MY TY WEEK:'On Tuesday afternoons, we have a social outreach module. At the moment, I'm working in Festina Lente, a walled garden and equestrian centre that provides training, occupational learning and employment opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities or behavioural difficulties.

I'm watering and harvesting crop. Some of the other students are working in schools or nursing homes. There's a varied age group of volunteers and employees, and there's a regular market. It's given me a taste for gardening. After Christmas, I'd like to work in a primary school. "On Wednesdays, we rehearse for the Transition Year musical, Back to the 80s. We held open auditions for all the female parts. It's set in the 1980s, and I'm playing a character called Alf Bueller. We're learning new dance routines and singing. The play will be held in April. I play guitar and sing. This week, we're practising for the singing santas: on December 23rd, we'll all go to the supermarkets and sing Christmas carols to raise money for Focus Ireland.

“One of the best things we do is the F1 in Schools programme. Transition years are split into two teams, carry out research into F1 cars, and design a small model. By December, we’ll have a five-page plan, and we’ll race the final models against other schools as part of a competition.

“We keep a TY folder, where we record the highs and lows of each week. At the end of the year, we’ll use it in an interview with our teacher to discuss how the year went.”