Transition Year

St. Michael’s was one of the first schools in the country to pilot the Transition Year Programme. Over the last number of years the programme in the school has been developed and expanded.

The Department of Education & Skills defines the purpose of Transition Year as follows:

‘To promote the personal, social, educational and vocational development of pupils and to prepare them for their role as autonomous, participative, and responsible members of society.’

Transition Year in St Michael's aims to

• Encourage personal and social development of students
• Further academic achievement. Help prepare students for further study and adult working life
• Increase social awareness of students with emphasis on development of confidence and personal talent
• Provide education through real life experience, use of ICT, peer teaching, research, self-directed learning, self-evaluation and self-assessment, and community based focus, whilst retaining a focus on more traditional methodologies, subjects and assessments
• Create a positive environment in which students have opportunities to reach their true potential while availing of a supportive framework for personal development
• Include parents, guardians, students and school management in a process of consultation and support for the mutual benefit of all

Transition Year Programme in St Michael's includes

• Irish, English, Maths, Science, French / German, Business– all mixed ability
• Social justice, Computer studies, Choir, Careers, Religion
• Various modules: e.g. Public Speaking, Yoga, Crafts, Art, Media Studies, Geography, History, Italian, Gym , Sign language, Home Economics, Science.
• Subjects are determined by the availability of specific teachers, timetabling restraints, the availability of resources and the size of teaching groups etc. One year’s subjects do not determine the following year’s timetable.
• Work/Activities are largely school-based. Work experience of approx 10 weeks
• Subject departments or individual teachers devise, evaluate and assess the curricula, guided by the DES guidelines for Transition Year.
• Student, parent and guardian evaluations and weekly reflections

Currently Transition Year is optional and is subject to the school’s Transition Year Admissions Policy.

For some work experience students will require to be Garda vetted. This process can take up to approximately 30 working days, so we strongly advise to apply well in advance of the scheduled start of the work experience.

The Garda Vetting Process

1. Download the NVB1 - Vetting Invitation and the NVB3 - Parent/Guardian Consent Form.
   
   NVB 1 - Vetting Invitation Form
   
   NVB 3 - Parent/Guardian Consent Form
   
   
2. Carefully read the instructions before completing the forms. For persons aged 16 or 17 the Parent or Guardian's email address must be entered in the Email Address field, not the email address of the applicant.
3. Submit hard copies of both forms to the school office.
   
   
4. The school will send the documentation to the JMB (Joint Managerial Body) for processing.
   
   
5. JMB will send the e-vetting invitation to the email address provided on the NVB 1 form. The Parent/Guardian will need to accept the invitation and complete the actions requested.
   There is a timeframe within which this action is to be completed, otherwise the vetting request will expire and the student will need to reapply.
   
   
6. JMB will process the application.
   
   
7. Once the Vetting Disclosure is issued by the National Vetting Bureau, JMB will forward this information to the school.
   
   
8. The school will then notify the student once her Vetting Disclosure is ready for collection. This document can then be collected from the school office.
   
   
9. Please note that students can only be vetted if they are over 16 years of age.