The Junior Cycle programme follows on from what students have studied in Primary school. It is a broadly based programme designed to provide a good general education and to prepare students for their Senior Cycle studies.
A significant feature of the Junior Cycle is the CBA - Classroom Based Assessment. Below is the Newbridge College CBA calendar for 2nd and 3rd years 2025-2026.
The First Year curriculum is intended to provide the newcomers to secondary school with as wide a range of educational experience as possible, so that each student may discover his/her scholastic and vocational aptitudes.
First year
All students currently take each of the following subjects:
- Wellbeing
- Civic, Social & Political Education (CSPE)
- Social Personal & Health Education (SPHE)
- Physical Education (PE)
- Irish
- English
- Maths
- French
- German
- Science
- History
- Geography
- Business Studies
- Religious Education
- Art, Craft & Design
- Music
- Home Economics
- Technical Graphics
- Materials Technology Wood
Second and Third years
All students currently take each of the following examination subjects:
- Irish*
- English
- Maths
- History
- Geography
- Science
- Religion
- Wellbeing
* (unless exempt from Irish by the DE)
They also choose three other examination subjects from the following list:
- French
- German
- Business Studies
- Art, Craft & Design
- Music
- Home Economics
- Materials Technology Wood
- Technical Graphics
Students entering 2nd year are strongly advised to take a modern language. However, where a student entering second year has a particular difficulty with languages, he/she may opt not to take either French or German, but it should be recognised that a European language is a requirement for admission to the majority of courses in the National University of Ireland (UCD, UCC, UG, MU, RCSI).