RESPECTING PARENTS’
VIEWS ON TY
Gerry Jeffers is strong protagonist of TY and a regular
contributor to TY Update. In this article he comments on
the importance of incorporating parents in TY
Back in the days of the initial
mainstreaming of Transition Year,
questions from teachers and parents
often began with phrases like ‘In TY
do you have to…?’; ‘Do the rules
allow a school to…? ‘Must the
programme include…?’
!
Responses to the effect that these
might not be the most relevant
questions, that responsibility was
being devolved to individual schools
were often met with scepticism, even
incredulity and occasionally anger.
There is a seductive simplicity in a
tradition where the Department of
Education makes up precise rules
and regulations with little ambiguity
and schools just follow them.
!
The whole tone of Transition Year
Programmes: Guidelines for
Schools represents a different
approach. Firstly, they are
‘guidelines’ not ‘rules’. They invite
adoption rather than demand
compliance.
!
One of the most radical sentences
states: ‘Curriculum content is a
matter of selection and adaptation
by the individual school having
regard to these guidelines, the
requirements of pupils and the views
of parents’ (p.5).
!
This respect for school autonomy
has been a very significant feature of
TY. Many schools grasp the
opportunities to develop truly
original TY programmes and
discover that it energises the whole
school and enables students to
experience the personal, social,
intellectual and vocational
development the guidelines
envisage. Unfortunately, some
schools take a minimalist approach,
complying with the basics but failing
to realise much of TY’s potential.
This can lead to negative and cynical
perspectives on TY among students,
parents and even teachers.
!
Later in the Guidelines, there’s the
suggestion that ‘… Transition Year
can be a catalyst for developing real
partnership with parents and the
local community’ (p.11). ‘Real’ in this
context is particularly relevant,
seeming to acknowledge how
difficult it is to develop such
partnerships. Research into
attitudes to TY (Jeffers, 2007, 2015)
reveals that parents are anxious to
know more about Transition Year,
the rationale for particular modules
and experiences. They are also keen
to be consulted about developing the
TY programme.
!
In the past few years when meeting
groups of parents about TY, I have
noticed a definite shift in tone. This
is because, increasingly, there is a
sprinkling of parents who have been
TY students themselves. This
percentage is going to grow and their
perspectives are very enlightening.
While some are happy to stand up
and talk positively about how they
benefitted from TY, others have, at
times, been scathing, voicing strong
feelings of being short-changed
because the school they attended did
not take TY seriously enough.
About Gerry Jeffers
Dr Gerry Jeffers is an education
consultant, lecturer and writer.
He is a former lecturer in the
Education Department, NUI
Maynooth (now Maynooth
University).
His experience includes
working in 2nd-level schools as
a teacher and guidance
counselor in Ireland and in
Kenya, deputy-principal in
Firhouse Community College,
Dublin and National Co-
ordinator of the Transition Year
Curriculum Support Service.
Recent publications include
'Learning Through Work
Experience (EdCo, 2014,
w w w. e d c o . i e / L e a r n i n g -
Through-Work-Experience/
Default.4248.html), ‘Transition
Year in Action’ (Liffey Press,
2015, www.theliffeypress.com/
transition-year-in-action-by-
gerry-jeffers.html) and ‘Clear
Vision’ (Veritas, 2017)
!
What’s invariably encouraging when
listening to groups of parents is how
continued…
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