Coláiste Ard Feá

Beech Hill College

Monaghan

Transition Year is offered as an option after the Junior Certificate and is subject to student demand.

Transition Year is a bridging year between the Junior and Leaving Certificate Cycles. It allows students to engage in many useful activities which are not examination related and which they would not have the opportunity to follow if they had begun the Leaving Cert. Programme immediately after the Junior Cert. Modules such as computing, work experience, drama, music and debating are common features of many Transition Year programmes. These help to broaden the students' horizons as well as providing them with many worthwhile skills.

The principal advantages of the Transition Year programme are:

• It gives students an extra year at school. This means that students are more mature when they have the Leaving Cert completed.
• It is a year relatively free from pressure.
• It allows students to pursue activities which they would not ordinarily have the opportunity to pursue if they had begun the Leaving Cert. programme immediately after the Junior Certificate.
• Students who follow the Transition Year programme do better on average in the Leaving Certificate than those who study the normal five-year course.

See also: Senior Cycle   Established Leaving Certificate  Vocational Leaving Certificate  Applied Leaving Certificate