Offaly Leaving Cert students' calculated grades 'very fair'

THE Leaving Certificate classes of 2020 are anxiously awaiting news of college places on Friday after receiving their results.

The reaction from schools to the calculated grades has been largely positive with principals saying they are broadly in line with expectations.

At the all-boys Colaiste Choilm in Tullamore, which had 104 Leaving Certificate students, principal Tadhg O'Sullivan expressed his delight with the results.

Speaking to the Tullamore Tribune, Mr O'Sullivan said: “My feeling would be that the process carried out by the DES (Department of Education and Skills) calculated grades office was very fair.”

“We followed the process we were told to follow in May and June.”

Prior to the results being released, there was speculation that some 17% of grades would be changed by the use of a standardisation procedure by the Department of Education.

On Monday the department said one in five Higher Level marks as assessed by teachers were downgraded by one grade after standardisation. One in ten Ordinary Level results were lowered by one grade.

Mr O'Sullivan said he did not believe that to be the case in his school.

“We had some upgrades as well as some downgrades. It wasn't the 17% or anything like it,” he said.

While some students had achieved maximum points, Mr O'Sullivan was keen to stress that the importance of points should not be overstated.

“It is important too to realise that academic success is neither a guarantee nor a necessity for someone to enjoy a full life and a rewarding career.”

At the Sacred Heart School, Tullamore, 104 girls received their results and the principal, Pauline McKenna, said they were as expected because the teachers knew the year group was a very good one.

“The results were excellent but they would have been anyway if everything had gone according to plan and they had sat the Leaving Cert,” said Ms McKenna.

Having reviewed results for the last number of years for comparison, she believed 2020 is more or less in line.

“If you look at the last five years they're not totally removed. They fit in quite well.”

A higher percentage of students than previous years had achieved more than 500 or 600 points but, again, that was not unexpected.

“The girls who got those points, you wouldn't be surprised,” said Ms McKenna.

There had been some downgrades and upgrades due to standardisation but having examined them, she believed the marks were “really well adjusted”.

“The results all the girls got were really well deserved given the amount of nonsense they had to put up with,” she said.

Overall, the calculated grades system showed an increase of 4.4% on average across all subjects. In Birr, St Brendan's Community School were “extremely proud” of the achievements of their class of 2020 in the Leaving Certificate and LCA results.

On its social media platform, the south Offaly community school told its students: “As a group you have come through the uncertainty of an unprecedented world pandemic, that caused so much disruption to your plans. Your results are the culmination of two years of dedicated study and well earned. We wish you well in the next phase of your lives.”

They advised students that while awaiting CAO offers the school's guidance counsellors were available to answer any queries students had.

Elsewhere, Gallen Community School, Ferbane extended congratulations to all its Leaving Certificate students.

“The results of this year’s group were both exceptional and well deserved. We are delighted that the students will be moving forward with results that match their work ethic and ability over their time in Gallen Community School. It was great to meet them and hear about their plans for the future.”

“We will have students hopefully starting college life in Dublin, Galway, Limerick, Cork, Athlone and other students starting apprenticeships in their chosen trades. It has been a privilege to welcome these amazing young people in to our school community over the last 5/6 years. We will continue to remain available for support and guidance all week, please don’t hesitate to contact the school at any stage.”