Displaying 1271-1280 of 2462 results.
3rd and 6th year Students
Created : 05 Jun 2020, 11:33 AM
Archived : 05 Aug 2020, 12:00 AM
Students are asked to return books and novels that are part of BCS book rental scheme. I apologise for this inconvenience but in order to facilitate orders for next year it is vital to get books back to keep the fee for this scheme as reasonable as possible. Place your books in a bag/box with your name and return at the following times. Any 6th years who wish to sit the LC at a later date will be provided with relevant textbooks. Mon 8th June: 10.30-12.30 and 6-8. Tues 9th June: 10.30-12.30 Wed 10th June: 10.30-12.30 If these times are unsuitable contact annmarielineen@blackwatercs.com to make alternative arrangements. There will be no access to the school building or lockers at this time. Book drop off point will be outside main doors. Please observe social distancing guidelines. 1st Years will be accomodated at a later date.
State exam fees refunding process update
Created : 03 Jun 2020, 9:03 AM
Archived : 03 Aug 2020, 12:00 AM
Dear Principal, I refer to the announcements made by the Minister for Education and Skills, Mr. Joe Mc Hugh T.D., on Friday 10th April and Friday 8th May regarding the postponement and the revised arrangements of the Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate examinations. As a result of these decision I wish to confirm that the State Examinations Commission (SEC) is refunding all candidates who have paid their examination fee for 2020. Refunds were processed on May 26th for all candidates that paid the examination fee online. Refunds will go back to the card/account which was used to pay the fee. The process can take up to 7 days to process. If candidates have not received the refund by June 10th , they should email us at fees@examinations.ie with their exam number. Please bring the contents of this email to the attention of the candidates/parents/guardians. I want to thank you for your continued co-operation and support in this regard, it is very much appreciated. Kind Regards Jackie Wade Higher Executive Officer Fees Section
May the Road Rise to Meet You
Created : 30 May 2020, 10:06 PM
Archived : 30 Jul 2020, 12:00 AM
Day 30 Total 369 km Challenge Total 700km Cumulative Total 11,657km The second last day of the challenge saw us reach Dover early this morning and we hit the road as soon as we docked. We travelled through London to take in some of the sights before heading for Swindon, across the Severn, onto Newport and finally onto our stop for the night, Cardiff. The bodies are tired, but we are asking for one last push from everyone tomorrow. Wouldn’t it be great to have every single one of the 149 club members active tomorrow to finish off a great month on a high, and get us back to Lismore in time for a well deserved Sunday Roast. We have travelled from Lismore to Malin Head, to Mizen, back to Malin and then home to Lismore. We then headed to Rennes via the UK. Next we headed south to Barcelona, before turning around and heading north to Heidelberg. From there we headed to Krakow, Venice, Rome, Paris before settling in Cardiff tonight on route home to Lismore. Last day of the challenge tomorrow. Make the most of it.
Sincere Thanks
Created : 29 May 2020, 10:03 PM
Archived : 29 Jul 2020, 12:00 AM
Sincere thanks to all Students, Parents/ Guardians, Students’Council, Parents’ Council, Staff, Board of Management and Trustees for such an incredible effort by everyone to reach a successful conclusion to a truly unusual and challenging year. On my own behalf , and that of Maurice Geary and Maria O Brien we would like to acknowledge the hard work, commitment and dedication displayed by all stakeholders and members of the BCS community to ensure everyone put their shoulder to the wheel to ensure they our students were well supported and looked after ,particularly, during the uncertainty that followed school closure in early March ! Thanks to Ann Bennett for bringing the curtain down on the school year with a beautiful ceremony for our Leaving Certificate Students last night! At times like this , I feel we are all justified in feeling extremely proud of belonging to such a community of understanding and total unconditional loyalty . We wish everyone a pleasant summer break with good health and happiness. We look forward to embracing the new challenge of the New Normal as we return to a new Academic year of 2020/21. Ní neart go cur le chéile, Denis Ring
Graduation Evening Update
Created : 28 May 2020, 6:51 PM
Archived : 28 Jul 2020, 12:00 AM
Welcome one and all to our Leaving Cert graduation Ceremony The link to the updated ceremony can be found here. youtu.be/PTzj4ei-jhQ Enjoy
Graduation Day
Created : 28 May 2020, 12:10 PM
Archived : 28 Jul 2020, 12:00 AM
Welcome to the Leaving Certificate Graduation Day. You are invited to attend our online Graduation Ceremony this evening. The link for this will be available on our school Facebook page at 7pm this evening. Click the link to attend the ceremony
Latest DES Guide for LC students
Created : 26 May 2020, 3:13 PM
Archived : 26 Jul 2020, 12:00 AM
