Secondary School

Transition Year

Curriculum

Transition Year in The Teresian School is an incredible learning experience full of personal growth and unmatched opportunities. We have been running Transition Year since 1987, refining and improving it every year based on the needs of the individual year group. Transition Year in The Teresian School is not only the best possible preparation for the Leaving Certificate, our varied curriculum and co-curricular opportunities produce well-rounded, dedicated citizens of the world.

The Transition Year programme is intended to facilitate the integrated development of the spiritual, intellectual, emotional, physical, social and vocational capacities of each individual student through a structured learning experience. The general aim of the Transition Year is the preparation of young people for their roles as autonomous, participative and responsible members of society. The programme, therefore, aims to provide young people with the skills and support necessary to develop their own individual talents, aptitudes and abilities with regard to future educational and/or vocational preparation.
Emphasis is placed on

  • Education for maturity, and spiritual and personal development, including social awareness and increased social competence.

  • The promotion of general, technical and academic skills with an emphasis on self-directed learning.

  • Education through experience of working life as a basis for personal development and maturity.

Aims of Programme

  • To provide an opportunity for all students to mature intellectually, socially, physically and spiritually.

  • To consolidate and develop the learning experience of the student which has taken place during the Junior Cycle.

  • To develop study habits more suited to Senior Cycle and Third Level and to encourage the development of self-directed learning in all students so as to enable them to achieve at 3rd Level.

  • To foster a growing sense of responsibility in the student for her own life so that she may become a responsible socially conscious citizen, able to cope successfully with the demands of society and of life.

  • To encourage students to value inter-personal relationships and to inculcate this through team-work and project work.

  • To introduce the student actively to the world of work so that they will learn to work with others and develop a good working relationship with others and learn to engage in dialogue with others in a respectful way.

Main Components of the Programme

  • Our curriculum offers students a wide array of scope to refine their knowledge base from the Junior Cycle and to expand their horizons in new and exciting directions. Each subject focuses on the skills necessary to excel in Senior Cycle so as to prepare our students to reach their full potential.

    All students have the opportunity to sample every subject, regardless of what they took for Junior Cycle. This allows students to approach each subject with a mature mindset and to facilitate them in making their choices for the Leaving Certificate.

    Aspects of the following subject areas are included:
    Gaeilge, English, Mathematics, French, Spanish, History, Geography, Science (including modules of Physics, Chemistry and Biology), Business Studies (including modules of Accounting and Business), Home Economics.

  • Modules are also provided in Music, Art, Social and Health Education, Religion, Personal Development, Physical Education, a Law Module.

  • This section includes Work Experience over three/four weeks per year. During this period, students will spend their days in workplaces where they will shadow a member of some particular profession or workforce.
    Students also have one class period of Guidance each week during which they receive a comprehensive preparation for the world of work. This will include interview preparation, compiling a C.V., writing letters, study skills and an overview of Third Level, subject choices for Fifth Year and careers information.

  • There is an optional School Tour in the second term. Students will complete a section of the Camino de Santiago. Weekly outings and visits also take place on Tuesdays. Visits include: Dublin Castle, Glasnevin Cemetery, Museums and Art Galleries. Overnight trips to adventure centres also take place.

  • Assessment in each subject is project and deadline based. This approach is used in tandem with regular assignments as a method of ensuring students take ownership of their learning and to prepare them for the world of work. Students select pieces of work from throughout the year to assemble a Transition Year portfolio.

    There is an End of Year ceremony in the Jubilee Hall at which certificates and awards are presented.