Valerie Maher, School Principal
Principal Message
Holy Child Community School was established in 1970 with the objective of providing a comprehensive, co-educational, multi denominational and accessible education for all in the community. Holy Child Community School is a designated co-educational multi denominational Community School under the trusteeship of Le Chéile Schools Trust .
We are dedicated to creating a co-educational, learner-centred, caring, happy and positive environment where equality and democracy are celebrated and nurtured. We are committed to enabling students to become creative, empathetic, life-long learners who are prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st century in a sustainable and ethical way.
We embrace collaborative educational practices both in our school and through engagement with the wider community. Through the process of teaching and learning we aim to inspire, support and challenge all students to develop their skills and passions. In doing so, we dedicate ourselves to empowering all students to truly understand themselves and others better so that when they leave school they are ready to actively engage in society and to lead purposeful, fulfilling and happy lives.
Academic expectation
We are a school where children find a happy, caring environment and a staff committed to the pursuit of excellence. We offer small class sizes where students can receive a personalised learning experience. In many of our subjects there are 2 teachers assigned to a class group, co-teaching in HCCS has been widely recognised as a model of best practice.
To support you child’s learning they will be assigned learning mentors from First Year, the mentor will track their academic learning and offer advice and support on study plans.
We are proud of our academic record and Leaving Certificate results, the overall results this year were of a very high standard with many students securing over 400 points. We had students receiving Distinctions and Merits in our Leaving Certificate Applied Programme. The results reflect the high quality of teaching and learning that is provided here in Holy Child Community School.
Progression to 3rd Level Colleges
This academic achievement reflects the high standards and our commitment to improvement and growing our numbers moving to 3rd level education. Over the past three years we have increased the numbers progressing to 3rd level college. Indeed 80% of the Leaving Cert Class of 2020 have progressed to 3rd level college, with others progressing directly to apprenticeships. In Holy Child Community School Career Guidance begins in second year, we believe that the students benefit from early interventions in planning for the next steps.
Special Educational Needs
We are proud of our reputation as leaders in our approach to teaching students with additional needs. We offer an inclusive environment where all students can thrive. 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.
Wellbeing
Young people learn best when they are happy in their environment, students our supported by their tutors and year head and also have access to school chaplain, guidance counsellor and learning support team 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.
We believe students need a holistic approach to education to develop as well-balanced adults, to do this we go beyond the curriculum, I have attached a timetable of the co-curricular activities that are available to your son/daughter to engage with. In addition to a wide range of sporting activities, we also have the yearly pursuit of a Green Flag for environmental awareness, the An Gaisce Awards, Student Council and the School Choir to name but a few. In addition we provide all our students with fresh fruit, lunch and healthy snacks, this is all supplied free of charge.
Website and Social Media
Under normal circumstances we would be delighted invite you to visit our school during an open evening, unfortunately due to Covid 19 restrictions that will not be possible this year. We invite you to visit our school, virtually though our school website www.holychildcs.ie and twitter page @holychilccs
Finally we would like to extend our thanks to all the parents and guardians of our future first years for taking the time to read this information pack. We look forward to meeting with you all in the coming months, in the meantime, if there is anything you would like to discuss, please do not hesitate to contact us at the school.
Warm regards,
Valerie Maher
School Principal