Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 February 2026
130. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will support the roll-out of transition year to all students, and working towards transition year being mandatory; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15456/26]
View answerThe Transition Year programme is a valuable optional programme at Senior Cycle. It offers students opportunities for life skills, for personal, social and academic development, and to explore different pathways and gain experience of adult and working life.
Transition Year is one of a number of programmes available to students at Senior Cycle alongside the Leaving Certificate Established, Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme, Leaving Certificate Applied, and the recently established Senior Cycle Level 1 and Level Learning Programmes. The availability of diverse pathways at Senior Cycle is critical to enabling schools to provide students with the learning supports most appropriate to their needs and ambitions. It is therefore not the intention of my Department or I to make Transition Year a mandatory programme for all schools.
The Deputy will be aware, however, that the Programme for Government and the Senior Cycle Redevelopment Implementation Support Measures document (published in May 2025) contain commitments to work with students and schools to identify and address any barriers to participation, to ensure all students who wish to avail of Transition Year have the option to do so.
At present, over 99% of post-primary schools indicate that they offer a Transition Year programme. This year, for the fourth consecutive year, a record level of participation has been recorded for Transition Year. Over 62,000 students are enrolled in Transition Year programmes this year. This represents an increase of more than 14,000 students compared to 2020. However, we know that not every school is able to accommodate every student who wishes to participate.
My officials are currently assessing the level of unmet demand for access to Transition Year; identifying the causes of same, and determining how to assist schools in meeting that demand, whilst recognising that some students prefer to proceed directly to another Senior Cycle programme. As Minister, I remain committed to maintaining educational choice and diverse pathways at Senior Cycle while working towards universal access to the Transition Year programme for all students who wish to participate in it.
