URSULINE COLLEGE BLACKROCK

LCA Information Guidance Information 2020

This guide is intended to provide prospective LCA students and their parents with a brief overview of the Leaving Certificate Applied Course (LCA) at the Ursuline Secondary School, Blackrock.

Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) Coordinator:     Adrienne O'Leary
Contact Email:                                                              aoleary@urscorkb.com

LCA 2020/2021 Schedule

The LCA programme consists of 4 sessions, 2 in each year as outlined below.

Attendance

All student must have at least a 90% attendance rate in school throughout the 2 year LCA programme in order to pass the course.

Attendance at school is a very important part of the course.

The Curriculum

All girls will take the below mentioned Core Subjects and Vocational Specialisms.

Subjects with a * beside them indicate that that subject will be formally examined in a written paper in the summer of second year.

Those subjects without a * indicate that, instead of a final examination, they will be continuously assessed via key assignments and tasks throughout the year. Students will be awarded credits that contribute to their overall grade.

Core Subjects

•   Mathematical Applications*

•   English and Communication*

•   Social Education*

•   Irish (Year 1 only) * plus and oral examination

•   French (Year 2 only) * plus an oral examination

•   Introduction to Information Technology

•   Arts Education

•   Religious Education

•   Science (One year only)

•   Leisure & Recreation

•   Vocational Preparation & Guidance (VPG)

  Vocational Specialism

  1.    Childcare *

  2. Hair and Beauty *

  For vocational specialisms, all girls will complete 2 detailed projects known as tasks.

  Each task is worth 10 credits (out of a total of 200 over the 2 years).

Key Assignments

Each subject has Key Assignments for each session.

A key assignment is a short piece of work related to the topic you have just completed.

For example in science, students will carry out a number of experiments and write up the experiment.

Credits

The maximum number of credits available is 200 as outlined below.

Students need a minimum of 120 credits to pass the LCA course. Higher grades are achieved as outlined in this table.

Students gain credits for various aspects of the course as outlined in the below table.

Students gain 62 credits for completing their modules and having an attendance rate of at least 90%. Credits are awarded here for completion only.

Students gain up to 70 credits for the completion and the quality of their 7 tasks. Students gain up to 68 credits for their performances in their final written exams in the summer of the second year of the course.

Only 5 subjects are assessed formally in these written examinations. These are outlined in the table above.

Work Experience
Work experience takes place every Thursday. Given this, students do not attend school on Thursdays as they will be in their place of work.

Girls receive 2 credits for work experience in each session. Given there are 4 sessions, this means work experience is worth 8 credits in total.

Mrs Murphy coordinates work experience for the LCA programme, however students and parents are responsible for finding their own work experience opportunities.

We strongly urge parents and girls to make enquiries regarding work experience during the summer break so that they are prepared for the start of the academic year.

Examples for appropriate work experience are:

•   Crèche & Child Care

•   Primary Schools

•   Restaurants & Shops e.g. Boots

•   Pharmacy

•   Charity Shops

•   Hairdressers

•   Veterinary Clinics

•   Office / Secretarial Work

•   St Luke’s Nursing Home

  We also ask that parents ensure their daughters attend their work experience each Thursday as students will go directly to their place of work on these days.

  
  

  Insurance

  Most places of work ask that student provide a letter citing that the student is insured by the school to work for them. The school will provide girls/parents with a letter confirming insurance cover on request. Please see Mrs Murphy in September to get a copy of this letter.

  
  

  Garda Vetting

  Some places of work that require interaction with young children require a Garda Vetting certificate before the student can begin work.

  If your daughter is considering work that involves children she should complete THE two Garda Vetting forms sent with this guide and return them to Mr McBeth at the school.

  We strongly urge parents / girls to return them to school as soon as possible as it usually take 3-4 weeks for Garda Vetting to be approved. This could lead to a delay in work experience beginning.

  A copy of the garda vetting form can be found below and here for on-line application

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  Mrs Murphy will also have copies in school to hand out to the girls on request. 

  A parental consent form is also necessary: