FAQ and Contact Details

Transition Year is a stand-alone, one-year programme that builds on Junior Cycle and lays a broad foundation for Senior Cycle and beyond. It encourages experiential and self-directed learning, enabling students to develop key competencies and transferable skills in a flexible and reflective environment. The programme creates space for personal maturity, career exploration, civic engagement, and adaptability, preparing students for meaningful participation in education, work, and society.

A good Transition Year student will embrace the opportunities presented. You don't need to be the top academic performer, instead success is measured by personal initiative, adaptability, and a willingness to step outside a comfort zone. These skills don't happen overnight but hopefully by the end of the year you will be proud of the new things that you tried, the new people that you have met and the new skills that you have acquired. 

 Work experience is mandatory. Missed placements must be rescheduled with approval from the TY Coordinator.

Research shows TY students perform significantly better in their Leaving Certificate due to improved maturity, independent study skills, and informed subject choices. (Of course this is nationwide research and you are an individual.)

Transition Year will give you an opportunity to reflect on your learning to date. You can review and adjust your study habits, explore and trial new learning strategies, and gain a first-hand taster of Leaving Certificate subjects before making final subject choices. It will also allow you to make subject decisions based on potential career paths. 

If you have been offered a work Experience Placement outside of the allocated blocks then please complete the request form (here) and submit it to Ms Baker. This will be considered an additional work experience and students will still be required to secure placements for the 3 weeks already set aside. If you wish to use the half terms in October/ February, or the Easter Holidays then of course that is fine. 

Transition Year is designed to allow for time and space so that students can develop independence. As individuals you will all choose different pathways in the Leaving Cert so you need this freedom so you can work out what best suits your learning style and interests. Academically, Transition Year gives you an opportunity to reflect on your learning to date. You can review and adjust your study habits, explore and trial new learning strategies, and gain a first-hand taster of Leaving Certificate subjects before making final subject choices.

However you will only get as much out of Transition Year as you are willing to put into it. Those who embrace the opportunities on offer will develop their confidence and skills. 

• Create a weekly timetable - include sports and extra curricular activities and priortise personal goals like nutrition, fittness or project deadlines. Its much easier to realise that you have a routine if you can see it. 

• Update your digital portfolio. This portfolio is a personal and indvidual account of all of your experiences. Include colour, photographs, maps, videos and other evidence of these experiences. The more individual the better. 

Up until now, the school built the road for you. This year, you get to lay a bit of your own. 

You are a blank canvas: what you put into these experiences will influence the final result.

Don't wait for the school to fill in your day- remember that boredom is actually unstructured freedom. While guidance and direction are provided remember that you have the unique opportunity to try new things without academic consequence (mostly). This is the only year that you have the freedom to try new sports, hobbies, career opportunities and meet new people without it impacting  the Leaving Cert. In fact it may even help you next year. 

Ask yourself have you really committed to your subjects? Especially the ones that you like and may consider next year. Consult with your teachers as there are many ways to upgrade your projects and to develop those interests. 

Some ideas to consider are

• Lock in a Gaisce award. The President's Award gives instant, pre-packaged structure across community work, personal skills, and physical fitness.

• Pick one non-school skill.  I challenge you to master something tangible outside the curriculum: learn to code, pass the driver's theory test, or launch a mini-business.

• Take over the TY schedule.  You are always welcome to pitch an idea to me—like organizing a school-wide tournament, a charity run, or bringing in a guest speaker.

Don't think twice about seeking help. There is no issue too big or too small. Our staff will do what they can to put your mind at ease. There is no shame in asking for help as these people are professionals and won't judge. 

Other contacts that might be useful are:

• Childline: Free 24/7 listening service for anyone up to age 18. Call 1800 66 66 66, text TALK to 50101, or chat on Childline Online.

• Teenline: Free confidential helpline for teenagers run by the ISPCC. Call 1800 833 634 anytime.

• Text About It: Free 24/7 anonymous text support service. Text HELLO to 50808.

• Samaritans: Free round-the-clock support for extreme distress or crisis. Call 116 123. [1, 2, 3].

• Jigsaw: Free mental health support, advice, and online text-based therapy for young people aged 12 to 25.

• Pieta: Free, specialized support for self-harm, suicide ideation, or bereavement by suicide. Call 1800 247 247.

• MyMind: Low-cost, accessible mental health counseling services.

• Belong To: National organization supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI+) young people in Ireland. Call 01 670 6223.

• Bodywhys: Confidential support and helplines for eating disorders at 01 210 7906.

• CARI: Specialized therapy and support regarding sexual abuse for children, teens, and families.

• Drugs.ie is a website that provides information on drugs and alcohol with sections for both teens and parents. It lists services such as treatment and rehabilitation available in each county.  www.drugs.ie.