Courts / Kildare / Report
'Top-down' intervention by Minister resulted in 'unlawful' interference with Leaving Cert grades, student argues
Summary
In a High Court hearing on 8 December 2020, lawyers for Freddie Sherry argued that the Minister for Education unlawfully interfered with the 2020 Leaving Certificate calculated‑grades process by excluding historical school performance data. Sherry, a student from Belvedere College, claimed the minister's August 2020 directive to omit such data caused his estimated CAO points to fall from 542 to 487, a 55‑point downgrade that prevented him from gaining a place in pharmacy at Trinity College Dublin. Counsel described the minister's action as a "top‑down intervention" that produced inflated grades and breached commitments to fairness and comparability with previous years. The minister and state lawyers denied the allegations, asserting that the exclusion was justified and that reinstating historical data would be inappropriate after CAO offers had been issued. The case, part of a broader challenge by about 50 students, is set to continue for two weeks before Mr Justice Charles Meenan.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 'Top-down' intervention by Minister resulted in 'unlawful' interference with Leaving Cert grades, student argues. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision
When:
- August 21st Other
- 2020-12-08 Publication
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