Donal Carey
Question:75 Mr. D. Carey asked the Minister for Education and Science if he has satisfied himself with the quality of transition programme available in different schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3166/00]
Written Answers. - Transition Year Programme.
I am aware that the quality of the transition year programme can vary from one school to another. This is to be expected since the transition year is now offered in over 500 schools, and since the school itself is responsible for the choice of curriculum. The programme guidelines issued by my Department set the broad parameters within which transition year programmes operate. These guidelines allow schools considerable freedom. This freedom offers schools a necessary opportunity to devise creative curricula and learning experiences for their pupils.
A major evaluation of the transition year programme was carried out by the inspectorate of my Department in 146 schools offering the programme in 1996. This showed that most schools offering the programme used this freedom responsibly and creatively. Under the heading Quality of Teaching and Learning, 55% of schools evaluated scored "creditable" or "distinctive". Weaknesses emerged, however, in the areas of assessment of pupils' work, where 19% of schools evaluated were considered to be "weak", and evaluation of the programme by the school, where 25% of schools "needed to do more work".
My Department has followed through on the recommendations issued to schools as part of the report on the 1996 evaluation in a variety of ways: support work in schools by the transition year curriculum support service has been intensified in the areas diagnosed as weak; the transition year programme has been evaluated on an ongoing basis by the inspectorate. Since September 1998, 30 transition year programmes have been inspected; circular M1/00, recently issued to schools, seeks to firm up schools' practice in the implementation of the transition year programme under the following headings – the need for each school to produce an annual, written transition year programme; the need for each school to ensure that all transition year students complete a full school year; the need for schools to devise curricula specific to the programme and not to treat the year as year one of a three year leaving certificate programme; the advisability for schools of making full use of the transition year curriculum support service and of reading the service's publications for schools.
A document called Writing the Transition Year Programme has recently issued to schools offering the programme. This was produced jointly by the inspectorate of my Department and the transition year curriculum support service.