Early results from a TUI survey on the Leaving Cert Applied programme indicate that the central issues of concern to teachers are to do with class size, resources and the need for more planning time. This year the LCA programme, which was introduced on a pilot basis two years ago, is now being done by about 7,000 students in 175 schools.

A two-year programme, the LCA is modular and integrated. It's designed to meet the needs of students who wish to proceed directly to employment on leaving school and students who might previously have left school after Junior Cert.

The strongest message from the survey, says TUI education officer Rose Malone, was the need for more time for planning. The survey, carried out earlier in April and May, also highlights the workload of the co-ordinators and the issue of class size. There is no limit on class numbers - one class had up to 28 students. However, although this would be an exception, Malone says teachers feel that a class of 15 is "a more realistic size."

Questionnaires were completed by 102 teachers from 26 schools, a response rate of 40 per cent. Malone, who is completing analysis of the findings, says that they show that "a very high percentage of staff" is involved in most participating schools. In one school a team of 10 teachers were involved in the programme. Malone asks: "What opportunities are there for those 10 people to work out a programme . . . and this raises in our minds the question of whether everybody is participating voluntarily in the programme."

A noticeable feature has been the difference in overall satisfaction rating between individual teachers in the same school, she explains. In general, comments about the overall LCA philosophy are very positive, while negative comments are more concerned with the details of how it works. There is a need for more time to plan and to co-ordinative, says Malone.

"Teachers are also crying out for material," she says. "There is a particular problem in schools which don't have the use of a library. The market is too small for publishers to produce directly for the programme."

Opinions varied on assessment. "Most people feel that it's over-assessed," says Malone. "Yet, a minority would like to see more assessment. Some would like to have a say in the assessment of their own students but that view is not shared by everybody."

A report on the findings is expected to be published early in January.