Schull Community College

TYP: Schull Community College provides an extensive and wide ranging T.Y. to its pupils. Our aim is to develop a sense of confidence, maturity
And responsibility in our students. It also lays the foundation for the students future academic career and entering to the work force. Our T.Y. programme is on a yearly basis evaluated and reviewed. The results of this review are then reflected in the following year’s programme. Students and parents too have an input into the formulation of review of our T.Y. and many good ideas have come to fruition from such consultations.
In Transition Year we provide the core subjects throughout the year with 8 week modules in the optional subject range. We also provide students with sailing, first aid, design, personal development, work experience, ECDL and PE related activities in the year

Programme for the Transition Year Information Evening

Every year parents/guardians of the incoming transition years are invited to an Information Evening to outline what is involved in the Schull Community College Transition Year Programme. This night is organised by the co-ordinator in collaboration with management, all staff involved in teaching the programme, fourth year students, past fourth year students and the Second Level Support Service.

A typical programme for the Transition Year Information Evening would be as follows:-

The Principal, Mr. Tim O’Connor opens the evening by welcoming parents/guardians. He then presents an overall picture of what Transition Year is about and the aims of the programme in general and then specifically the aims of the transition year programme in Schull Community College and what it has to offer students.

I, the co-ordinator outlines the calendar of events for the years and in particular I go through the large number of wide ranging activities available to students that do not appear on the day to day transition year timetable. Students get an opportunity to do a presentation of some of these activities. Students speak about their trip to the Outdoor Education Centre in Cappanlea, their involvement in the preparation for and performance in the annual Christmas Concert and in the Briery Gap Drama Festival. Students also speak about their involvement in community projects and fundraising.

The Principal then goes through a full weekly fourth year timetable and outlines in detail the wide range of and number of subjects available to the students. He also highlights the subject areas that will be new to students such as work experience, enterprise education, personal development etc. As the principal goes through the timetable fourth year students are invited to speak about their experiences having completed certain modules of the transition year programme. Students usually do a presentation on enterprise education, community development, work experience, the north/south exchange and the Wednesday activities module.

The Deputy Principal, Mr. Padraig O’Sullivan presents information on the Work Experience Programme in fourth year. Students also get an opportunity to inform parents about their experience of organising work experience placements, their weeks in the work place and what they learned having completed their first work experience placement.

Ms. Mary O’Donovan, the Regional Transition Year Co-Ordinator with the Second Level Support Service has been a guest at the information evening for the past two years. She outlines in detail the importance of completing the transition year and its benefits in relation to the points achieved by students in the Leaving Cert and success at third level and beyond.

Past Transition Year Students are invited for the night to speak about how transition year influenced their career choice, their extra-curricular interests, their success in the Leaving Cert and into third level and their chosen career path.

The night concludes with a question and answer session. Parents/guardians are given the opportunity to ask questions and voice any concerns they may have. Parents are reminded that management, the co-ordinator and all staff are available at any time to deal with any queries they may have. Information brochures from the Second Level Support Service and Schull Community College are available to parents/guardians on the night. Parents are then invited to view the samples of students work which is on display.

This information session is then repeated in the same format for the incoming fourth year students the following morning.
Yvonne O’Regan
Transition Year Co-ordinator