Is transition year compulsory in Limerick secondary schools?

jelly&icecream

I'm a blow in to the area so not entirely sure if the situation. I'm trying to decide whether to start my daughter in primary school at 4.5 or 5.5. I live in Raheen. So I'm basically trying to get the lay of the land with the full school system here.

The closest secondaries are crescent college and mungret community college but I guess she could end up in any of a number of places if we're still living in the area at that stage. I've heard transition year is generally compulsory in all the secondary schools in the area? Is that true?

naughtysmurf

Every school probably has its own policy & set up, a few years back our son did TY, it didn't suit him, would have been much better off going straight into 5th year, one of his mates in same all boys school went straight into 5th year so I'd say it's down to the school really, you will have to make enquiries but factor in that policies can change

banie01

Your daughter has yet to start primary?
You don't know which secondary school you will be sending her to? which without securing a right of entry is likely to be a stressful enough time for you when you get to engaging with that part of the process.

Yet you are worrying about transition year?
You have not only put the cart before the horse...
You have built a stable and yard for foals yet to be born.
Worrying about TY when your child is not yet in primary is a tad ridiculous.

Transition year isn't compulsory, but all secondary schools now strongly recommend it.
I have a son in TY currently and the degree and scope of opportunity and experience he has gotten already this year are something I'd have given an arm for at 15.

He is undertaking a Gaisce award, he has had some very engaging work experience and he is off to Geneva in January as an ambassador to the ERI trust and the UN.

TY allows adolescent boys and girls a little time to learn life skills and build some resilience and social skills, be introduced to a work environment and learn some responsibility in a supportive environment.

It's an opportunity to be used, rather than looked at as an "extra year".

naughtysmurf

I agree with a lot of banie01 post but do acknowledge that TY doesn’t suit everyone , I think it will suit out daughter a lot more than our son.
As regards what age to start primary, it depends on the child, ours started at 4yrs3 months & 4yrs2 months, no issues

Corca Baiscinn

jelly&icecream wrote: »

I'm a blow in to the area so not entirely sure if the situation. I'm trying to decide whether to start my daughter in primary school at 4.5 or 5.5. I live in Raheen. So I'm basically trying to get the lay of the land with the full school system here.

The closest secondaries are crescent college and mungret community college but I guess she could end up in any of a number of places if we're still living in the area at that stage. I've heard transition year is generally compulsory in all the secondary schools in the area? Is that true?

OP you need to decide on four on a half versus five and a half based entirely on what stage of readiness your daughter is at now. Does she appear developmentally ready for "big school", or would an extra year in pre-school be of benefit? I think I understand where you're coming from, ie, wait til five and a half, then 8 yrs in primary, if TY compulsory add six yrs in secondary and she'll be 19+ doing LC? But even if that turns out to be the case it won't matter as she won't be the only one. Secondly there are far too many imponderables in the scenario, TY could be abolished, your daughter could skip TY but decide to repeat, heaven forbid but she could become ill & miss time off school. Decide based on what u know now re your daughter's needs and let the future look after itself

jelly&icecream

I'm just trying to make as informed decision as possible. She probably is ready for school at four and a half but if it's a case where TY is very much optional and not particularly well organised then I would keep her back to 5.5 to avoid the case where she would be doing the leaving at just turned 17.

Can anyone tell me the TY situation in those schools I mentioned?

RhubarbCrumble

Personally I think kids are better off being a bit older rather than a bit younger when they do their leaving cert.

My friend's son (in his twenties now) started school in September, having turned 4 just a month earlier in August.
He did his leaving at 16, turned 17 in August and started college in September, and that's where the problems really started. The majority of students were 18, a few of them were 19 and there were a couple of mature students in their mid twenties.
He was completely lost. They were a lot more mature than him and he couldn't even socialise with them as when they all went out together, he couldn't get served anywhere, so he just stopped going out, missed out the groups bonding etc and in the end, he ending up dropping out before he'd even finished first year.

He went back a couple of years ago as a mature student and says he can see the exact same thing still happening now with the really young students.

banie01

RhubarbCrumble wrote: »

He went back a couple of years ago as a mature student and says he can see the exact same thing still happening now with the really young students.

I'm back myself as a 40y.o mature student at the mo and the 1st semester down, the one thing that strikes me on a regular basis is the fact that i cannot believe i was ever that immature, niave, innocent or frankly incapable.

I've seen a niece do her leaving at 16 and enter college a couple of weeks before her 17th birthday and last a month.

I do appreciate the OP wants to know the lay of the land for TY, but with a child not yet in pre-primary and some of those schools running a 4yr cycle rather than a 3yr one.

Pre-judging a child's ability at this point is strange.
Their child could require remedial classes, could encounter an illness that requires a year somewhere along the course be repeated or they could be an outright prodigy who will be bored by the challenge of working at their own age group.

Wondering about which schools in Limerick may have a compulsory TY in 12/13 yrs time is a waste of time.
Worrying which secondary school your child will actually gain a place in would be a far more productive waste of time.

Crescent Comp was mentioned by the OP?
Without a right of entry there, its not worth worrying about.
Mungret Community college has a right of entry for some of the local schools, are they ones the OP is considering for their child?

Worrying about TY, without the child yet being an actual primary school student?
Without knowing the child's strengths or weaknesses?
Academic or indeed vocational aptitude?
Without knowing what Secondary School may actually be available to the child or what the Dept guidelines will be in 3 government terms time is ridiculous!

Its time wasting wool gathering that will do nothing but lead to stress that can't even be addressed until right of entry to any secondary school is sorted.

banie01

Just to add, in most secondary schools in Limerick there is quite a strong competition for places on the school's TY programmes.
Must schools don't guarantee every 3rd yr place on the TY programme.
Not getting on it is nowadays seen as a punishment for those pupils who were a pain during the JC cycle, rather than an extra year of make-work in school.

TY is quite a different creature now, than it was when i skipped it as a doss year 26years ago.

Corca Baiscinn

jelly&icecream wrote: »

I'm just trying to make as informed decision as possible. She probably is ready for school at four and a half but if it's a case where TY is very much optional and not particularly well organised then I would keep her back to 5.5 to avoid the case where she would be doing the leaving at just turned 17.

Can anyone tell me the TY situation in those schools I mentioned?

OK I get that too but again there's always a solution, daughter could repeat LC if looking for higher points,or take a gap year & do useful things (driving licence, music exams, language course, volunteering etc) Can't help you re Limerick schools but in any case it's irrelevant as their system now may well have changed in almost 12 years time. Honestly, if u think she'd love being a junior infant next Sept, can cope socially, and deal with bigger numbers, noisier environment less "minding" than pre-school etc than you'll be making as informed decision as possible. Agree older to 3rd level better esp if leaving home but various ways to achieve that besides TY

mitresize5

Keep your daughter in pre-school for another year.

Believe it or not 4.5 is young to start school these days.

The extra year will do them the world of good.

Mc Love

mitresize5 wrote: »

Keep your daughter in pre-school for another year.

Believe it or not 4.5 is young to start school these days.

The extra year will do them the world of good.

Thats what we're doing, ours will be 5.5 going starting school