General Introduction
The principles and rationale of Transition Year have been observed and practised in St Columba’s College for many years. With the appointment of a Transition Year Coordinator in 1994, an official Transition Year Programme was adopted. Our Transition Year Programme is compulsory.
Our Transition Year Programme is strenuously academic because we believe this is the best way to prepare our pupils for their Leaving Certificate courses over the following two years. In academic terms the stepup from Junior Certificate to Leaving Certificate is considerable, as is the commensurate growth in personal maturity so vital for a competent and sensible approach to the final state examination.
The advancement and uplifting of youth are core tenets of this college’s ethos and therefore we always seek to fulfil the Transition Year aspirations of having a pupil body in the process of maturing through educational experience. We seek to allow our pupils to become socially aware and competent, thus preparing them for their adult and working life. Independent critical thought and reasoned action in the future adult world should be the result of our school programme. We believe that our pupils gain the confidence and ability to make well-informed decisions regarding their choice of subjects for Leaving Certificate and this is one of the primary major results of Transition Year participation.
Through a process of consultation the wishes and needs of all stakeholders are taken into account when planning and later enacting the Transition Year programme. However, it is the needs of the pupils that will drive a successful programme.
A well run Transition Year programme should bring about an improvement in pupils’ time and selfmanagement skills, while their age profile will be more conducive to sensible decision making in the post-school era.
The beneficial research proven results of undertaking a Transition Year programme (NCCA Longitudinal Study 1999) are cited to prospective parents and pupils in advance of their decision to opt in or out. The particular findings that are emphasised include:
●TY pupils less likely to drop out of third level courses
●TY pupils less likely to change third level courses
●TY pupils more likely to pass first year exams
●TY pupils achieve a higher points score in LC
We seek to offer pupils opportunities to engage in activities that are productive, positive, enjoyable, challenging and self-affirming. The formation of friendships outside of the pressured environment of an examination course is a most valuable part of the year. Pupils are constantly encouraged and at all times challenged to “make the year their own” and this is one of the benchmarks by which the success of a particular year is measured.
There is a delicate balance between achieving all our academic and extra-curricular aims. This is a balance to which we constantly aspire through observation and subsequent evaluation of each year. Nothing of real or lasting value can happen during the year without huge commitment, cooperation and support from our Warden, Sub-Warden, teaching and ancillary staff. We are fortunate in this school that the staff body are enthusiastic about the Transition Year and give of their vast and varying expertise and interests, time and energy for the betterment of their pupils. In so many ways they provide the perfect example to our pupils. Our parents are also most supportive of what we do in our Transition Year. All of this is the bedrock of a successful programme.
Following a Whole School Evaluation (WSE) in 2012, the inspectors stated in their final report that: ‘Students and parents who were interviewed during the evaluation were particularly complimentary about the Transition Year Programme in the school. While school documentation describes the programme as being ‘strenuously academic’, lessons observed during the evaluation visit and the TY plan showed that the TY Programme is in keeping with the philosophy of Transition Year and Department circulars.’