Junior Cycle Subjects- advice!!

[AnamCaillte]

I’m looking at secondary options for my bright but young and immature child for next year. Our local small secondary seems lovely and nurturing but offers only 8 subjects for junior certificate which I find very strange. The head didn’t really appreciate my questioning it. Our other options involve sending her to a much bigger school 45 mins commute each way. I’m worried about limiting her options especially as she is very academic and feel that this is not standard but would be delighted to be told otherwise?!

Which subjects is it offering? This is the full list including core subjects that they should have access to. Junior Cycle | Curriculum Online

It offers the usual range of subjects but only the option of doing 8.

You mean 8 that they have exams on or in total as they do only have 8 JC exams.

Only 8 exam subjects? All the other schools do 9?

What are the subjects? Irish, English, MFL, Maths and ?

It’s not the subjects themselves, it’s how few there are! English, Irish, maths, history, science, a language and 2 others.

That's weird I've 2 gone through the junior cert and one just started first year. I assumed they did 9 subjects for exams but tbh I could be wrong. I would personally look more to the senior cycle and what they offer then junior cycle, it is not massively important so subjects at that stage are not as relevant in my opinion. If the school has a good reputation and would better suit your daughter that to me is more important

The 45 min is that by public transport or by you transporting her? How will she manage is she needs to stay late for afterschool sports or a school play etc

How active is she in the local community for sports or clubs?

Are you willing to provide weekend transport to and from friends houses which is likely 45-1.5h each way?

What career path are you looking at which would need a missing subject?

Are the school doing a minimum of one class for each higher level subject in all the current subjects has that happened each year?

At junior and leaving cert level?

What is the minimum number of students they need to provide a teacher for a class?

45mins is public transport. We could collect/drop 2-3 days a week. Shes very very bright but socially very immature. I worry that offering less subjects etc suggests that the school value academics less. Possibly projecting as I was the bright child in the school where academics were not really though this was back in the 90s and hopefully things have changed. Local school has mixed classes for most subjects rather than separating higher/ordinary level.

Mine did nine subjects for JC all right. The same as you’ve listed plus geography. There was a choice of subjects for the ‘2 others’ you mention, but all the rest were compulsory in their school. Just googled though, and the only subjects that are compulsory nationally are English, Irish, Maths and History. Some students have an Irish exemption.

Mine also did some short subjects that didn’t have associated terminal exams.

I’d consider a 45 minute commute each way very long tbh, though I know some kids do it. I avoided it for mine. After-school activities and the advantage of having local friends need to be taken into account too.

I’m not sure about JC, but our school facilitates students who do an extra subject or two outside school at LC level. They sit the extra exam/s at the school.

Are the school doing a minimum of one class for each higher level subject in all the current subjects has that happened each year?
At junior and leaving cert level?

Sorry @AnSolas. I’m not the OP but I don’t understand what you mean here?

Do you mean does the school offer all possible subjects? I don’t think most schools do.
Also, it’s only possible to do Higher Level English, Irish and Maths at JC as the other subjects are Common Level.

That’s fairly normal afaik, my friend’s daughter did her junior cert last year and did english, irish, maths, history, and then was told to pick a language and three other subjects (I think I remember her choosing art, science, and music)

So late reply 🙃

No not every subject it was a question for any subject which had a higher level option and was "on offer" by the school. As classes are sometimes limited by the school having the ability to run a class for an exam level eg provide the teacher only after they get the minimum number of students needed to do the subject