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