Vol. 435 No. 3
133 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Education the criteria used to approve a transition year option in schools; the beneficial effects that have been recorded from a transition year option; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Under the terms of my Department's Circular M8/88, which issued to post-primary schools in June 1988, sanction for the operation of a transition year option was confined to schools which offered such courses in the 1987-88 school year or which had four-year junior cycles in 1985-86.
The terms of the Programme for Economic and Social Progress provide for a six-year cycle of post-primary education — which will involve a three-year senior cycle — for pupils entering the senior cycle in September 1994 onwards. My Department informed post-primary school authorities on 7 July 1993 of the interim arrangements for pupils entering senior cycle in September 1994. These arrangements offer schools the option of running a three-year senior cycle, which may include a transition year programme, in 1994. Material on the curriculum for that programme will be issued to all post-primary schools during this school term. Schools will then be invited to indicate what senior cycle structure they wish to make available to pupils in the school year 1994-95.
Each application to conduct a transition year will be considered by such criteria as the nature of the programme on offer and its likely capability of achieving the identified objectives of the extra senior cycle year and the qualifications and expertise of the teaching staff to be involved in the programme.
The transition year allows students to spend an extra year in second-level education and gives them a year's break from the pressures of examination preparation. It gives them an opportunity to gain experience of the world beyond the walls of the classroom, thus broadening and enhancing their general education. It prepares them for a smooth transition to the world of work or to the next stage of their education. They develop a spirit of initiative and self-reliance and, as they grow in social and environmental awareness, they learn to become responsible and caring citizens.
