1 Transition Year is focused on promoting maturity. It recognises that 15-16 year olds are at a crucial stage on the pathway from childhood dependence towards adult independence. The Transition Year Programme (TYP) allows young people to become more aware of themselves and of the world around them. Decision-making can be more informed and ambitions more focused.

 

2 The emphasis is on developing skills rather than on simply remembering facts. Such skills - academic, technical and general - stand to your daughter for life.

 

3 Your daughter can gain realistic insights into adult and working life. A ‘work experience’ placement , where employers co-operate with the school in allowing pupils to sample a workplace environment at first hand, has been a major milestone on many young people’s path to maturity.

 

4 Pupils can develop more independent study habits. The emphasis is on on-going assessment rather than on a terminal exam. Project work, for example, where a pupil has to plan and execute a piece of work over a number of days or weeks, can promote self-regulated learning. Rather than have students lose any study habits, TY can lay a solid base for learning in a more adult, responsible way.

 

5 The year lays a solid foundation for the Leaving Certificate programme. At the end of a TYP your daughter can be better equipped, better motivated and more clearly focused than her counterparts who did not have the benefit of the year. This foundation can also be a solid base for a more mature and consistent approach to third-level studies after the Leaving Certificate.

 

6 Transition Year is not dominated by an exam at the end of the course. Therefore, there is space and opportunity for our school to concentrate on aspects of learning which don’t always feature on either the Junior or Leaving Certificate courses. Qualities which might not otherwise flourish are often developed. Individuality is respected and fostered.

 

7 TY offers your daughter a broader variety of topics and subjects.

 

8 TY gets pupils and teachers out of the classroom, into other learning environments. Trips to galleries, workplaces, museums, theatres and other stimulating locations are an integral and beneficial element of our Programme.

 

 

9 Transition Year places a heavy emphasis on learning from experience. This recognition of the validity of young people’s own lived experience means that they are continually challenged to make sense of their own experiences. Studying aspects of popular culture such as fashion, advertising, popular music, cinema, etc. can increase the motivation for learning and add to the growth of self-esteem.

 

 

10 Pupils who have missed out on parts of the Junior Certificate course should use Transition Year to catch up or fill in gaps in their learning before starting a Leaving Certificate programme.

 

11 Your daughter can learn the skills of dealing with people in practical ways. There can be a lot of contact with adults outside the school. Oral communication skills, so relevant to all aspects of living and working, are highlighted. Many teachers identify the growth of pupil’s confidence and self-esteem through the Transition Year Programmes as the key benefit of the year.

 

12 Attention to careers, third-level courses, the realities of employment and unemployment are central concerns in Transition Year. By the end of a Transition Year programme pupils have often changed their career hopes and plans quite radically from the ones they may have had twelve months earlier.

 

13 Pupils can follow and develop special interests. These might be sporting, leisure, academic or social interests. The flexibility offered by Transition Year means it can be an ideal opportunity for your daughter to respond to challenges such as Gaisce (The President’s Award Scheme) or other personal interests.

 

14 Transition Year links schools more directly with their immediate communities. Pupils can become involved in activities such as voluntary work, community service or local fund-raising initiatives. The community resources of individual parents and others are an important part of our TY Programme and are welcomed by us.

 

 

15 Transition Year can encourage more mature relationships between you and your daughter. Many parents remark that they have been changed through their daughters’ experiences of a TY programme. At the end of a day’s work experience or a particularly stimulating field trip, parents are often the ones best positioned to listen. Frequently, the biggest lessons learned by the pupil are about herself. Again, with project work or other learning strategies used in TYP, parents can feel more centrally involved in the growing-up and learning process. Thus, Transition Year also provides special opportunities for you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full participation in the Transition Year programme is expected by all and is of no benefit to those who choose to exclude themselves.

 

 

 

 

Pupils are required to be in school and have their presence recorded, no later than 8.50 am each day.