St. Louis High School was one of the first schools to run a Transition Year Programme. It has always been a popular option for our senior cycle students, with about eighty per cent of third years signing up for it every year. We recommend it for almost everyone, but most particularly for students who feel the need for a space to mature, in order to make good decisions about fifth year options and also in order to find out more about themselves and the world around them.
The Transition Year Programme is a balance between the continuation of the academic curriculum and new subject areas. The core subjects which all students continue to study during this year are:
Transition year is divided into two major academic sessions:
At the end of each session, students receive a Credit Report. They are awarded credits in various areas, with the possibility of gaining 250 credits per session, or 500 for the year as a whole.
Credits are awarded as follows:
Academic credits cover the core subjects of English, Gaeilge, Mathematics, Science, Business, Religion, P.E., I.T., and Careers, as well as two optional subjects and the following which are studied on a modular basis: Horticulture, Performing Arts, Craft/Design/Home Economics/Art /Global Citizenship Education
Special credits are awarded for personal growth, leadership, initiative and teamwork.
The Induction Workshop takes place at the start of the school year and is designed to help the bonding of new class groups and to introduce the idea of teamwork as a core value of the programme.
Co-curricular activities throughout the year include:
Ecology Trip, Public Access to Law, Visits to Four Courts, Pitch and Putt, Ice Skating, Self-Presentation Day, Gold of the Desert King; Forensics workshops; Business Trip, First Aid, Self-Defence, Book Club, Visit to Glasnevin Cemetery, Visits to museums and galleries; EPIC;
A key aspect of our programme is the Social Placement, where students are placed by the school in a position that involves a social dimension, such as working with people with disabilities, the elderly, the sick, charity shops etc. Social placement takes place for one week at the end of November.
Work experience takes place every Wednesday throughout the year.
The Outdoor Education trip takes place in April and is a compulsory part of the Programme. We use an excellent centre in Petersburg, Co. Galway. It is run by Galway ETB and the standard of instruction is very high, with a good ratio of instructors to students.
Charleville Road
Rathmines, Dublin 6
D06 F860
