FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Transition Year Programmes aim to promote the personal, social, educational and vocational development of pupils and to prepare them for their role as autonomous, participative and responsible members of society.

• What is Transition Year?
• What’s the purpose of the Transition Year Programme?
• Who decides on the programme?
• Is Transition Year available to all students?
• Is Transition Year suited to all students?
• What subjects are studied?
• Even if all these programmes are different, surely there are some features common to the programme in a lot of schools?
• What about exams?
• Can the Transition Year be part of a three-year Leaving Certificate programme?
• How are parents involved?
• What support is there for schools?
• In a school where TY is optional might the student miss his/her friends who continue through to fifth year?
• Is there a danger that students may lose study skills in TY?

What is Transition Year?

A one year programme taken after the Junior Certificate and before a Leaving Certificate Programme.

What’s the purpose of the Transition Year Programme?

To promote maturity. Maturity in studies by making students more self-directed learners through the development of general, technical and academic skills. Maturity in relation to work and careers by developing work-related skills. Personal maturity by providing opportunities to develop communication skills, self-confidence and a sense of responsibility. Social maturity by developing greater ‘people’ skills and more awareness of the world outside school.

Who decides on the programme?

Each school devises its own TY programme. The teaching staff draws up a programme in the light of the Transition Year Guidelines and the Resource Material published by the Department of Education and Science. They might also consider students’ needs, parents’ views, employers and the wider interests of the local community. Each year the programme is evaluated, with inputs from all these parties, and revised by the teaching staff.

Is Transition Year available to all students?

In 2000-01 over 22,000 young people are following a Transition Year programme in approx. 500 schools. Some schools offer TYP to all students who have finished the Junior Certificate. In other schools students may have to apply for a limited number of places.

Is Transition Year suited to all students?

With its emphasis on development and maturity, all young people can benefit from the programme. Transition Year, in particular, can allow for the development of an individual’s multiple intelligences-linguistic, logico-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal and naturalist. The Transition Year programme can also develop key skills for the 21st century such as the three Ts – thinking, teamwork and technology.

What subjects are studied?

This varies from school to school but in every school students follow a timetable as they do in other years. Most programmes work towards getting a balance between some continuation of essential core subjects, a tasting and sampling of other subjects, a variety of distinctive courses designed to broaden students’ horizons and some modules and activities specifically aimed at promoting the maturity that is central to the whole Transition Year ideal.

Even if all these programmes are different, surely there are some features common to the programme in a lot of schools?

Many schools offer modules, short courses on particular topics. Most schools offer a work experience programme. Mini-company, where students set up and operate a real business, is a popular way of learning. The use of visiting speakers as well as trips beyond the classroom are features of many programmes. Project work, where students undertake independent research, usually more extensive than traditional ‘homework’, is also commoon to many programmes.

What about exams?

Assessment is a key part of any worthwhile learning programme. Transition Year is an opportunity to move beyond the narrow focus of end-of-year, written exams. The emphasis is on varied and on-going assessment with students themselves becoming involved in diagnosing their own learning strengths and weaknesses. Project work, portfolio work and exhibitions of students’ work are also encouraged. Each individual school makes its won arrangements for reporting to parents and for the certifications of students who complete a TY programme.

Can the Transition Year be part of a three-year Leaving Certificate programme?

The Transition Year programme is a school-designed, distinctive programme and should not constitute year one of a three-year Leaving Certificate. TY is part of the Senior Cycle experience and lays a solid foundation for Leaving Certificate studies. TY programmes should challenge students intellectually, give them an orientation to the world of work and cater for the development of their personal and social awareness. The exploration of any Leaving Certificate material should be in a way that is original and stimulating and significantly different from the approach taken during a two-year Leaving Certificate programme.

How are parents involved?

Parents’ understanding of and support for student learning in TY is a key factor in a successful Transition Year experience. Most schools arrange sessions for parents of 3rd year students to discuss the Transition Year programme. Parents should attend and contribute. Some parents make their particular expertise available to the school during the TYP. Parents should be involved also in the school’s evaluation of its programme. Parents should encourage their sons and daughters to avail of the numerous opportunities offered by this unique programme.

What support is there for schools?

A team of six teachers with experience of teaching and coordinating Transition Year programmes have been seconded from their schools for consultation and advice. The team also organizes in-service training workshops within schools and for clusters of schools. The team is part of the Second Level Support Service and co-operates with educational and other agencies in producing teaching and learning resources for Transition Year programmes.

In addition to the work of the Support Service, regular monitoring and external evaluation of Transition Year Programmes is the responsibility of the Department of Education and Science’s Inspectorate. Each school must have a clearly documented programme approved by its board of management. A copy of this written programme should be available for inspection by the Department’s inspectors.

In a school where TY is optional might the student miss his/her friends who continue through to fifth year?

It is true that if no other friends opt for TY, the student will be separated from them. However unless his/her friends opt for the same Leaving Certificate programme and/or the same subject groupings for Leaving Certificate they will become separated anyway. It is dangerous to make important decisions about you education based on what your friends want to do!
Most schools have a policy of integrating the TY students early in the academic year. Typically this is done through an induction programme for TY students and/or Team -building activities e.g. An Outdoor Pursuits programme in an Adventure Centre.

Is there a danger that students may lose study skills in TY?

There is always this danger if the school and home do not work to ensure that essential skills are maintained during the TY programme. However it is rare that a student who had them at Junior Certificate level will not pick them up again in fifth year.
The leap from Junior Certificate to Leaving Certificate is a large one and again it is rare that a student who finds the move from Transition Year to Leaving Certificate difficult would not have found the move problematic if s/he had moved directly into fifth year. Some schools also offer a Transition to Leaving Certificate at the end of TY in order to help re-orientate the students for fifth year.