proportionate, the Department said.

The enrolment bands range in size from schools up to 300 students in the lowest band, to schools with over 900 pupils in the highest band.

DEIS schools will receive an additional 10% on top of the minimum funding for their enrolment band.

Schools will have autonomy to use the additional funding in a way that best suits their school’s needs.

"It is expected that schools will prioritise the purchase of consumables and related equipment needs", a Department statement said.

"The funding may be used to support the implementation of the new senior cycle sciences or more generally to support the broader science programme which may include, for example, Agricultural Science, Transition Year Science or Junior Cycle Science".

It said this €12m funding was in addition to the €30m allocated in Budget 2025 for curriculum reforms including senior cycle redevelopment.

The Teachers' Union of Ireland has said the funding "does not go far enough to address the deficits in equipment and consumables" in schools around Ireland.

It added that a "more fundamental issue" was the availability of teachers.

"Regrettably, the Department seems intent on 'riding out’ the crisis until student numbers fall," it said.

The Irish Second-Level Students’ Union welcomed the announcement, and particularly that DEIS schools will receive an additional 10% funding.