Junior Cycle Curriculum
At St. Columba’s, we are committed to providing an engaging, student-centered education that prepares learners for the future. We believe in offering a well-rounded education that supports every student’s growth and learning. Our Junior Cycle program provides a strong foundation through a diverse curriculum. All students study the following core subjects:
Beyond the core subjects, students can tailor their learning experience by choosing from the following optional subjects:
Junior Cycle Structure
The curriculum follows the latest Junior Cycle Framework and includes innovative approaches to Wellbeing, Physical Education, Skills for a Digital World, and CSPE are delivered as short courses, complemented by SPHE.
The program includes Classroom-Based Assessments (CBAs) in each subject, allowing students to demonstrate their learning through practical and creative tasks. These assessments are part of the continuous evaluation process, ensuring that students are recognized for their efforts beyond traditional exams.
At the end of Junior Cycle, students receive a Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement (JCPA). This document highlights their performance in exams, CBAs, and other areas, including achievements in wellbeing and extracurricular activities. The JCPA provides a clear record of each student's learning journey and accomplishments during their Junior Cycle years.
Wellbeing In Junior Cycle
Wellbeing is at the forefront of our Junior Cycle syllabus through SPHE, PE, CSPE, Religion and other co-curricular experiences throughout the year. Childhood can be seen as a process of ‘wellbecoming’, where young people are gaining knowledge, skills, values and attitudes that will sustain them throughout their lives. This is a lifelong journey, but one where schools play an important part.
Schools have a central role to play in supporting and promoting students’ learning about wellbeing and for wellbeing. They learn about wellbeing through specific areas of the curriculum and various wellbeing events and initiatives that are organised to develop awareness, knowledge and skills about wellbeing. They learn for wellbeing when their whole experience of school life including all the day-to-day interactions, both within and beyond the classroom, are respectful and caring. Thinking about learning for wellbeing requires that we consider not only what students learn but also how they learn it. Learning for wellbeing can be nurtured in all subjects and by all teachers.