Leaving Certificate Applied
St. Mary’s Holy Faith Secondary School is delighted to offer students the Leaving Certificate Applied programme. This an alternative to the Department of Education Leaving Certificate Established programme and it offers a different approach to education. Students apply their knowledge, skills and experience to practical tasks at school, in the workplace and in the wider community.
The Leaving Certificate Applied challenges young people by setting them major tasks. These tasks demand that students make links across the various courses they have taken.
Credits are awarded to the student upon completion of each task. The Leaving Certificate Applied promotes interpersonal communication skills, self-initiative, teamwork and high achievement.
Six Key Questions about LCA
Q.1: What is the Leaving Certificate Applied?
The Leaving Certificate Applied is a distinct, self-contained two-year programme aimed at preparing students for adult and working life. The programme puts an emphasis on forms of achievement and excellence which the established Leaving Certificate has not recognised in the past.
Q.2 Why was the Leaving Certificate Applied introduced?
The Leaving Certificate Applied was introduced to recognise the talents of all students and provide opportunities for development in terms of responsibility, self-esteem and self-knowledge. It is an innovative programme in the way students learn, in what they learn and in the way their achievements are assessed.
Q.3 Who would benefit most from the Leaving Certificate Applied?
The Leaving Certificate Applied is intended to meet the needs of those students who are not adequately catered for by other Leaving Certificate programmes or who choose not to opt for such programmes.
Q.4 What is the advantage of the Leaving Certificate Applied?
The advantage of Leaving Certificate Applied is that it focuses on the talents of each individual student and helps students apply what they learn in the real world. The two-year programme consists of four half-year blocks called Sessions and achievements are credited in each of these Sessions.
Q.5 Do students have a choice within the Leaving Certificate Applied?
Each course consists of a number of modules. A module generally represents a half-year’s work and there is provision for some choice of modules.
Q.6 Do Leaving Certificate Applied students receive a Leaving Certificate?
Yes. Students who successfully complete the programme will receive a Leaving Certificate from the State Examinations Commission. All credits awarded will be recorded on the Leaving Certificate Applied parchment.
It was established in 1997 and introduced into St. Mary’s in 2023.
The two-year course is divided into 4 sessions:
- September – January, Year 1
- February – June, Year 1
- September – January, Year 2
- February – June, Year 2
Subjects in LCA (St. Mary’s)
Eleven subjects are done over the two years.
1: Vocational Education – students may study some of the following subjects:
- Mathematical Applications (compulsory)
- Introduction to Information Technology
- Art and Design
- Childcare/Social Care
2: Vocational Preparation – students study each of the following subjects:
- Vocational Preparation and Guidance
- English and Communications
- Work Experience
3: General Information
- Drama
- Social Education
- Language (Irish in Year 1/ Foreign language (French or Spanish in Year 2)
- Religious Education
- Leisure and Recreation
At present, students go on work experience one day per week.
For further information please click link below: https://ncca.ie/media/2554/lca_programme.pdf