Calculated Grades – A Guide for Leaving Certificate Students 2020 Introduction It’s not possible to hold normal Leaving Certificate examinations in summer 2020, so students are being offered Calculated Grades instead. Calculated Grades will allow you to go on to further or higher education or the world of work when you leave school. It is the fairest way possible to tackle the effects that lack of schooling and other problems caused by Covid-19 have had on your Leaving Certificate. Calculated grades are offered to you if you are taking Leaving Certificate, Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) and the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) in 2020. What is a calculated grade? A Calculated Grade is a grade that can be provided to you following a combination of school information about your expected performance in an examination and national data available in relation to students' performance in examinations over a period of time. A national standardisation process will produce a Calculated Grade for each subject by combining the school data with historic examination data. Students in post-primary schools, further education and training centres, private colleges or any other institution through which students have entered for their 2020 Leaving Certificate examination are included in the Calculated Grades process. What do you need to do next? To support the Calculated Grades model, the Department of Education and Skills has developed a Calculated Grades Student Portal for Leaving Certificate students. This is available at gov.ie/leavingcertificate You will need to register on the student portal between 10am on Tuesday 26 May and 10pm on Thursday 28 May. To register you will need your examination number and to know your PPS number. You will also need to provide an email address and phone number which will be used to communicate with you about later stages of the Calculated Grades process. You will be asked to confirm the levels (Higher or Ordinary or Foundation) at which you are taking each subject or you can change to a lower level. If you are a Leaving Certificate Applied student, all you need to do is to complete the registration process. At a later date you will be asked to confirm that you are opting to receive Calculated Grades. You will also have access to your provisional Calculated Grades and to later stages of the process, such as appeal application process, through the portal. How fair is the system of calculated grades? The Calculated Grades model uses the best information available about your achievements by asking your teachers to apply their professional judgement and review several pieces of information about your work over the last two years. The national standardisation process does not favour any type of student or school. If you are a particularly strong student in your class, and the information provided by the school reflects this then you will still emerge as a particularly strong candidate. The process will ensure that the Calculated Grade will be as close as possible to what you would have achieved in the examinations. What will schools do ? Your teachers will provide an estimation of marks and class ranking for each subject that you are taking in the examinations. The teachers' estimates of the percentage marks are those that you are most likely to have achieved had you sat a Leaving Certificate in 2020 as normal. The subject teachers will work together to align the marks for the subject and the school principal will provide oversight of the alignment process. The finalised marks and rankings will be transmitted to the Department of Education and Skills for national standardisation. What informs the estimated marks and rankings? In coming to their judgements, your teachers will use for example, records of your performance over the course of study, previous results in the school in the subject and the level of performance your teachers have observed in this year’s students compared to those in previous years. Teachers have been advised to carefully consider how the results of school-based examinations, as well as other records are used in this process. Your teacher will take into account your performance on course work components even if they have not been completed. Judgements made by the school will be objective and will not take into account perceptions of students’ behaviour. If you are being taught by a substitute teacher, the assistance of the previous teacher can be included in the process. Will I have to do extra assignments or assessments? No. Your teachers will not set additional assessments for the purposes of determining an estimated percentage mark. Your teachers' judgements will be based on evidence of learning and achievement. Where additional work was completed after schools closed on 12 March up to the end of formal tuition on 11 May, your teachers have been advised to exercise due caution where that work suggests a change in performance. However, teachers are not precluded from taking account of the degree to which many students under normal circumstances would intensify their levels of commitment in the run up to examinations. Can I discuss my marks with the school? No. The principal and teachers are not permitted to discuss the estimated marks the school is submitting with you or with your parents or guardians either before or after the estimation process. You must not under any circumstances contact either formally or informally a teacher or other member of the school staff to discuss the estimated marks or rankings to be assigned to you. You must not attempt to influence, pressurise, coerce or provide an inducement (e.g. gift) to a teacher in relation to your mark either before or after it is assigned. The reason for this is to ensure that the fairness and objectivity of the process is kept intact for you and the other students in your school. Can I change level? Yes. As part of the process of Calculated Grades, you will have access to an online portal where you will be required to confirm the subject level at which you initially entered for the examinations or you can change to a lower level. You will need to do this on or before 