At St. Ciarán’s we see the influence of the home as being by far the most significant factor in the formation of a young person. We believe that liaison between school and home is essential to the wholistic development of the young person.
To this end:
The pastoral needs of the students are met by Teachers, Tutors, Year Heads, Guidance Counsellors and Chaplain. The school has both Senior and Junior care teams which meet on a weekly basis. The teams comprise of the Principal, Deputy Principal, Year Heads, Chaplain and Guidance Counsellor.
The Chaplain works in harmony with the Principal and teachers of the school along with the families and communities of the students. He seeks to know all students within the school and endeavours to meet individually, all 1st and 6th year students. He is involved in ensuring that retreats are made available for students so that they may have the opportunity to reflect and develop a sense of awe, wonder and mystery.
The Chaplain involved with students who have suffered a bereavement or are experiencing personal difficulties. He liases with the tutors and year heads over matters relating to the formation of the students and provides assistance as appropriate. He works with all staff to create a well balanced school community, involves himself in the life of the school and is present at major events in the student’s school life.
He aims to encourage and foster an awareness of spirituality within the school to provide the students with an opportunity to express their own religious identity, through liturgies, retreats and other religions and non-religious occasions.
The Chaplain works with the school team of Principal, Deputy Principal, Guidance Counsellor, Year Heads and Class Tutors to help all students develop to their full potential, and is available on an individual basis to help students with personal, social and educational problems. The Chaplain also sees parents alone or with their son or daughter.
The Chaplain aims to be available “any time, any place, any where” to all members of the school community – students, staff, parents and to develop an open and trusting relationship with all those with whom he comes into contact as a companion on the journey of life here at St. Ciaráns.
Website: http://www.guidanceoffice.info
St. Ciaráns provides a Guidance and Counselling service to help each student make the best use of his/her opportunities in school and prepare them for life outside school.
Educational guidance helps students with choice of subject and levels aided by attainment and aptitude tests. Vocational guidance uses interest tests and other information to help students make good decisions.
The Counsellor helps students and parents interpret the mass of information about careers, training, further and higher education. The skills of jobseeking are taught and practised in Mock Interviews.
The Counsellor works with the school team of Principal, Deputy Principal, Chaplain, Year Heads and Class Tutors to help all students develop to their full potential, and is available on an individual basis to help students with personal, social and educational problems. The Counsellor also sees parents alone or with their son or daughter.
It is the policy of St. Ciaráns to continue to help students after they leave school.
As a key part of the Pastoral Care Team, the Year Head works with class tutors in monitoring each students progress. They regularly consult with parents/guardians about students progress and are available to meet with parents/guardians on request. In St. Ciaráns the Year Heads have a particular role in ensuring that the learning environment is enhanced for all students.To this end they are involved in discipline matters for their year group.
In St. Ciaráns there is a tutorial programme for all students. The tutorial systemis designed to care for the pastoral needs of our students, in a general way, as well as for their academic progress. The tutorial structure focuses on the individual student and aims to ensure that the personal, social and development needs within the educational systemof each student are catered for as far as possible. Each class is assigned its own tutor, who keeps a benevolent eye on the progress of all his/her own students and an active concern for their well-being.
The class tutor gets to knowall the students in the class; observes any signs of need for help or attention; is open to approaches fromstudents in the tutorial class; and, as necessary consults with other relevant members of staff (Chaplain / GuidanceCounsellor / Year Head) about them.
The Tutor helps students develop skills, approaches and knowledge which they maybe lacking, andwhich are needed to ‘get on’– to achieve self-fulfilment and success,whatever that means for each individual. It is hoped that the tutorial programme for the year willmeet these needs.
The tutorial system is designed to work alongside the disciplinary structure of the school in a positive way. The tutor focuses on developing positive values and attitudes in their students. The tutorial programme should at all times complement the academic and disciplinary aims of the school.
In brief the role of the tutor is:
In association with Jigsaw, St Ciarán’s is involved in an initiative providing a mental health service specifically aimed at young people. Jigsaw projects bring people and services together to give young people somewhere to turn to and someone to talk to in their community.
A mentor is an older more experienced student who acts as a guide to our younger students. They play a key role in facilitating the transition from primary to secondary school and the school invests greatly in their formation as mentors and prefects. These students receive specific training in mentoring and in listening skills and take up leadership positions within the student body.
