Options After the Junior Cycle

In Beech Hill College, we offer a 3 year Senior Cycle. All students are encouraged to do Transition Year and then progress to The Established Leaving Certificate or The Vocational Leaving Certificate

Some students may opt to progress to The Applied Leaving Certificate from the Junior Cycle. Guidance counsellors consult with parents regarding this decision. 

We are delighted to offer a 3 year Leaving Certificate Cycle in Beech Hill College. Every student will be strongly encouraged to complete Transition Year following Junior Cycle.

Transition Year is a bridging year between the Junior and Leaving Certificate Cycles. It allows students to begin study in the subjects that they will sit in the Leaving Certificate examination. Students will also engage in many useful activities which are not examination related and which they would not have the opportunity to follow if they had begun the Leaving Cert. Programme immediately after the Junior Cert. Modules as computing, work experience, drama, music and debating are common features of many Transition Year programmes. These help to broaden the students' horizons as well as providing them with many worthwhile skills.

The principal advantages of the Transition Year programme are:

* It gives students an extra year at school. This means that students are more mature when they have the Leaving Cert completed.

* It is a year relatively free from pressure.

* It allows students to pursue activities which they would not ordinarily have the opportunity.

* Students who follow the Transition Year programme do better on average in the Leaving Certificate than those who study the normal five-year course.

Junior Certificate Programme

In September, 1st Year students set out on a programme of studies which prepares them for the Junior Certificate Examination which comes at the end of their 3rd Year.

Some subjects are core subjects and are taken by all students. Other subjects are optional and give the student a choice - it is important to aim at a broad range of subjects which will keep many options open later on. Non examination subjects are shown in italics.

Beech Hill College will be offering the new Junior Cycle - find out more on www.juniorcycle.ie