10 pm on Thursday 28 May. It is essential that students confirm their levels at this time so that their schools can complete their task of providing an estimated percentage mark and rank order for each student. What about reasonable accommodations for students with special educational needs ? Where any reasonable accommodation has been approved for you (such as a reader, scribe or spelling and grammar waiver), your teacher will base the estimate of your likely performance on the assumption that this accommodation would have been available. Will I get 100% for my oral examination(s)? No. The earlier arrangement (communicated in March) that full marks would be awarded for the orals and music performance tests was based on the written examinations taking place this summer. As these examinations will not now take place in the summer, this arrangement will not apply. Will I get a Calculated Grade for a subject studied outside of school? If you are taking a subject outside of school your principal will be asked to work with whomever is teaching you to make every effort to provide an estimated mark. There must be sufficient evidence of your achievement in the subject for the school to make an objective judgement. There will be a separate application process for students studying independently and not attending any school or other centre to apply to receive Calculated Grades. These applications will be dealt with on a case by case basis. Every effort will be made to obtain sufficient evidence to provide students with a Calculated Grade but this may not be possible in all cases. Students will have the opportunity to sit the 2020 Leaving Certificate examination at a later date when it is safe and practicable to do so. When will I get Calculated Grades ? It is intended that the Calculated Grades will be provided to candidates as close as possible to the normal results day. Will the calculated grades be recognised for employment and further study? Yes. Calculated Grades will have the same status as Leaving Certificates awarded to students in previous years. As usually happens, you will receive a provisional statement of results. At a later time a formal final certificate will issue from the Department of Education and Skills confirming the grades. Students’ Calculated Grades will be transferred directly to the Central Applications Office (CAO). The CAO timelines will run as close as possible to normal to allow for students to take up offers and to transition to third level, further education or work etc. Can I also sit a Leaving Certificate examination later? At this point in time all students are being offered Calculated Grades which means that you can progress on to the next stages of study or employment. You can sit a Leaving Certificate later but at this point it is not possible to confirm the date. These examinations will be provided as soon as it is safe and practicable to do so. Can I see the estimated result that the school submitted for them? Yes. After the results are issued by the Department of Education and Skills, you will be able to see a record of your individual percentage mark and ranking that your school has given to you. What if I am unhappy with my Calculated Grade? You can appeal to the Department of Education and Skills and the appeals process has three stages involving: • Stage 1 & 2: Checks will be undertaken to ensure that the data processing was completed correctly by the school and the Department of Education and Skills • Stage 3: If you are still unhappy after stages 1 and 2 then you can seek a review by Appeal Scrutineers, who are independent of the Department of Education and Skills. Finally, if you remain unhappy you have the opportunity to sit an examination later when it is safe and practicable to do so. Additional information in relation to Appeals is available in the Guide to Calculated Grades for Leaving Certificate Students 2020 Due to the nature of the model, the professional judgment of the school will not form part of the appeals process. Further Information: For further information and resources including wellbeing resources see www.gov.ie/leavingcertificate
Latest DES Guide for Parents/ Guardians
Created : 26 May 2020, 3:09 PM
Archived : 26 Jul 2020, 12:00 AM
Calculated Grades – A Guide for Parents and Guardians of Leaving Certificate Students 2020 Introduction It’s not possible to hold normal Leaving Certificate examinations in summer 2020, so students are being offered Calculated Grades instead. Calculated Grades will allow Leaving Certificate students to go on to further or higher education or the world of work when they leave school. It is the fairest way possible to tackle the effects that lack of schooling and other problems caused by Covid-19 have had on Leaving Certificate students. Calculated Grades are being offered to students taking the Leaving Certificate, Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) and the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) in 2020. What is a Calculated Grade? A Calculated Grade is a grade that can be provided to students following a combination of school information about a student's expected performance in an examination and national data available in relation to students' performance in examinations over a period of time. A national standardisation process will produce a Calculated Grade for each subject by combining the school data with historic examination data. Students in post-primary schools, further education and training centres, private colleges or any other institution through which students have entered for their 2020 Leaving Certificate examination are included in the Calculated