st. kevin's college
St Kevin’s College is an all boy’s secondary school under the trusteeship of the
Edmund Rice Schools Trust and is located in the heart of the Ballygall community
on Ballygall Road East, Finglas, Dublin 11 where it has served the community in
education since 1967. The school currently has an enrolment of 528 students. We
provide a wide range of subjects which are expertly taught by a team of highly
dedicated teachers who work diligently both inside and outside the classroom.
Our primary focus is on teaching & learning with emphasis on both high academic
achievement and learning support. An average of 70% of our students proceed to
third level with degree courses. Another 20% access further and higher education
Our six care teams, which comprise of our Form Tutor’s for each class and the
Year Head, report to our Student Services Support team. This ensures that all of
our student’s welfare is catered for both in the academic and pastoral areas. We
strive at all times to provide opportunities for our students which values the
student’s personal, social, spiritual and academic development during their time
in the school. Our dedicated teachers also encourage students to get involved in
extracurricular activities such as our extended range of activities including
sports, drama, debating, green school committee and much more. There is a book
club for 5th and 6th years. There is also a library in the school. Our Literacy
and Numeracy strategies focus on improving the student’s skills in both areas
and this improves student participation in all subject areas. We also value
partnership which is essential to a successful school. We believe in a working
partnership between the school and the home and we have many initiatives to
maintain and develop this partnership into the future. We also would like to
encourage partnership within the wider community of Ballygall which will help
enrich the learning experience for all parties including our students. St
Kevin’s college has DEIS 2 status. The 8 DEIS Strands covering Attendance,
Retention, Transitions, Examination Attainment, Literacy, Numeracy, Parental
Engagement, Partnership with others while designed for target students are
applied on a whole school basis and benefit all of our students. St. Kevin’s
College: Proven academic success Comprehensive range of subjects
State-of-the-art IT facilities. St Kevin’s uses VSWare education platform which
is available to parents. We also provide the Edmodo Virtual Learning
Environment. Every student has a personalised account on each platform. 100Mbps
high speed Broadband Wi-Fi access throughout the school. Supervised after school
study Optional Transition Year Programme Homework Club Breakfast Club Canteen
Facilities providing healthy lunches for all students. (Junior Cert 1, 2, & 3
students are not permitted to leave the school at lunchtime.) Book Rental Scheme
Anti-bullying policy, procedures and charter Home School Community Liaison
Coordinator Links with the Home There are several opportunities for parents to
link with the college formally throughout the academic year: Parent/Teacher
Meetings School Journal Login to your sons VSWare account. Login to your son’s
Edmodo account. Assessment Reports. (E- Portal and post.) Information Evenings
Parents’ Council Email and text message Home School Community Liaison
Coordinator The college operates an open door policy where a parent can make an
appointment to meet with a Year Head at any stage if they have concerns. The
Principal and Deputy Principal are also available to meet with parents should
the need arise. We focus on partnership with the parents and believe that a
co-operative relationship between the college and home best fosters the
development of the student. First Year Induction Moving to second level is a
time of great change for young children and their families. Here in St. Kevin’s
College we are mindful of this transition and the challenges it brings. We offer
a comprehensive first year induction which includes a ‘phasing in’ programme.
Our Home School Community Liaison coordinator has strong links with all our
feeder primary schools. This induction programme supports students as they make
the move to our college. It helps them to get to know their new surroundings,
make new friends, meet their teachers and learn the rules in close contact with
their Form Tutor and Year Head. Our aim is to make first years feel confident
and happy coming to school each day. The college is reputed for its high level
of pastoral care which supports students in achieving their best. For students
who experience small difficulties integrating in First year we offer them the
Transition programme which helps them cope with the change. We provide a course
for all students and their parents on Cyber bullying and internet/social media
safety. Book Rental Scheme The college operates a very popular book loan scheme.
This gives students the opportunity to rent most of their text books for a very
reasonable charge. The books remain the property of the college and are always
in excellent condition. Policies & Procedures The college operates policies that
are fair and consistent, promoting equality for all and active participation in
learning. These policies will be outlined to parents on information evenings and
in the student journal. All policies are referred to Parents Council, Student
Council and Staff prior to ratification by the Board of Management and
publication. See policies here. School Canteen The school canteen delivers hot
lunches, rolls and drinks and is an area for all students to have lunch. St.
Kevin’s College promote healthy eating for students. Breakfast Club The student
canteen also hosts a breakfast club before school serving cereals, tea and
toast. Evening Study Students preparing for State Examinations are encouraged to
attend supervised Evening Study held on four evenings per week. Extra–Curricular
St Kevin’s aim to provide a wide of range of experiences to our students both
inside and outside the classroom. We have a strong sporting tradition offering
Gaelic football, Hurling, Basketball, Soccer, Rugby, Athletics to name just a
few. We have a number of debating teams, a book club, Art installations at
holiday times, Healthy eating/Keep fit “boot camps”. We run an annual
international school tour and numerous day trips to reward students for
excellence in subject areas. Our Transition Years go hillwalking and on many
outdoor pursuit activities such as canoeing and sailing. We promote cultural
activities whenever possible with students attending plays in the city’s
theatres whenever possible both for subject related and general education
purposes. Religion Our Mission Statement provides for education in the Catholic
tradition although we accept students from all faiths and none. This provides
for healthy and lively debate among our students during religion classes and
contributes to the holistic development of all students. We hold religious
services and Mass throughout the year led by our chaplain, Catriona Keegan, with
contributions made by all students and staff. St Kevin’s college is a community
which welcomes all our partners to participate in the spiritual life of the
school
