OUR PROSPECTUS
Below you can look at the information we have on our school prospectus. If you click the titles in yellow they will bring you to another page/section, which will the give you the information listed.
School Staff
Admissions Criteria
School Hours
Holiday Arrangements
General School Rules
Religious Education
Pastoral Care
Other Curricular Areas- Revised Primary Curriculum
Homework & Homework Policy
Special Educational Needs
Pastoral Care
Pastoral Care is the ethos of our school in practice. It incorporates all members of the school community and permeates every aspect of school life. We, at Blessed Patrick O’Loughran P.S. place a high priority on the care, welfare and safety of the children in our charge. We aim to provide a happy, safe environment where each child will be given the opportunity to reach his/her true academic, social, emotional and spiritual potential.
Blessed Patrick O’Loughran P.S. has a fully operational Child Protection Policy.
We have two designated teachers for child protection – Mrs Aoibhinn Mulgrew (Designated Teacher) and
Mrs Cathy O’Kane (Deputy Designated Teacher).
All staff are regularly trained in this area and are aware of the appropriate procedures to follow when they have concerns about the welfare or well being of a pupil.
Homework
We, at Blessed Patrick O’Loughran P.S. see a value in children engaging in homework as a means of :
• Revising and consolidating work carried out in school
• Discovering information unavailable in school
• Preparing for tests and examinations
• Involving parents in their children’s studies
• Developing the children’s good work habits
Primary 1 – 3
Homework given in years 1, 2 and 3 should be enjoyable and be simply a reinforcement of work covered during the day. It aims to help pupils settle into a pattern of doing homework in preparation for later years at school.
Primary 4 – 7
Homework given in years 4 – 7 will be a reinforcement of work covered during the day, gathering information for a particular subject or topic, preparing and revising for exams.
Homework Policy
It is the school’s policy that suitable homework will be given on a regular basis. The following is a guidance to homework given.
• Mathematics- Monday & Wednesday nights
• English - Tuesday & Thursday nights
• Reading - Every night
• Spellings - Every night
Weekends
Formal homework is not given at the weekend.
Special Educational Needs
Some of the children attending our school may have special educational needs. These may arise from the child’s physical incapacity or his/her learning abilities. As it is the intention of the school to maximise the potential of all children, we will endeavour, with our resources, to meet these needs. The children have the opportunity to develop to their full potential with the support and guidance of their class teacher. Individual Education Plans (IEPs) are kept for each child and are monitored by the Special Needs Co-Ordinator. Children are regularly assessed and reviewed. In accordance with the Code of Practice, they are placed on the Special Needs Register and as a result of their assessments identified as being at one of five stages. Parents are informed of any concerns a teacher may have through consultation when a child is placed on Stage One of the SEN register and will be requested to attend and contribute formally to a review at least once a year, once the child reaches Stage Three or more on the register.