Grades process. What will the student do next? To support the Calculated Grades model, the Department of Education and Skills has developed a Calculated Grades Student Portal for Leaving Certificate students. This is available at gov.ie/leavingcertificate Each student will need to register on the student portal on or before the 28 May. To register the student will need their examination number and to know their PPS number. They will also need to provide an email address and phone number which will be used to communicate with them about later stages of the Calculated Grades process. They will be asked to confirm the levels (Higher or Ordinary or Foundation) at which they are taking each subject or they can change to a lower level. Leaving Certificate Applied students need to complete the registration process only. At a later date the student will be asked to confirm that they are opting to receive Calculated Grades. Students will also have access to their provisional Calculated Grades and to later stages of the process, such as appeal application process, through the portal. How fair is the system of Calculated Grades? The Calculated Grades model uses the best information available about students’ achievements by asking teachers to apply their professional judgement and review several pieces of information about their work over the last two years. The national standardisation process does not favour any type of student or school. The process will ensure that the Calculated Grade will be as close as possible to what the student would have achieved in the examinations. What will schools do ? Teachers will provide an estimation of marks and class ranking for each subject that a child is taking in the examinations. The teachers' estimates of the percentage marks are those that the student was most likely to have achieved had they sat a Leaving Certificate in 2020 as normal. The subject teachers will work together to align the marks for the subject and the school principal will provide oversight of the alignment process. The finalised marks and rankings will be transmitted to the DES for national standardisation. What informs the estimated marks and rankings? In coming to their judgements, teachers will use for example, records of each student’s performance over the course of study, previous results in the school in this subject and the level of performance the teacher has observed in this year’s students compared to those in previous years. Teachers have been advised to carefully consider how the results of school-based examinations, as well as other records are used in this process. Judgements will be objective and will not take into account perceptions of students’ behaviour. In the case of substitute teachers, the assistance of the previous teacher can be included in the process. Will my child have to do extra assignments or assessments? No. Teachers will not set additional assessments for the purposes of determining an estimated percentage mark. Teachers' judgements will be based on evidence of learning and achievement. Where additional work was completed after schools closed on 12 March up to the end of formal tuition on 11 May, teachers have been advised to exercise due caution where that work suggests a change in performance. However, teachers are not precluded from taking account of the degree to which many students under normal circumstances would intensify their levels of commitment in the run up to examinations. Can I discuss my child’s marks with the school? No. The principal and teachers are not permitted to discuss the estimated marks the school is submitting with students or with their parents or guardians either before or after the estimation process. Students, parents or guardians must not under any circumstances contact either formally or informally a teacher or other member of the school staff to discuss the estimated marks or ranking to be assigned to a student. They must not attempt to influence, pressurise, coerce or provide an inducement (e.g. gift) to a teacher in relation to a student’s mark either before or after it is assigned. Can my child change level? Yes. As part of the process of Calculated Grades, Leaving Certificate students will have access to an online portal where they will be required to confirm the subject level at which they initially entered for the examinations or they can change to a lower level. They will need to do this on or before 10pm on Thursday 28 May. It is essential that students confirm their levels at this time so that their schools can complete their task of providing an estimated percentage mark and rank order for each student. What about reasonable accommodations for students with special educational needs ? Where any reasonable accommodation has been approved for any student (such as a reader, scribe or spelling and grammar waiver), the teacher will base the estimate of the student’s likely performance on the assumption that this accommodation would have been available. Will my child get 100% for the oral examination(s)? No. The earlier arrangement (communicated in March) that full marks would be awarded for the orals and music performance tests was based on the written examinations taking place this summer. As these examinations will not now take place in the summer, this arrangement will not apply. Will my child get a Calculated Grade for a subject studied outside of school? If your child is taking a subject outside of school the school principal will be asked to work with whomever is teaching your child to make every effort to provide an estimated mark. There must be sufficient evidence of the child’s achievement in the