Senior Cycle at Rice College
Senior Cycle at Rice College provides students with a broad range of opportunities to develop their knowledge, skills, confidence and independence as they prepare for further education, training, employment and life beyond school.
Our Senior Cycle provision reflects the national Senior Cycle Redevelopment programme, which places the student at the centre of their educational experience and aims to promote equity and excellence for all. The redevelopment places increased emphasis on student choice, wellbeing, key skills, active learning and a broader range of assessment approaches.
Senior Cycle at Rice College includes Transition Year, Leaving Certificate Established (LCE), and Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA). Students are supported in choosing the pathway that best reflects their interests, abilities, aspirations and future plans.
Leaving Certificate
Students following the Leaving Certificate Established programme select subjects from a broad range of curricular areas. Subject availability is determined by the school's curriculum provision and staffing and may vary from year to year.
Leaving Certificate subjects offered at Rice College
Core
- Irish
- English
- Mathematics
Choice Subjects- timetables created on choices of 5th Year student cohort.
- History
- Geography
- French
- Spanish
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Computer Science
- Agricultural Science
- Biology
- Business
- Accounting
- Economics
- Art
- Construction Studies
- Design and Communication Graphics (DCG)
- Applied Mathematics
- Religious Education
- Music
- Home Economics
The Senior Cycle curriculum is currently undergoing a major national redevelopment. Revised specifications are being introduced on a phased basis from 2025 onwards. Subjects already redeveloped include Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Business, while further subjects are being introduced or revised through subsequent tranches.
The redevelopment is designed to broaden the range of knowledge and skills developed by students and to reduce reliance on a single final written examination. New and revised subjects include additional assessment components designed to assess skills and competencies in a variety of ways. For the redeveloped subjects, these additional components are intended to account for at least 40% of the available marks and are externally assessed by the State Examinations Commission.
Rice College will continue to review its Senior Cycle subject provision in line with national curriculum developments and the needs and aspirations of our students.
Subjects and Learning Experiences for All Students
Alongside their examination subjects, students participate in a broader Senior Cycle programme designed to support their personal, social, physical and educational development.
This includes, as appropriate to the school's Senior Cycle programme:
- Religious Education
- Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE)
- Physical Education and physical activity
- Careers and guidance education
- Wellbeing and personal development
- Study, learning and organisational skills
- Opportunities for personal responsibility, collaboration and leadership
These experiences form an important part of the wider Senior Cycle experience and complement students' examination subjects.
Subject Choice
Subject choice is an important decision and students are encouraged to consider their interests, strengths and learning needs, as well as the requirements of courses and careers they may wish to pursue after school.
Students and parents/guardians are supported in this process through guidance counselling, subject information, transition planning and consultation with teachers.
Students should always check the current entry requirements of further and higher education courses when making subject choices.
Transition Year
Transition Year (TY) provides students with an opportunity to experience a broader and more varied year of learning between Junior Cycle and Senior Cycle.
The TY experience can include academic study, work experience, enterprise, community involvement, personal development, physical activity, career exploration, projects, trips and a wide range of enrichment activities.
The national Transition Year programme is also being refreshed as part of the wider Senior Cycle redevelopment. The Department of Education has identified expanded access to TY as an important part of the development of Senior Cycle.
At Rice College, TY aims to develop students' independence, confidence, creativity, communication, collaboration and sense of responsibility while helping them to make informed choices about their future.
Leaving Certificate Life, Community and Work
As part of the redevelopment of Senior Cycle, the former LCVP Link Modules are being replaced by a new specification called Leaving Certificate Life, Community and Work.
The new specification will be introduced for students entering fifth year in September 2026. It replaces the existing Leaving Certificate Programme Statement, with the current Link Modules being examined for the final time in June 2027.
The new programme places a strong emphasis on developing students' knowledge, skills and capabilities for participation in life, further education, employment and the community.
This represents an important shift from the older LCVP model and reflects the wider Senior Cycle emphasis on student agency, transferable skills, active learning and meaningful connections between school and life beyond school.
Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA)
The Leaving Certificate Applied is a two-year Senior Cycle programme designed to prepare students for adult and working life, while also providing opportunities for progression to further education and training.
LCA has a strong practical and applied focus. Learning takes place through a combination of classroom learning, projects, tasks, practical activities, work experience and other forms of active learning.
Students following LCA develop knowledge and skills through a range of learning experiences rather than relying solely on traditional written examinations.
Key features of LCA include:
- learning through practical and applied activities;
- projects and tasks;
- continuous assessment;
- work experience;
- preparation for employment;
- personal and social development;
- teamwork and communication;
- enterprise and community-based learning;
- opportunities to develop independence and responsibility.
A significant proportion of assessment is based on work completed throughout the two years, alongside examinations and other assessment components.
LCA should not be described simply as a programme for students who find academic work difficult. It is an alternative Senior Cycle pathway designed around a different balance of practical, vocational, academic, personal and social learning.
Students completing LCA can progress to further education and training, including Post-Leaving Certificate (PLC) programmes, apprenticeships and other opportunities. Progression routes should be discussed with the school's Guidance Counsellor, as entry requirements vary between courses and institutions.
National policy has also increased flexibility within LCA. Since September 2022, LCA students have had access to Leaving Certificate Established Mathematics and/or a Modern Foreign Language, where available.
A Changing Senior Cycle
The Senior Cycle landscape in Ireland is changing significantly.
The NCCA is redeveloping Leaving Certificate subjects in five tranches, with implementation taking place progressively from 2025 to 2029. The programme includes revised existing subjects as well as new subjects such as Drama, Film and Theatre Studies and Climate Action and Sustainable Development.
For Rice College, this means that Senior Cycle will continue to evolve over the coming years. Students will increasingly encounter:
- greater opportunities for choice;
- a broader range of learning experiences;
- greater emphasis on skills and competencies;
- assessment spread across different components;
- opportunities for practical, project-based and applied learning;
- stronger links between learning, further education, employment and the community;
- increased emphasis on student wellbeing and agency.
The aim is that every student at Rice College will have the opportunity to follow a Senior Cycle pathway that recognises their strengths, supports their ambitions and prepares them for successful participation in further education, employment and society.
Senior Cycle at Rice College is therefore not simply about preparing for examinations. It is about preparing students for their next steps and for life beyond school.