Wait nearly over for Mayo Leaving Cert students

Wait is nearly over for Leaving Certificate students


Ciara Galvin

THE wait will be over for 1,624 Leaving Certificate students across the county tomorrow (Wednesday) as 26 secondary schools in Mayo open their doors for the impending collection of envelopes. Eighty one students will also await results having completed Leaving Certificate Applied in June. Results will also be available online at www.examinations.ie from 12noon tomorrow.
In Mount St Michael Secondary School Claremorris, Principal Fionnghuala King will be on hand to give out the results to the 77 Leaving Certificate students.
Ms King described the class of 2014 as ‘a focused group’.
“Though there are so many different ways to get into college, most of the students would be going down the university route. It has gone full circle, there was once a lot of options but these students realise that the demand for courses is tough,” said the principal.
Nationally, 54,025 students will receive their results.
First round CAO offers come out this Saturday, while second round offers come out on August 28. This year’s CAO applications saw a sharp rise in the demand for courses in the agriculture, engineering and architecture fields while students are still interested in business and the sciences.  

Headsup
Mental health promotion project Headsup is reminding students to keep calm and remember that the exams are only one element in pursuing a particular career.
To assist students during this stressful time Headsup is hosting an interactive webcast, titled “Life After Secondary School”, this Friday at 2pm for those looking for advice following their Leaving Certificate results and the options now available to them.
The webcast on Friday will include a panel of experts who will discuss the results and course trends, offer advice on everything from apprenticeships to surviving as a student, as well as suggesting alternative options to college life.
For further information on all HeadsUp support services log onto www.headsup.ie

Helpline
Again this year the National Parents’ Council Post Primary will open an exam helpline tomorrow offering advice, information and support. Sponsored by Eircom and supported by the Department of Education and Skills, the helpline is staffed by the Institute of Guidance Counsellors. All queries on third level courses, the points system, rechecks, repeats, CAO procedures, apprenticeships and further training options will be dealt with in a professional and confidential manner.
The lines will be open from tomorrow for six days in total. The team will answer exam result queries from August 13 to 15 then help with CAO first round queries on August 18 to 20.
The helpline number is 1800 265 165.

Celebrations
Alcohol Action Ireland, the national charity for alcohol-related issues, has called on pubs and nightclubs not to use cheap alcohol promotions to target young people planning on celebrating their Leaving Cert results. Conor Cullen of Alcohol Action Ireland said many students are already being targeted by venues with offers of cheap alcohol.
Alcohol Action Ireland is urging parents to talk openly with their children about their plans to celebrate their Leaving Cert results.