subject for the school to make an objective judgement. There will be a separate application process for students studying independently and not attending any school or other centre to apply to receive Calculated Grades. These applications will be dealt with on a case by case basis. Every effort will be made to obtain sufficient evidence to provide students with a Calculated Grade but this may not be possible in all cases. Students will have the opportunity to sit the 2020 Leaving Certificate examination at a later date when it is safe and practicable to do so. When will the Calculated Grades be issued to students? It is intended that the Calculated Grades will be provided to candidates as close as possible to the normal results day. Will the calculated grades be recognised for employment and further study? Yes. Calculated Grades will have the same status as Leaving Certificates awarded to students in previous years. As usually happens, students will receive a provisional statement of results. At a later time, a formal final certificate will issue from the Department of Education and Skills confirming the grades. Students’ Calculated Grades will be transferred directly to the Central Applications Office (CAO). The CAO timelines will run as close as possible to normal to allow for students to take up offers and to transition to third level, further education or work. Can my child also sit a Leaving Certificate examination later? At this point in time all students are being offered Calculated Grades which means that they can progress on to the next stages of study or employment. Your child can sit a Leaving Certificate later but at this point it is not possible to confirm the date. These examinations will be provided as soon as it is safe and practicable to do so. Can a student see the estimated result that the school submitted for them? Yes. After the results are issued by the Department of Education and Skills, students will be able to see a record of their individual percentage mark and ranking that the school has given to them. What if my child is unhappy with their Calculated Grade? You can appeal to the Department of Education and Skills and the appeals process has three stages involving: • Stage 1 & 2: Checks will be undertaken to ensure that the data processing was completed correctly by the school and the Department of Education and Skills. • Stage 3: If a student is still unhappy after stages 1 & 2 they can then seek a review by Appeal Scrutineers, who are independent of the Department of Education and Skills. Finally, if the student remains unhappy there will be an opportunity to sit an examination later when it is safe and practicable to do so. Additional information in relation to Appeals is available in the Guide to Calculated Grades for Leaving Certificate Students 2020 Due to the nature of the model, the professional judgment of the school will not form part of the appeals process. Further Information: For further information and resources including frequently asked questions and wellbeing resources see www.gov.ie/leavingcertificate
2020/21 BCS applications for 1st Yr, Ty and 5th year
Created : 25 May 2020, 6:48 PM
Archived : 25 Jul 2020, 12:00 AM
All applications for 1st yr , TY and 5th year have now closed for the 2020/21 Academic Year at BCS. Enjoy the Summer break !
DES GUIDE RE THE STUDENT PORTAL FOR LEAVING CERTIFICATE STUDENTS AS EMAILED TO EACH LC STUDENT TODAY !
Created : 25 May 2020, 6:35 PM
Archived : 25 Jul 2020, 12:00 AM
Calculated Grades Student Portal Before You Start Guide Please read this guide in full before you commence the registration and subject level confirmation process. In line with changes required to deliver calculated grades to students due to sit Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied examinations this year, the Calculated Grades Executive Office of the Department of Education and Skills has developed a Calculated Grade Student Portal. The portal will open at 10am on Tuesday 26 May and close at 10pm on Thursday 28 May. In this time period students need to do the following; Leaving Certificate Applied Students Need to complete the registration process All other Leaving Certificate Students Need to complete the registration process AND confirm their subject levels It is essential that you carry out these steps at this time so that ultimately you have the opportunity to receive Calculated Grades that will allow you to progress to employment, further education and training or higher education. The Calculated Grade Student Portal will reopen at a later stage when you will be asked to confirm that you are opting to receive Calculated Grades. You will also use the portal to access your calculated grades when the results issue and for the later stages of the process such as the appeals application process. You do not need to worry about this for now as all we need you to do right now is register and, other than LCA students, to confirm your subject levels. Once you have registered, we will be able to contact you to alert you about the next steps that you need to take to receive Calculated Grades this year. The Calculated Grade Student Portal has been designed to be easy to use but you do need to read this guide in full to make sure that you have everything that you need before you commence the registration (and confirmation of subject levels) process. We have asked schools to provide assistance to students who do not have either their examination number or their Personal Public Services number, both of which are needed to register on the portal. Before making contact with your school, see the Questions and Answers (Q&A) section below for details of what you should do to access these numbers from your own records. If you don’t find the answers you need after reading this guide you can contact the helpdesk at 1800-111135 or 1800-111136. Please note that due to COVID19 restrictions the helpdesk phonelines will ONLY be available between 12 pm and 5 pm on Tuesday 26th May and between 9 am and 5 pm on Wednesday 27th and Thursday 28th May. Outside of these hours you can email lcsupport2020@education.gov.ie. How to Register 1. Before your start, you will need a. your examination number —see the Q&A Section below if you do not know this number. b. your Personal Public Services number (PPS number) —-see the Q&A Section if you do not know this number. c. an email address to which you have regular access over the coming months d. your mobile phone number. 