Computer Science

Kilmartin Educational Services has offered several subjects as additional subjects outside of school since 2002, including subjects with coursework/project requirements.

Kilmartin Educational Services offers Computer Science as an additional subject outside of school under the guidelines of the State Examinations Commission (SEC). Students must attend our weekly classes and all our Applied Learning Tasks 1,2,3,4. 

It is important to note we will only accept students, if we have agreement from the Principal at the student’s main school. This is mandatory, in line with requirements set out by the State Examinations Commission (SEC). Kilmartin Educational Services provides the classes and supervises all the project work. The Leaving Cert exam must be sat in the student’s main school which is to be agreed with the Principal when informing them of the student taking the subject externally.

Please fill in the registration form, which can be downloaded below. We require this to be signed by the parent, the student, and the student’s Principal. We cannot proceed with accepting students unless we have this registration form.

What your school needs to provide:

The student’s main school will need to facilitate them in taking the Leaving Certificate Examination in their own school and that this entails a requirement on the school to ensure that­:

• The equipment required for the examination is in place.
• A suitable person for appointment as a superintendent can be locally sourced.
• There is a teacher in the school (not the superintendent) who is sufficiently knowledgeable of the equipment and of the examination requirements to carry out the necessary preparatory work and follow-up work, which includes:
  • Preparing the equipment for the examination in accordance with SEC requirements,
  • Making available on the equipment the files that the candidates will work on during the examination.
  • Assisting with troubleshooting during the examination and with the gathering and submission of candidate files
  • Collating candidate files and submitting them as a back-up over the school portal.

The Project and Course Component:

Students must attend every week to comply with SEC regulations as it is a practical subject. Once the project is announced, students must attend our 2-hour Sunday class in person for the duration of the project. As is our current practice, it is essential that the supervising teacher supervises and monitors the project. The teacher divides the project in phases, with delivery dates. 

The project represents 30% of the Leaving Certificate marks. The project has been recently announced earlier than usual due to Covid-19: Mid-December. For completion in Mid-March of each year. We expect the project for 2024 to be announced in January 2024, for completion Mid-March 2024. All project work is to be completed onsite, under full supervision by our teacher Dr Barry Ryan.

Each student has their own log-in details. We also provide log-in details for the principals of their schools and the SEC. This allows monitoring of project progress for all stakeholders. This is to ensure not only compliance with SEC guidance, but also total fairness for all students. 

Attendance is essential. Non-compliance with Kilmartin Educational Services stipulations will force Kilmartin Educational Services not to sign off on Project component of the examination. 

Note: Kilmartin Educational Services teaches the Course and the Project. The actual examination must be sat at their own school, having received permission from their school principal.

About our teacher Dr. Barry Ryan:

Dr. Barry Ryan has a PhD from Caltech (University from Big Bang Theory) and first-class BSc and MSc degrees in Mathematics and Mathematical Physics from UCD. He taught first year engineering mathematics and mathematical physics at UCD. At Caltech Barry taught mathematics and physics taken in 3rd or 4th year by all Caltech undergraduate engineering and physics students. He currently provides a tutorial service for third level physics, economics, engineering, maths, control theory and probability theory.

FAQS:

Question 1:

Do I need permission from my school principal to take this additional subject?

Answer 1: 

Yes, please contact them to get this permission, it is mandatory. We require the registration form is signed by the school principal.

Question 2:

Can I attend this course solely online?

Answer 2:  

No, this course requires onsite monitoring and supervision of coursework/project work.

Question 3:

How often are the classes, and how long?

Answer 3:

Two hours, every week. Mandatory onsite attendance.

Question 4:

 Do the students have access to the computer room?

Answer 4:

 Yes, with their own log-in details.

Question 5:

Can the students’ school, or the State Examinations Commission access and monitor project work?

Answer 5:

Yes, to ensure inter-candidate equity and examinations integrity.

Question 6:

Do students sit in-house exams on a regular basis?

Answer 6:

Yes, it is compulsory for students to sit the regular in-house assessments to monitor progress.

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