Now in its third year, the Summer Transition School is for pupils who will be transferring from primary to post-primary school this September, and it focuses on literacy, numeracy and developing the STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects. The School has been designed to smooth the passage from the primary to post-primary years and encourages learning by making it a fun experience, with classroom activities and a trip out to the Armagh Planetarium included.
The Summer School programme was delivered by fully qualified local teachers, along with support staff, including BEd Primary and Post-primary student teachers, from St Mary’s University College. The programme was taught in both Irish and English. The classroom activities included everything from how to make a new friend to how to read a timetable and pack your schoolbag for the school day.
“This is a crucial time for intervention”, stated Susan Morgan, Widening Access Officer at the College. “Many of these students need a great deal of practical and emotional support to successfully make the move to secondary school.”
The Summer Transition School is an important component in the College’s mission to support young people striving to achieve their full potential by aspiring to enter higher education. It is also part of the wider strategy of the Department for Employment and Learning to raise attainment levels in young people and encourage them to achieve the ‘Skills to Succeed’ and to ‘Reach Higher’.
