St. Conleth’s Junior School is a warm, vibrant and unique co-educational school set in the heart of Dublin’s southside. Our 150 girls and boys are happy, enthusiastic and full of wonder due to the personalised approach to education that is embraced by each of our teachers. Our small class sizes ensure that our student’s sense of wonder, inquiry and exploration is embraced and used as a tool to guide learning. Students are empowered and supported to inquire, challenge and learn by their class teachers in each of the core subjects as well as receiving targeted teaching through our dedicated team of Specialised Teachers. St. Conleth’s Junior School is a place of learning, growing and engagement with the world around us.
Brian Nolan Junior School Principal
Junior School Teachers
Second Form
In Second Form we are excited to have just graduated from the Preparatory School to join the older boys and girls in the Junior School. We look forward to building on what we have learned before by continuing our school’s focus on Literacy and Numeracy knowledge and skills. As a past pupil of St. Conleth’s, my goal every day is to create a classroom environment where the children feel safe and valued, a place where they can enjoy their time together with their friends and most importantly, a place where they feel happy!
Alex O’Brien
Third Form
In Third Form, the uniqueness of each individual child is celebrated, and each student is encouraged and motivated to reach their full potential by striving for the highest achievements possible. Several different teaching styles and methods are employed on any given day to motivate, encourage and challenge the children. We love to use our interactive board and Chromebooks to further explore areas we come across in the curriculum. I have a picture in my room which reads, ‘Teaching is a work of heart’ and I believe this is my motto.
Richeal Dillon
Fourth Form
Fourth Form is a year filled with excitement and enthusiasm. As students reach ‘double digits’ they begin to learn a lot about themselves, discovering what they are passionate about. My goal is to provide a happy environment in which the boys and girls can expand their minds, enjoy a strong sense of community and take ownership of their learning. It’s going to be a great year!
Caroline Coleman
Fifth Form
As an alumnus of St. Conleth’s, I know full well the benefits of being part of such a warm and close-knit community. In our classroom we have the opportunity to do all of the traditional subjects coupled with some exciting additions such as Drama and Debating. I am also a keen linguist who relishes providing my students with opportunities to communicate and learn through (and about) English, Irish and French. In Fifth Form we will also get a multitude of opportunities to try their hand at a variety of sports including rugby, hockey, football, basketball and more.
Eoin Sheridan
Sixth Form
Sixth Form is always an important time in the children’s life as they will be preparing for the transition from Primary to Secondary school. The goal is to create a pleasant, focused and motivating environment in which the children can continue to develop into well-rounded members of the St. Conleth’s community and begin their Secondary School career with confidence and a thirst for learning.
Joanne Barry
Specialised Subjects
In addition to their core curriculum, St. Conleth’s students benefit from receiving targeted teaching through our dedicated team of Specialised Teachers in the areas of Art, Music, Drama, Physical Education, Mindfulness, French, Computers and Debating.
In Art Class, Ms. Mellon’s employs her professional expertise to encourage the students to express themselves through classroom discussions, drawing, painting and colouring, printing, working with fabric, design and 3D construction.
Our renowned Music and Drama teachers, Emer Hartnett and Pat Howe work separately in the classroom to encourage participation , creativity and performance, and together on the school stage to forge our student musical spectaculars.
Our Physical Education and Mindfulness teachers Louis Magee and Shay Keenan make sure that the body, as well as the mind, is catered to! Myriad learning opportunities through the medium of movement contribute to the students’ overall development by helping them to lead full, active and healthy lives.
Flore Dion’s French lessons develop students’ communicative skills through exposure to French songs and rhymes, role playing scenarios, texts and culture.
Mike Travers’s Computer lessons at St. Conleth’s incorporate the creative use of modern technology to increase our student’s ability to learn about, with and through ICT.
‘St. Conleth’s’ been a byword for excellence in Schools Debating for decadesand our domination of the Irish secondary school debating scene is based on early encouragement and keen competition in the Junior School, fostered by renowned international collegiate debaters.
Welcome to our Preparatory School
Dolores Kelly
Junior Infants
St. Conleth’s Preparatory School allows our youngest pupils to share in all the resources of the wider Junior School but also enjoy the security and attention of a special self-contained space, with an atmosphere where school is a home away from home. From Junior Infants through First Form we place particular emphasis on the development of the whole child and our learning is centred around providing meaningful and authentic opportunities which encourage students to grow both holistically and academically.
Dolores Kelly Head of Preparatory School
Our Teachers
Junior Infants
In Junior Infants we are focused on laying a secure foundation for our children to grow and thrive in a safe and secure setting. Provision of high-quality learning in our first formal school year provides the platform children need to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow. We achieve this through whole class, group and independent tasks, inquiries, explorations and fun!
Dolores Kelly
Senior Infants
In Senior Infants we love to learn through play! We take part in lots of hands-on activities like construction, painting, water play, problem solving, role playing, songs and games. Our classroom is bright and welcoming with plenty of fantastic student work displayed on the walls. It’s an exciting year as we develop our Literacy skills and continue to explore the world of books. We engage our curiosity through projects on topics like plants, community, transport and energy and aim to develop each child’s confidence, persistence and communication skills to help give them the tools for a life full of learning.
Niamh Redmond
First Form
The boys and girls of First Form love working hard, having fun, taking part in interactive lessons and working on innovative projects each day. We encourage every child to embrace not only their areas of strength, but also those areas for development in order to grow and learn. Development of social skills is another key component of First Form, where learners are encouraged to continue to build on friendships that may last a lifetime. Every day my goal is to send my students home a little bit more tired than when they came in, but also a little bit smarter and a little bit happier!
Elaine Leary
Extra-Curricular
After-School and Morning Club
Our Early Morning and Afterschool Care Programme provides even further opportunities for students to spend quality time enjoying our school in a comfortable and secure setting, leaving parents confident that their child is happy, healthy, safe and in good hands. All our Preparatory and Junior School have the option of enrolling in our After-School Programme, where their physical and intellectual appetites are catered to with a mixed diet of homework, snacks, games and sport. The After-School Co-ordinator is Cecilia Franken and she may be contacted at: [email protected].
Extra Curricular
In addition to the St. Conleth’s After-School and Morning Club Programme, we offer an extensive Extra-Curricular Programme which provides students with further opportunities to explore their passions, interests and talents beyond the curriculum, under the tutelage of vetted professionals and specialists, arranged by the school.
The sports and activities include:
Basketball
Chess
Fencing
Hockey
Karate
Rugby
&c.
Curriculum Links
Our curriculum is focused on the development of the whole child and aims to fulfil the pastoral role inspired by the school’s patron, St. Conleth; a Sixth Century saint and ‘moulder of precious metals.’ It focuses on both the traditional and the innovative, enabling students to remain well-grounded yet adaptive to a changing world.
The curriculum is delivered by our team of highly qualified, caring and dynamic teachers who are committed to the provision of a stimulating, challenging and exciting learning environment for our students.
The curriculum for all classes divides into seven key subject areas which combine the traditional joys of academia such as reading and research with the most advanced theory and practice in ICT. You can read about in further detail in their respective sections:
