The ESRI report on Transition Year (TY) published yesterday represents a significant boost for the programme, which has not always received a good press.
In essence, the study finds that students who take the year, which is an optional part of the second-level cycle, tend to secure more CAO points. They are also more likely to proceed to third-level education. For many students, these academic benefits are augmented by a rich and varied TY programme where they have an opportunity to gain work experience and to sample a range of new activities.
The report - The Transition Year Programme: An Assessment - prepared by Dr Emer Smyth, contradicts the perceived wisdom, common among many parents, that the TY programme is an unnecessary break in study. There is a common view that Transition Year puts a brake on academic momentum after the Junior Certificate, making it more difficult for students to prepare for the Leaving Certificate exams. The message from the ESRI study is very different: the TY programme, it says, helps provide a more rounded education - while giving students an additional edge in the Leaving Certificate.
For all that, it may be unwise to make too many sweeping statements about Transition Year. As the ESRI report acknowledges, the quality of the TY programme can vary widely from school to school. Some students benefit hugely from a programme which is well organised and thoughtfully implemented. Other students can be less fortunate, taking TY in a school where the whole programme is seen as no more than a distraction from the core business of teaching and examinations.
It is also the case - and this is a point forcefully made in the report - that the benefits of TY tend to be secured by the better-off. Vastly more students from higher professional backgrounds take part in TY than those from less well-off families. Disturbingly, students in disadvantaged schools where TY is compulsory do not perform better academically as a result of having taken the programme.
There are equity issues here which need to be addressed. One challenge is to devise programmes which are more engaging for those from a disadvantaged background. To her credit, the Minister for Education and Science, Ms Hanafin, has promised to address these issues. She is well equipped to do so as a former TY co-ordinator during her teaching career. Despite its flaws and the reservations of older, more traditional parents, Transition Year is intended to allow students time and space to mature without the pressure of exams and to explore their talents. That, in itself, is a laudable ambition worth striving for.