Guidance Counsellors continue to work with students

Protocol for Guidance Counsellors and members of the Student Support Team

Kennedy College is cognizant of the fact that while tuition has ended for all 6th years, our 6th years are still a very valuable part of our school community. The National Centre for Guidance in Education (NCGE) has published the following guidance concerning schools supporting students at this time.

'Students remain students of the school until the end of the school term. In terms of the school’s role in supporting the wellbeing of Leaving Certificate students, the role of the Student Support Team as set out in the guidance issued recently to schools should remain available until the end of the school term (31st May 2020).

Guidance Counsellors are permitted to continue to provide guidance counselling support to 6th-year students (1:1 and small group work). Guidance counselling support may be provided to students wishing to discuss their social personal, education and career concerns.

However, In advance of any planned interaction with students, a clear statement must be communicated to students and parents/guardians that the guidance counsellor willnot be engaging in discussions regarding the calculated grading process or potential marks awarded by teachers. Guidance Counsellors, teachers and students may not discuss the student’s achievement in the subject over the past two years. Nor can they discuss the student’s ranking in a class, or their estimated mark or the level at which an estimated mark is to be provided in a subject.

All conversations between Leaving Certificate students and members of the School’s Student Support Team, during this time, need to be prefaced with a statement such as the following:

‘As part of our conversation today we are prohibited from having any discussion about student achievement over the past 2 years, student ranking in a class, student’s estimated mark or the level an estimated mark is to be provided in a subject. If our conversation strays into speaking about any of these matters, our meeting will have to cease immediately.’