Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 592: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills if she will clarify the policy on transition years; if she will provide statistics of the number and percentages of schools and pupils who now avail of transition year; if she will provide a breakdown between schools who opt for an optional or compulsory year; if a quality check is carried out by her Department's inspectors on the content and operation of the year as provided; if any quantitative analysis has taken place regarding same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28099/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The management authority of each school carries responsibility for making decisions regarding the Transition Year Programme in that school. Guidelines have been issued by my Department to support schools in this process. In some schools, the programme is compulsory for all students. In those that offer it as an option, circumstances may arise where it is necessary to limit the number of students who can avail of it.

It is the board of management of each individual school that decides the number of places available to students on programmes such as Transition Year. In cases where restrictions apply, schools should have clear procedures regarding how places are allocated to students.

There were 730 recognised post-primary schools in 2009/10 of which 555 (76%) offered the Transition Year programme. The number of students enrolled in the Transition Year programme during 2009/2010 was 28,657 (9% of the total mainstream cohort). My Department does not hold statistics on which schools have the programme compulsory for their pupils.

External evaluations of the Transition Year programme are carried our as part of the Inspectorate's annual programme of inspections in post-primary schools. In the period December 2007 to June 2010 the Inspectorate published individual inspection reports relating to the operation of the Transition Year programme in 32 post-primary schools. These reports may be accessed on the Department's website (www.education.ie). The reports present findings relating to the quality of programme organisation and coordination in each school, the quality of programme planning, the quality of teaching and learning, and the quality of the school's evaluation and assessment processes. In addition, schools have a responsibility to ensure that their coordinating teams for Transition Year undertake self-reviews of their work in close collaboration with the school's management, leadership, staff and wider school community.

While quantitative analysis relating to the 32 published programme evaluation reports has not been undertaken, comprehensive evaluations of the Transition Year programme have been conducted by the Inspectorate of my Department in