Transition Year Programme
Our Values
- High Expectations
- Community
- Wellbeing
Transition Year Programme Highlights:
Delphi Trip
Delphi is the first outing TY Students experience and its is an opportunity for our TY students to develop new friendships at the start of their TY adventure. They experience life skills over a two night say where they get a chance to develop their self-belief. They meet challenges head on while exploring the unique landscape. This is a real opportunity for our TY students understand their own strengths and get an experience of a lifetime. For two full days they will try many different activities in Delphi Adventure Centre.
Barcelona (Optional Trip)
The TY Barcelona trip is an option trip to our TY students with an extra cost. It takes place at the end of their academic year in May but always ends up as been of the TY experience highlights of their six years in school. Barcelona is a four-day packed fun filled experience staying in four star hotel and visiting many of the great sites in Barcelona including Port Ventura.
TY Musical
The TY Musical since its return four years ago has been a huge success with our TY students. It is led by our TY Musical team of teachers with rehearsals beginning in September culminating with three night and two matinee performances by all our TY students been on stage in the community hall in Castlecomer with sell out nights.
Gaisce
Gaisce – The President’s Award is Ireland’s national youth award and is a personal development programme for young people aged 14-25. It is a direct challenge from the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, to all young people to dream big and fulfil their potential. In 2025 Gaisce celebrates its 40th Anniversary.
Barista Programme
This is new programme delivered internally by one of our staff members and all students who complete the training will receive a certificate in Barista. The Coffee Dock is a great investment for TYs in the school as we learn how to work the machines and how to make great coffee. We learn how to make real coffee, cappuccino & hot chocolate. This will help us get jobs in the hospitality sector in the future.
Enterprise Programme
Enterprise is a good way for young people to get an idea about starting a new business. It shows us about putting lots of money and effort into a business and if the business is a success, you make a profit. All TY Students decide to make their own mini-companies and in December they open the doors of the school Gym and allowed 1st to 6th years in to buy their products. Students had to work out all the ins and outs of making and running a company.
Activities
All TY Students participate in different activities every Monday for a double class period which has very health and Wellbeing benefits for students.
CAT 4 Aptitude Career Tests
Our CAT 4 Aptitude test which use to be completed in fifth year is now completed in TY and is linked to students considering their subjects for Senior Cycle.
Week Work Experience
TY students will avail of 4 weeks work experience in 2025-2026. These weeks are a chance to learn what life is like in the world of work. We worked at many different workplaces such as schools, creches, beauticians, steel fabrications, garages, animal care facilities, shops, hotels & construction sites. We were looking forward to working with the professionals and learning things from them.
Evolution Programme
We learn about many different life situations such as consent, drugs and being safe in today’s world. It allowed us to think about our actions and will help to keep us safe in the future.
Junk Kouture
Junk Kouture offers schools and students a creative way to become involved in active climate change initiatives, empowering them to lasting behavioural change. We are constantly evolving the educational materials available to both educators and students on issues of sustainability and circular economies to help them look beyond their Junk Kouture project and begin to apply the knowledge learned to all aspects of their lives.
Law Day
TY students get a law talk to get them thinking about different cases that are going on in real life. A lawyer comes in and explains her job as a lawyer who does criminal cases in court. She tells us about the various kinds of lawyers e.g. Solicitors, Barristers etc. and what they do. She then gets us thinking by telling us about past cases about drugs, stealing and more serious topics like murder and asked us what we would do if we were the lawyers in this case. The law talk is very engaging and interesting and really gets us thinking about cases that happen every day.
Young Scientist
Students who participate in the Young Scientist competition & they form small groups and develop their ideas and the Young Scientist competition they get the experience of presenting their ideas to the judges. In 2022 eight TY groups qualified.
Dressing Up Day
In October all TY students dress up in aid of charity. Every year a different charity is chosen – this year it was for Teac Tom.
Future Leaders Programme
A Future Leaders programme – once a week we go to the computer room to take an online course on various subjects to learn skills like leadership, organisation skills, and communication. As a class project we divided our class into four groups and each group was assigned one 1st year class. We held a GAA based quiz which took about 15 mins in total. Future Leaders will be organising a few events in the school over the next few months. Future Leaders is help us to organize activities and to take on more responsibilities for leadership roles.
