In the final part of our Level Up series on education, we looked at the Transition Year system. How beneficial is it to students?
Katherine Donnelly, Education Editor with the Irish Independent, explained how popular the year is.
"Last year over 40,000 students did Transition Year, and 90% of schools are now doing it. It started in the 1970s and took until 1994 to become more mainstream."
Edwin Landzaad, Founding Director of Transition Year Ireland, told us about how his organisation helps TY students: "It's an information resource, and we have an annual expo. It's sharing all the information about the opportunities that are there for TY students."
"Many schools are very well-informed about it, but many opportunities actually fall outside of the school, such as programmes that are offered in third level institutions."
Anne Hegarty, TY co-ordinator at Terenure College in Dublin, explained why they encourage their students to do Transition Year.
"At the end of third year we have a presentation to the boys and their parents, outlining the things they can get involved in. We actively encourage them, because it is a fantastic year. They learn so much from it. They leave with such a huge set of skills that they don't get a chance to develop in other years. There's a lot more teamwork, presentations and communication skills involved and they take on more responsibility."
Is there any evidence to suggest that students who have done TY fare better at Leaving Cert level?
"There have been a number of studies done which have suggested that students who had done TY spent more time on homework," said Katherine. "It also found that the skills developed in TY played a big role in students engaging with their studies."
