NCCA advises the Minister for Education on curriculum and assessment for early childhood education, for primary and post-primary schools. As part of the broader redevelopment of senior cycle, it is envisaged that a revised specification for Leaving Certificate Physical Education (PE) will be introduced in schools from September 2026. The Development Group for Leaving Certificate PE will have a key role in this work. The group includes nominees of the education partners and other key education agencies.
Below you will find information on the development work including the brief for the review for this subject, and a note from each of the development group meetings.
Current Stage
Stage 11
Guidelines to support the Additional Assessment Component published
The AAC Guidelines are developed by NCCA in conjunction with the State Examinations Commission and supported by the Department of Education and Youth, Oide and teacher focus groups.Tranche 2
As part of Tranche 2, it is envisaged that a revised specification for Leaving Certificate XXXXX will be introduced in schools from September 2026. This timeline shows all the steps involved in the development of the subject specification and indicates which stages have already been completed, which stages are yet to be undertaken and which stage is currently the active stage.
Stage 11 - Guidelines to support the Additional Assessment Component published
Tranche 2
School visits completed
NCCA has visited a number of schools as part of the work in gathering feedback on the current curriculum and potential future developments.
Stage 11 - Guidelines to support the Additional Assessment Component published
Tranche 2
Development Group convened
The Development Group was convened on 30 September, 2025 and is due to complete its work by September, 2027.
Stage 11 - Guidelines to support the Additional Assessment Component published
Tranche 2
Background Paper and Brief published
The Background Paper and Brief is published online following discussion at Board and approval by Council. It informs the work of the Development Group and also contains national and international research including interviews with school management, subject teachers and students in a selection of schools.
Stage 11 - Guidelines to support the Additional Assessment Component published
Tranche 2
Consultation on BGP and Brief
The public consultation on the Background Paper and Brief opens between 10 October and 30 November, 2025.
10 Oct 2025 - 30 Nov 2025
Stage 11 - Guidelines to support the Additional Assessment Component published
Tranche 2
Report on Consultation on BGP and Brief
The report on the Background Paper and Brief is published following discussion at the Board and approval by Council and is published online.
Stage 11 - Guidelines to support the Additional Assessment Component published
Tranche 2
Draft Curriculum Specification developed and published
Guided by the Brief for their work and feedback from the consultation on the Background Paper, the Development Group prepare a draft curriculum specification. The Draft Curriculum Specification is published following discussion at Board and approval by Council.
Stage 11 - Guidelines to support the Additional Assessment Component published
Tranche 2
Consultation on the Draft Curriculum Specification
The public consultation on the draft Curriculum Specification opens between 1 September and 20 October, 2026.
1 Sep 2026 - 20 Oct 2025
Stage 11 - Guidelines to support the Additional Assessment Component published
Tranche 2
Report on Consultation on Draft Curriculum Specification
The Report on the Consultation on the Draft Curriculum Specification has been approved by both the Board and Council and is published online. The Development Group use the findings from the Report on the Draft Specification to finalise the Specification.
Stage 11 - Guidelines to support the Additional Assessment Component published
Tranche 2
Final Curriculum Specification approved by Council
The final Curriculum Specification is discussed by the Board and approved by Council before it can be sent to the Minister of Education and Youth for final approval.
Stage 11 - Guidelines to support the Additional Assessment Component published
Tranche 2
Ministerial approval and publication
The specification has been approved by the Minister and is available on curriculumonline.ie
Stage 11 - Guidelines to support the Additional Assessment Component published
Tranche 2
Guidelines to support the Additional Assessment Component published
The AAC Guidelines are developed by NCCA in conjunction with the State Examinations Commission and supported by the Department of Education and Youth, Oide and teacher focus groups.
Stage 11 - Guidelines to support the Additional Assessment Component published
- Consultation on draft Leaving Certificate Physical Education specification
- Subject Development
- Early Enactment Review 2023
The draft specification for Leaving Certificate Physical Education was made available for consultation from February 24th to April 25th. The consultation is now closed.
The consultation involved in-depth engagement with a wide variety of stakeholders across Ireland.
The feedback from this consultation will help to inform the work of the Development Group for Leaving Certificate Physical Education in refining the draft specification prior to final approval and publication.
Written submissions received as part of the consultation:
The first step in the redevelopment of Leaving Certificate Physical Education was the development of a Brief for the review of the subject.
The development group for Leaving Certificate Physical Education was convened on 27th February 2024 and will progress the development of a new specification guided by the brief and the findings of the Early Enactment Review.
An early enactment review was scheduled to be undertaken by NCCA when the first cohort of students had completed the course but this plan was suspended in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was not possible to commence the review until the 2022 - 2023 school year, when students had completed the curriculum and assessment arrangements as set out in the curriculum specification.
This early enactment review of LCPE was completed in 2023 to gather feedback and explore:
- how the curriculum is being enacted and how it could be improved
- the student experience of learning and assessment
- how teachers are working with the curriculum.
The report on the early enactment review presents an overview of the consultation conducted as part of the review, followed by a summary of the findings. Based on the findings from the review, the report concludes with key insights and recommendations for modifications to the specification.
Reader’s note:
This report was approved by the Council in May 2023. It contains recommended responses to the findings of the review, which are outlined in tables 3 and 4 (pages 14 and 15). The recommendations in Table 3 were for immediate implementation, while Table 4 outlines recommendations for consideration by the Leaving Certificate PE Development Group.
Due to the acceleration of the redevelopment of senior cycle, announced by the Minister for Education in September 2023, the Leaving Certificate PE commenced its work in February 2024 alongside the other Tranche 2 subjects. This approach ensures that the updating of the curriculum will be aligned to the broader redevelopment of senior cycle.
The recommendation in Table 3 to remove Personal Exercise and Fitness as an option for the Performance Assessment will now be considered by the Development Group as part of its broader considerations. The recommendations in Table 4 will be considered in light of the broader redevelopment in senior cycle including the parameters for the design of Additional Assessment Components in the development of specifications for all Tranche 2 subjects.
The updated LC PE curriculum will be introduced in schools in September 2026.