Welcome to Holy Child Community School.
We are a school in which children find a happy, caring environment and a staff committed to the pursuit of excellence. We provide a progressive, broad education for students aged 12 to 18 years. We welcome children of all nationalities and locales, and newcomers alike.
We provide additional resources for children with special learning needs, as well as extra support for gifted students. Our mathematics programme includes an innovative approach to problem solving and we are using best practice approaches and programmes to support numeracy development, such as Numeracy Ninjas and the iZak 9 Numeracy Programme.
We equally place a high priority on our literacy programme, To achieve this, we use a differentiated approach to encourage our students to become lifelong readers through methodologies which are based on the best, current, international practice and research.
We in Holy Child believe that children need a holistic approach to education in order to develop as well-balanced adults. To do this we go beyond the curriculum to areas such as the creation of a virtual learning environment using google classroom, the pursuit of Green Flags for environmental awareness, the development of links with a local community, the annual school musical and participation in sporting events art competitions, to name but a few.
With an emphasis on positivity, we lead students to work harmoniously, with respect for each other and we are proud of their exemplary standards of behaviour and strong work ethic. We are committed to our Positive Behaviour Policy and use restorative approaches as a means of addressing issues with pupils. We are proactive in teaching about fostering a spirit of support and respect among our students. We use several programmes designed to support the development of these values and the creation of solid friendships such as Friends for Life , The Why Try Programme and The Alert Programme.
Our Poppy Centre caters for students with ASD and moderate learning needs. A lot of work is done to hone independent living skills and the linchpin of the programs used is our ‘Out & About’ morning. During this weekly outing we focus on teaching students about road safety, how to decide on and buy items in shops, how to use public transport, how to enjoy leisure activities and socialise with their friends. In the classroom we continue this good work by promoting numeracy and literacy on a daily basis. We include further life skills with our hygiene program our meal preparation programs and our own RSE programme. The students work on both Junior Cycle Level 1 and Level 2 Programmes, leading to Junior Cycle certification in some areas of learning. There is a strong focus on integration and inclusion and efforts are made to integrate students with their mainstream peers through TY work experience placements, representation on both the Student Council and Green Schools Committee and inclusion in suitable mainstream classes where feasible. Poppy Centre students are Holy Child students and as such mix with their mainstream peers weekly at assemblies and twice daily for both break and lunch.
At Holy Child, parents play a vital role in the education of their children and consequently we encourage open communication between parents and teachers. If at any time parents, guardians or caregivers are concerned about their child’s academic, emotional or social growth they are encouraged to first contact their son/daughter’s teacher and arrange a meeting. We welcome the opportunity to build links with parents, caregivers and the wider community therefore if you have questions on any of the above or any other issues please feel free to phone or drop by.
Looking forward to welcoming you to our school.
Valerie Maher, Principal