Limerick School for the Deaf

We at the Mid West School for Hearing Impaired Children offer a comprehensive senior cycle to our students. The practice of both sign dependent and oral classes is continued in the senior cycle, as is the small teacher-pupil ratio, which enables more individual attention for the students. On entering the senior cycle each pupil is enrolled in the Junior Certificate Schools Programme (J.C.S.P). The ethos of this programme is that every student is capable of success. “The goal of the programme is to ensure students enjoy positive experiences of school through a creative and broad-based curriculum and go on to achieve success in their Junior Certificate examination. The focus of the programme is on the process of education rather than the product. Through the Profiling System, the students work on short-term achievable goals in social as well as academic areas. As the Profile of their achievements is built up, the students’ self-esteem grows. This constant affirmation of their progress increases their positive connection with school and helps to ensure their retention within the educational system”. (J.C.S.P Support Team)

Senior Class

How This Works In Our School

· The staff put together a Junior Certificate Programme that keeps the students motivated and interested.
· It is designed to bring the best out in our students all the way through to their Junior Certificate exams.
· The programme is tailored to suit the students.
· Students work on their short-term goals so they can see they are making progress.
· Students build up their skills gradually.
· Students success is rewarded at each stage.
“This is their Ph.D. in life”
Jerry McCarthy
J.C.S.P Support Team.
The J.C.S.P students do all kinds of exciting things through an active cross-curricular approach along with the usual core curriculum.
One of the major projects that our J.C.S.P students take part in is the “Make A Book Exhibition”. Our students wrote a book entitled “Georgian Ireland” which was a cross-curricular project in their English and History classes.
The book was encased in a model of the Georgian House in Perry Square, which the students built in their Art and Woodwork classes. The Model and book were on display at the “Make A Book Exhibition” in Dublin Castle in April 2003 and was presented to the Georgian House who had it on display during the summer months. It was a very positive experience for the students to see their work on display where it was viewed by thousands of people.
The school has also drawn up school-based statements based around our cross-curricular and extra-curricular programmes. This reinforces positive feedback for the work undertaken by the students in their school lives. Examples of such statements include:

• · Sign Language
• · Upholstery
• · Tag Rugby
• · Student Exchange
• · Life Saving skills

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The aims of the J.C.S.P for the students are to:
· Stay in school
· Enjoy school
· Get involved
· Experience success
· Have positive reports to bring home
· Develop a positive self image
· Develop a sense of belonging in the school community
· Improve literacy and numeracy
· See possibilities of progression
· Enjoy a broad curriculum
· Achieve a final positive record of achievement.
The staff aims to make the experience of school positive, relevant and accessible to those young people who find it difficult to cope with the school system and are potential early school leavers. The class teachers select achievable learning targets for their students who build up their profile during the three years of the programme. This profile acts as a focus for positive feedback for the students.
We have found in our experience of the J.C.S.P that awarding students their profile before they sit the Junior Certificate exams proves very valuable in motivating the students for the Junior Certificate itself.
On the completion of the J.C.S.P the senior students sit their Junior Certificate exams in the following subjects:
· English
· Mathematics
· History
· Home Economics
· Art
· C.S.P.E.
These exams are taken over two years with their results combined in the second year to be awarded the Junior Certificate.

FETAC
Following the Junior Certificate exams the senior cycle of the school offers FETAC Awards at Level 3 and Level 4. The Further Education and Training Awards Council certify these awards.
FETAC Level 3 award is a pre-vocational certificate intended to provide access to other qualifications and opportunities within the national framework.
The Level 3 Certificate enables learners to gain recognition for:
· Specific personal skills, practical skills and knowledge
· Basic transferable skills
· The enhancement of individual talents and qualities
· Achievement and learning relevant to a variety of progression options.
FETAC Level 4 Certificate enables learners to gain recognition for:
· The achievement of personal and vocational skills, knowledge and understanding to specified standards
· The enhancement of individual talents and qualities
· Achievement and learning relevant of a variety of progression options, including employment at an introductory vocational level, and programmes leading to FETAC Level 5
(FETAC publications)
The following table indicates the FETAC courses available in our school. Courses marked * are compulsory modules.

At Level 3 students must complete the three core modules and five others. At Level 4 students must complete the four core modules and four others.
Having completed Level 4 students may progress to Post-Leaving Certificate Courses in Limerick Senior College (or its equivalent), to pursue a course at Level 5 in their chosen field of study. From there they can apply to Third Level Institutions who reserve a percentage of their places solely for FETAC entrants as has been highlighted recently in the Irish Independent.
This programme removes our students from the points system and offers an alternative route to accessing Third Level education, thus making it more feasible and obtainable for our students.
Two senior students are currently studying for Leaving Certificate Exams in English and Maths.