Transition Year Mission
To promote the personal, social, educational & vocational development of the students and to prepare them for their role as autonomous, participative & responsible members of society.
What you get out of TY depends on:
The attitude you take to it in the first place
How open-minded you are - if you are open minded you are more likely to see & grasp opportunities
What YOU are prepared to put into it
What is Transition Year?
Transition Year is a one year programme. It provides a bridge to enable students make the transition from Junior to Senior cycle. It encourages personal and social development and recognises the need for students to grow in independence. Transition Year fosters academic achievement as students prepare for a Leaving Certificate Programme, further study and adult and working life. It encourages the development of a wide range of transferable critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills.
“Transition Year is also a year where students can stand out and gain confidence, boost their moral, develop better communication skills, social skills and group work skills’. ”
Subjects in Transition Year
Coláiste Mhuire devises its own timetabled programme to cater for the needs of its students. This is done in accordance with the Department of Education and Skills guidelines, school and community resources. Essentially a Transition Year programme offers students a broad and balanced curriculum covering such areas as:
CORE SUBJECTS e.g. Irish, English, Maths, Careers, Religion & Physical Education.
SUBJECT SAMPLING e.g. Construction Studies, Design & Communication Graphics, Art, Home Economcs, Music & World of Science, History, French, Engineering, Leaving Certificate Physical Education and Geography etc
MODULES DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR TY e.g. Mini Company, Drama, Debating, Horticulture, Coaching course, Health and Safety, Home Baking and Basic Cookery, Social Media & Fake News and Coding
CALENDAR EVENTS e.g. Work experience, guest speakers, field trips, sporting activities, first aid course, driver safety programme, SVP workshops, Junk Kouture, Drama production, fitness workshops, surfing, Ballyhass bonding days, Greenway Cycle, Bodhrán workshop, Model United Nations, Forensic Science workshop, Sleepover Fundraiser, Foreign School Tour and Animal Magic workshop etc.
Typical TY Timetable
Typical TY Highlights
Transition Year FAQ
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?
The Purpose of Transition Year is to promote maturity:
Maturity in learning - 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.
Is Transition Year suited to all students?
All young people benefit from the programme due to the emphasis on development and maturity. 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 programme works towards getting a balance between some continuation of essential core subjects and tasting and sampling of leaving certificate 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.
Students sample 3 Leaving Certificate subjects. They have a single and double class per week in these subjects. Examples: French, Home Economics, History, Geography, Business, LC PE, Engineering, Construction Studies, Art, Music, DCG etc. These are banded depending on the student’s preferences.
Module classes rotate every 8 weeks and students will complete each of the following modules during the year: Leadership, Social Action, Drama and Theatre studies, Baking, Social Media, Sustainability, STEM, First Aid, NZEB, Well being, Drivers Education, Coding and Health and Safety.
World of Science classes rotate every 4 weeks so that students can sample the following LC Science subjects: Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Agricultural Science. They do two rotations of each Science subject.
In Drama production, students perfect their drama, musical and artistic skills in preparation for the TY drama production.
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. The Coláiste makes its own arrangements for the certification of students who complete a TY 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. Parents should encourage their sons and daughters to avail of the numerous opportunities offered by this unique programme.
As TY is optional might the student miss his/her friends who continue through to fifth year?
It is true that if some of their friends opt for TY, the student will be separated from them. However, unless his/her friends opt for the same Leaving Certificate subjects they will become separated anyway. It is dangerous to make important decisions about your education based on what your friends want to do!
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 good study skills at Junior Certificate level will not be able to 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 she/he had moved directly into fifth year.
Here in the Coláiste, the regular assessments (along with continuous assessments in their practical subjects) ensure that the TY student remains focused on their studies.
What about costs?
€200 must be paid to the school by Friday May 31st 2024 to secure a TY placement. This payment is to offset the cost of the many educational activities throughout the year. Further payments will be necessary later in the academic year and will be determined by the nature and cost of activities.