St. Brendan's College has been selected as one of the pioneering schools to offer the new Leaving Certificate subject of Drama, Film and Theatre Studies.

The announcement was made by Minister for Education Norma Foley TD this week.

St. Brendan's College, along with 56 other post-primary schools, will begin offering Drama, Film and Theatre Studies from the start of the 2025/26 school year. This new subject will promote creativity, critical thinking, and engagement with the arts.

Teachers in the selected schools will receive specialised training and support to ensure a successful implementation of the new subject.
The Minister expressed her confidence in the ability of the schools and teachers to deliver a high-quality learning experience for students.

“It was fantastic to see a strong level of interest from schools of all types in Kerry and across the country in taking part in this first phase of delivering the new Leaving Certificate subjects of Drama, Film and Theatre Studies and Climate Action and Sustainable Development. These subjects are being introduced to provide greater choice for students to better reflect their range of interests and support the development of a wider range of talents and skills. I am pleased to announce that St. Brendan’s College, Killarney, will be among the first to offer the new Leaving Certificate subject of Drama, Film and Theatre Studies from the start of the 2025/26 school year.” said Minister Foley.

“The applications received demonstrated the extraordinary talent, qualifications, experience, and commitment by teachers in schools across Ireland interested in introducing these two new subjects to their students. The level and variety of current subject provision in the selected schools and the enthusiasm shown by their school leaders, teachers, students and school communities was nothing short of exemplary and I have every confidence that the rollout of both subjects will be a success. I am most pleased for the students in the 100 post primary schools across the country who will experience either Drama, Film and Theatre Studies or Climate Action and Sustainable Development at Senior Cycle in this initial phase and who will have the opportunity to develop their interests, strengths and talents in these areas.”

A Climate Action and Sustainable Development course is also being rolled out in certain schools.