Student Experiences of the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme

PATHWAYS INTO LCA 37other students (34 per cent doing so compared with 3 per cent of otherstudents). Of those who received frequent help from their family withhomework or study in third year 13 per cent went on to take LCAcompared with 5 per cent of those who received occasional help and 4 percent of those who did not receive such assistance. In contrast, LCAentrants were about half as likely to have taken grinds in third year; 15 percent had done so compared with 28 per cent of other students.Students’ subject levels and grades also differ between LCA and otherLeaving Certificate programmes. Students who go on to take LCA weremore likely to take subjects at foundation or ordinary level, and much lesslikely to take subjects at higher level, than those entering the LCE or LCVPprogrammes (Figure 4.4).Figure 4.4: Mean Number of Subjects Taken at Different Levels byProgramme TakenMean76543210FoundationOrdinaryHigherLCALCE/LCVPSource: Post-Primary Longitudinal Study (PPLS) database.As might be expected, students who achieve lower grades in their JuniorCertificate examination are more likely to go on to take LCA than otherstudents; LCA participants had scored an average of 4.4 grade points (outof a maximum of 10) per subject compared with an average of 7.3 amongLCE/LCVP participants. Dividing students into quintiles based on theirJunior Certificate grades, we find that 27 per cent of the lowest quintiletake LCA compared with 6 per cent of those in the second lowest quintileand none of those in the highest three quintiles.Examined in the next section is another group of LCA entrants whohad learning difficulties during junior cycle which influenced their entryinto LCA.4.3.2 SPECIAL NEEDS LEARNERSEvidence from the School Leavers’ Survey (2002-06) also shows that LCAstudents are twice as likely to suffer from chronic, physical or mental healthproblems (6.9 per cent to 3.4 per cent) than students in other LeavingCertificate programmes. The position of special needs learners in LCA hasbeen highlighted in studies by the Joint Managerial Body for Secondary