Welcome to our Transition Year page

You will find details of the TY curriculum and courses below. If you would like to view some of our most recent TY activities then please click on the button below.

TY 2021/2022

Transition Year

Transition Year (TY) is a one-year programme that forms the first year of a three-year senior cycle in many schools. It is designed to act as a bridge between the Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate programmes. It is available to all second level schools and currently approximately 75% of schools offer the programme. Transition Year is optional for students in most schools. 

Students benefits considerably from their participation in Transition Year, especially in relation to their performance in the Leaving Certificate.
 

• It enables independent learning 
• It promotes self –directed learning 
•  It fosters maturity 
• ​It will focus the student to think about their subject choices for Leaving Certificate 
• It will focus the student to think about their career choices 
• Students will gain experience of the world of work 

Transition Year can be an extremely beneficial experience when students engage with the programme fully. It can provide them with the opportunity to engage in new experiences, participate in collaborative learning and to become more autonomous learners. 

Reinforcing Core Subjects

TY is a year-long programme between the Junior and Senior Cycle which is very important in providing our students with new experiences and allowing them to sample a wide variety of subjects. TY also prepares students better for the Leaving Certificate examination. The core subjects of English, Irish and Mathematics form an important part of TY. The programme is designed to form a solid foundation for Senior Cycle, reinforcing what was learned during the Junior Cycle. ​

Developing Autonomy

This year will offer a lot of scope for project work and self-directed learning. It is envisaged that students embrace what the teacher has presented in class and then independently research, investigate and develop these topics further, developing useful skills and expanding their knowledge. This allows students to make independent decisions as to which areas of their subjects they will focus on. This emphasis on autonomous work allows learning to continue outside the classroom as students develop their interests beyond textbooks. TY students will be offered a suite of Elective Course eg Mini Company; Young Social Innovators; GAA Future Leaders etc. Students will be given presentations during Induction in September and they will opt to follow one Elective Course for the year. ​

Experiencing the ‘New’

Ty is quite a distinctive year. The pressure of exams is a memory and now you are faced with a big question: ‘What do I want to do when I leave school?’ Well, Transition Year is an opportunity for you get a head start on planning your future. It’s a chance to experience new ways of learning and assessment, and that’s just the academic side. The practical side is even more exciting; new subjects, project work, creative opportunities and untold adventures await! TY students will be polled for their preferences in all the option subjects we offer for Senior Cycle; the preferences will then be used to create option subject blocks - the aim is that TY students will experience their top 8 Leaving Cert Option Subjects over the course of the TY year in 2 rotations. This will assist them in choosing their Leaving Cert subjects at the end of TY. ​

Expanding Horizons

The TY curriculum is about choices, experiencing new subjects, events, meeting deadlines, evaluating what you did and planning what you are going to do next. It is about dealing with change, expanding your group of friends and adapting to exciting new situations. In TY you will develop your leadership skills, take the initiative and discover new interests. You will be in a position to make informed subject choices for your Leaving Cert so you can get the best possible outcome from your time in school. There will be an Activities Programme which will include a number of 'rotating courses' throughout the year. We hope to offer a selection of 5 activities and students will opt for their choice of 3. Activities we are currently exploring include: 
 
Safe Food; First Aid; Learning an Instrument; Sign Language; Learner Driver etc.  The suite of Activities on offer will depend on the availability of tutors and the number of students in TY. 

Work Experience

It is hoped that TY work experience will be every Wednesday throughout the year. Students should change their place of work after every eleven-week block. Work experience is an opportunity to discover the realities of the world of work. 

Transition Year Fees

A fee for Transition Year is necessary in order to be able to provide a diverse and responsive programme. The Transition Year Fee will be used to subsidise transport costs; external tutors; subsidise external examiner fees where applicable; subsidise course and entry registration fees where applicable etc. The school on its own cannot sustain a viable and dynamic TY programme without the support of a TY fee. 
Additional costs: 
European Trip (ca. €600 +), Bonding Trip, transport costs, lunches (when out on school activities), school activities… 

Transition Year

While Transition Year is optional it is very highly recommended. Students undertake a very broad range of programmes as well as studying the core Leaving Certificate subjects and sampling the optional ones. The programme aims to develop skills which will benefit students in Leaving Certificate, Third Level and in working life.

Emphasis is placed on self regulated learning where students take greater responsibility for their own learning and decision making.

The key aims are:

1. Education for maturity with emphasis on personal development including social awareness and competence.
2. The acquiring of general, technical and academic skills including communication and enterprise skills.
3. Education through experience of adult and working life.

Transition Year 2018-2019

Transition Year 2018-2019