De La Salle College Dundalk

Repeat Leaving Cert Success Story

The De La Salle College in Dundalk has been offering a Repeat Leaving Cert. programme for a number of years. In recent years the programme has been proving more popular than ever before, with numbers of students on the programme exceeding thirty for the last two years in a row. A combination of factors, including the success of the programme and the economic downturn, has led to this increase in applications. The success story that is the Repeat Programme has spread far and wide, with students from as far afield as Banbridge in County Down and Mohill in County Leitrim having applied to repeat in the De La Salle in recent years.

The programme has shown a significant average increase in points per student over the past five years, ranging from fifty to ninety points increase on average. Some students in recent years have shown remarkable improvement, with increases in excess of one hundred points not unusual. One student in the Class of 2010 increased his points by 210.

The success of the programme is down to the hard work and dedication of the staff of the College. Students accepted onto the programme have dedicated classes in subjects where numbers allow, with special consideration given to those students who are attempting Higher Level English in their repeat year. A co-ordinator is appointed from among the College's staff to oversee the programme.

Co-ordinator , Martin O'Connor, says that the main function of the post he holds as co-ordinator of the Repeat Leaving Certificate Programme is to monitor the students' progress and welfare and this, in conjunction with the aforementioned input of the staff, the involvement of the College's Guidance Councillor, Ms. Bronagh Meehan, and with the essential support of families and friends, provides the students with the platform from which to strive for their potential. Past pupils of the programme, who are surveyed after a year out of second level education, point to the regular setting of targets and one-to-one attention that they receive as some of the motivators for their progress.

Mr. O'Connor added, "Success is not just measured by academic achievement. While the academic success of students cannot go unmentioned (the top two results in the College in 2010 came from the Repeat class), some students see the repeat year as an opportunity to clarify their goals, to overcome personal circumstances that may have prevented progress in the past and to mature into young adults, better able to cope with life after second level education. Students who achieve any of these targets are also successes of the programme."

College Principal, Mr. Martin Brennan recognises the central role of the co-ordinator to the success of the Repeat Leaving Cert Programme. "The role of co-ordinator, Martin O'Connor, has been vital to the continued success of the Repeat Programme in the De La Salle. Martin's commitment to the students shows the value of posts of responsibility in schools. The government's failure in the on-going Public Service moratorium to fill vacant posts will have a long-term detrimental effect on the capacity of schools to offer their students the best possible level of support in their education", he says.

Finally, it should be noted that the Repeat Programme is not for everyone and that it does not always work. As noted by a recent past pupil over the past few days, it doesn't matter what school you go to or what teachers you have, unless you have clear targets and are self-motivated progress cannot be made.

Good luck to the class of 2011! For further information about the Repeat Programme at the De La Salle, please contact the College on 042 9331179.