Transition Year

The Transition Year (TY) is a one-year programme. It is designed to act as a bridge between the Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate programmes. Transition Year offers learners an opportunity to mature and develop without the pressure of an examination. It also provides an opportunity for learners to prepare for the ever-changing demands of the adult world of work, further and higher education and relationships.
The Transition Year offers students an opportunity:

To engage in independent, self-directed learning,
To develop general, technical and academic skills
To mature and develop without the pressure of an examination.

Transition Year students are timetabled for class Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Wednesday is an activities day, details of which are given below:
Core Subjects:

Irish
English
Maths
Modern Language
Religious Education

Work Experience/Careers

All Shook Up TY Musical December 2016

Students sample ALL the following subjects for a 7 week module in Transition Year enabling them to make a more informed subject choice for 4th year:

Accounting
Business
Economics
Music
Agricultural Science
Chemistry
Geography
Physics
Physical Education
Art
Construction
History
Technology
Biology
Design & Communications Graphics
Home Economics

The following life skills are also offered to students :

App Creation
Health & Safety
Road Safety
Chinese (Language & Culture)
Irish Dance
Tidy Towns
Computers - ECDL / SAGE
Musical Instrument
Touch Typing

Work Experience
It is intended that the Transition Year should create opportunities to vary the learning environment. One of the ways of doing this, and of providing an orientation towards the world of work, is to include a component of actual work experience. Students engage in career orientated work experience for 2 weeks in December. On returning to the classroom, students are given sufficient time and opportunity in careers class to debrief, report back and evaluate their experience. Presentations are made by students to their peers as part of this evaluation day.

Wednesday Activities Programme Guest Speakers / Workshops / Projects include:

Public Access to Law
Outdoor Pursuits
GAA/ Rugby / Soccer coaching
First Aid
Life Skills for Secondary School pupils
Drive For Life
Songschool
Poetry Slam
Kilmainham Jail
Museum of Modern Art
Filmmaking
Baboro International Arts Festival
Thomond and Croke Park Tours
National Stud & Japanese Gardens
Collins Barracks
Guinness Storehouse Tour
Science Tricks
Aran Islands
Eye Cinema – movies suggested by Art and English Departments
Matrix maths programme
Business Trips to factories
Ice-skating
Photography Course

Gaisce- the Presidents Award
Christmas Shoebox Appeal
Galway Science and Technology Festival
Galway Film Fleadh
NUIG TY Maths Workshop
Mini Company Programme –
Galway County and City Enterprise Board
Ability West Presentation
Blue Teapot Theatre Workshop
Junior Achievement Ireland – Bank your Future Programme
Interview skills and Techniques
Cyber Bullying Presentation
European Youth Parliament

Assessment
There is no state examination at the end of Transition Year. Assessment is usually carried out on an ongoing basis and can include school-based assessment of projects or portfolios, oral, aural, practical and written activities. Since 2000, the Department of Education and Science has issued an official Transition Year certificate to participants. School based certification is based on credits awarded to each module/subject in which the student participates. Four student reports are completed during the course of the year.

Overall credits awarded for participation in the TY Programme will result in the pupils achieving one of the following certificates on completion of Transition Year:
Distinction 85%
Commendation 55%
Merit 70%
Pass 40%