A secondary school in Kilkenny has announced its Junior Cert students will be assessed through internal exams at the end of the current school year.
The Department of Education had said the June exams were being cancelled with school-based tests and assessments to be held early in the new school year.
However, Presentation Secondary School Kilkenny says its Junior Cert students shouldn't be put under pressure over the summer months by preparing for exams.
Its 140 pupils will take online exams in May, which will make up their final grade along with an average of their exams and project work to date.
Principal Shane Halahan feels that expecting 15 and 16 year-olds to study all summer isn't fair.
Speaking to Beat News he said:
"We're very aware of the stresses that are on exam students and following the announcement from the Minister for Education and Skills that there will be no certification coming from the Department of Education for the students. In response, we came together and looked if there was anything we could do to ease the pressure.
"These girls are 15 and 16 years of age and the thought of having to sit the Junior Cert in September- we felt it wouldn't be any good for their well-being at all. That has to be the most important thing in these times."
Explaining the assessment he said:
"40-50% of the grades will be based on their past exams (mocks, project work etc.), 30% will be made up of their final exam in May and 20% will be for their engagement with their teachers since this has began.
"We would have had many students that would have continued to work over the summer for something that may or may not even happen in September- so we just wanted to get that out of the way and give them some piece of certainty."