2. To confirm your identity in the registration process you will use the first 4 digits of your PPS number as your personal identification number (PIN). 3. Go to www.gov.ie/leavingcertificate 4. Click on the link Calculated Grades Student Portal at the top of the page. This will bring you to the Calculated Grades Student Portal welcome page 5. Select the green Register Using Candidate Number and PIN button. This brings you to the Registration Step 1 page. This is where you will confirm your identity. 6. Confirm your Identity — on the Registration Step 1 page enter your Examination number in the first box. Enter the first 4 digits of your PPS number in the box marked PIN. Click Confirm Identity. This brings you to the Registration Step 2 page. This is where you will create your Calculated Grade Student Portal Account. 7. Create your Account — on the Registration Step 2 page, you need to enter and confirm; a. Your mobile number b. You email address You also need to create a password which you will need to enter and confirm. The password must be a minimum of 8 characters and include upper and lower-case characters and numbers. When you have this done, click Create Account button. Doing this generates an email to your email address and brings you to the Account Activation page. 8. Activate your Account — in order to complete the registration process, you must click on the link in the email sent to your email account. The email will be from the Department of Education and Skills. If have do not seem to have received the email check your SPAM and JUNK folders before contacting the Helpdesk. Clicking the link in the email completes the registration process and confirms the creation of your Calculated Grade Student Portal Account. Please note: you must click this link to activate your account. 9. If you are a Leaving Certificate Applied student, that is all you need to do at this point. Keep your account details securely (Examination number and the password you created) so you can access the portal later when we ask you to do so. 10. All other Leaving Certificate students must proceed to the next step to confirm their subject levels. How to Confirm Subject Levels 1. We recommend that you do this immediately following registration. When you click the Account Activation link in the email we send you, you will be brought to the final Registration page which confirms that you have successfully registered your account. Click on the Login to Confirm Your Subject Levels button. This will bring you to a Log-in screen 2. Login to your Account – enter your examination number and the password you created during the registration process. Click the Log In button. This will bring you to the Confirm Subject Levels Screen 3. Confirm Subject Levels – on this page you will see the subjects in which you were due to sit your examinations this year at the level you confirmed you would be sitting them back in February. 4. 5. 6. The level shown beside each subject can be changed to a lower level using the drop- down options. 7. The system will not allow a change to a higher level. In the unlikely event that you were incorrectly entered for a lower level initially than that you were preparing for, please email lcsupport2020@education.gov.ie. NOTE: we will need to obtain proof It is essential that you confirm your levels now so that your school can complete their task of providing an estimated percentage mark and rank order for you, using the most up to date information. You should exercise extreme caution when confirming levels. If you confirm a level that is higher than the level that you have been planning for, it is likely to lead to a lower than anticipated grade in that subject. (for example, if you initially were entered for Higher Level but in school you have been following the Ordinary Level programme, you should change to Ordinary Level and not confirm at Higher Level). from your school that there was an error in your initial entry before we will process any change to a higher level. 8. Even if you are not making any changes to the levels we require you to confirm the subject level information presented. 9. You should review the levels presented for the subjects listed and make any necessary changes. At the end of the page you then tick the box confirming these levels and then click the Submit Confirmed Levels button. 10. Once this has been done, you will receive a confirmation page which you can retain for your records. You will also receive confirmation of your levels by email. 