Transition Year

Transition Year provides a bridge to help students make the transition from the structured and dependent environment that is Junior Cycle to one where students will take greater responsibility for their own learning and decision making in Senior Cycle.

This allows students to build personal confidence, to gain competence in the core academic subjects, and to develop skills and initiatives in a way that may not be possible in the core exam year(s).

During TY students will have an opportunity to create new learning environments, and discover their own individual talents, aptitudes and interests.

Some highlights from our TY programme include the comprehensive taster programme for senior cycle subjects, the school musical, and the many TY trips and tours. Please visit out school website www.stjosephscastlebar. com and download our App to see weekly updates of the wide array of TY experiences.

Core Subjects In TY

  • English

  • Irish

  • Maths

  • PE

  • French / German

  • Senior Cycle Science Taster programme

  • Senior Cycle Business taster programme

  • Senior Cycle Humanities and Applied Arts Taster Programme

St. Joseph’s we design our own Transition Year programme, within set guidelines, to suit the needs and interests of our students. There is no state examination at the end of Transition Year.

Assessment is carried out on an ongoing basis and includes a mix of school-based assessment of projects and portfolios, oral, aural, practical and written activities. Evaluation of activities such as work experience or community service includes reports from the providers or hosts of such activities. Some subject modules have their own assessment arrangements. In TY there is a high level of self-directed learning in the context of co- and cross-curricular interaction. At the end of each year the programme is evaluated with an input from TY students, staff and parents.