Transition Year (TY) is a one-year programme taken after Junior Cycle and before the two-year Leaving Certificate programme. The objective of Transition Year is to promote the personal, social, educational and vocational development of students and to prepare them for their role as autonomous, participative, and responsible members of society.
The following are the guidelines for TY from the Department of Education and Skills.
- 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 some 550 schools offer the programme.
- Transition Year may be optional or mandatory for students depending on the school’s policy.
- Each school designs its own Transition Year programme, within set guidelines, to suit the needs and interests of its students.
- In establishing its own distinctive programme content, the school takes into account the possibilities offered by local community interests.
In Mungret Community College our mission for our Transition Year through our programme, encourages the students to take ownership and responsibility for their learning and promotes the students to enter into the spirit of transition year with a strong work ethic, an open mind and a commitment to embracing all aspects of the year ahead.
We has three core values;
- a continued emphasis on academic standards
- ensuring the wellbeing of our students, in a nurturing and supportive environment
- giving the students the opportunity to reflect on the past, enjoy the present and to look forward to and be prepared for their future.
Transition Year Module Rotation & Calendar 2022/2023
1st Module - 1st September - 14th October
2nd Module - 17th October - 16th December
TY Assessment Week 19th December - 22nd December
3rd Module - 5th January - 25th February
4th Module - 27th February - 31st March
5th Module - 17th April - 2nd June including exam week
Core subjects and modules offered:
Transition year is divided into modules of learning and each module is approximately 6 weeks in duration. The timetable for transition year balances the core subjects and offers students a variety of learning opportunities through motor mechanics, sign language, wood technology, agricultural science, physics, chemistry and music studies to mention a few. English, Irish and Maths will have 4 classes a week, MFLanguages will have 3 classes a week, ICT google certification will have one class a week, Physical education will have a triple class taking place off-campus, guidance will have one class a week.
On-line workshops and courses: while the last 17 months have been challenging, it has also offered us huge opportunities to avail of workshops and courses on-line, some of which would have been difficult to access due to demand. We hope that businesses and organisations will continue to offer these to our students next year. We will be organising very practical courses on-line with official certification throughout the year. Dulann offers a broad range of practical courses and we hope that as many of the students as possible will avail of this learning opportunity. One of the main objectives of 4th year is that the students take responsibility for their learning and show initiative throughout the curriculum. The on-line courses are designed to promote and encourage independent learning.
Work experience:
Experiential learning is an integral part of Transition Year, and work placement offers our students a hands-on experience of working life. There are two weeks assigned for work experience throughout the year (refer to calendar for dates.) It is important when choosing a placement that it reflects the student’s genuine interest in this area of work, and therefore will be a productive learning experience. All students will receive a work placement information pack which will include;
- an insurance letter for the employer
- a risk assessment form
All employers will be asked to fill out a student evaluation form. The students will also complete a work experience diary for the week on googleclassroom.
All the above documentation will be made available closer to the time of placement.