11. This is all you need to do at this point. Keep your account details securely (Examination number and the password you created) so you can access the portal later when we ask you to do so that you have the opportunity to receive Calculated Grades. Questions and Answers I do not know my Examination number – how can I get this? You will have been provided with this 6-digit number earlier in the year by your school, centre of education or by the State Examinations Commission if you entered for your Leaving Certificate independently. Please check your records for the number. If you still cannot trace the number and you are attending a school or other centre of education (including further education and training centres or private college) then you should contact them for assistance. If you are an external candidate then you should have this number on record from the correspondence received from the State Examinations Commission. If you are still unable to trace this number, you can contact the Helpdesk for assistance. Why do I need to create a Personal Identification Number for this service? As we are unable to issue Personal Identification Numbers to you directly or via your school we are asking you to create your own PIN using the first 4 digits of your Personal Public Service number. Combining your examination number with this PIN will allow you to confirm your identity to register with the Calculated Grades Student Portal. What is a PPS Number? Your Personal Public Service Number (PPS Number) number is a unique reference number. A PPS Number is always seven numbers followed by either one or two letters. I don’t know my PPS Number – where can I find it? 1. You will find your PPS Number on the following documents:  Public Services Card  Medical Card or GP Visit Card  European Health Insurance Card  Drugs Payment Scheme Card  Payslips you have received from your employer, if you are working  Correspondence from the Revenue Commissioners or the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection 2. If you live at home with a parent or guardian, please check with them to see if they know your PPS Number. If you have checked all of the sources suggested and still cannot locate the number, you can check with your school as they may have this number on their records. (Note: Due to the public health emergency, you should make every effort to locate your PPS Number, following steps above, before making contact with your school.) I have checked all of the suggested sources and with my school and I still am unable to locate my PPS Number?  If you still cannot find your PPS Number, you should call the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection at 071 967 2616 or 1890 927 999. If you are under 18, your parent or guardian will have to make this contact on your behalf. I do not have a PPS Number, or I believe that I did not have one at the time I entered for the Leaving Certificate examinations. Should I obtain one now? No. If you do not have a PPSN, or did not have one when you entered for the examinations, you should contact the helpdesk at 1800-111135 or 1800-111136. Please note that due to COVID19 restrictions the helpdesk phonelines will ONLY be available on Tuesday 26th May from 12pm and then between 9.00 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. Outside of these hours. Email lcsupport2020@education.gov.ie I have my PPS number, and I have entered the first four digits as my PIN but it is not recognised by the system, what should I do? If you are sure that you have correctly entered your examination number and the first four digits of your PPS number, you should contact the helpdesk at 1800-111135 or 1800- 111136. Please note that due to COVID19 restrictions the helpdesk phonelines will ONLY be available on Tuesday 26th May from 12pm to 5 pm and then between 9am. and 5pm on Wednesday and Thursday. Outside of these hours Email lcsupport2020@education.gov.ie If I have technical difficulties accessing the Calculated Grades Student Portal, what should I do? If you have any difficulties you can contact the helpdesk at 1800-111135 or 1800-111136 Please note that due to COVID19 restrictions the helpdesk phonelines will ONLY be available on Tuesday 26th May from 12pm to 5 pm and then between 9am. and 5pm on Wednesday and Thursday. Outside of these hours Email lcsupport2020@education.gov.ie Data Protection What is my data being collected for? The Minister for Education and Skills announced on 8 May 2020 that the Leaving Certificate 2020 examinations have been postponed and that the Calculated Grades model would be established in order to allow Leaving Certificate students to receive State certification for their learning achievements and to progress to third-level education or to the world of work in Autumn 2020. The main purpose for which the Department of Education and Skills requires the personal data provided by you is to provide you with Calculated Grades in the event that you opt to receive them. The personal data provided will be forwarded to your school to allow them to begin this process. The privacy notice outlining further information on the use of personal data in this process together with full details of the Department's data protection policy is available at www.education.ie/en/The-Department/Data-Protection/. Details of that policy and the privacy notice are also available in hard copy (see privacy notice for details). Will I be able to get details of the information provided about me to the Department (estimated percentage mark and class rank) before the issue of the results? No. Data protection legislation allows for restrictions to be placed on access to certain types of personal data including the results of examinations. Requests for access to the school’s estimated percentage mark and rank order will not be active until the date of issue of the results. After the results are issued by the Department, you will be able to access this information.