Open Evening Video
Latest News
St. Joseph’s Secondary School - Privacy Notice
St. Joseph’s Secondary School are committed to safeguarding the privacy of your personal data. Please read the following Privacy Notice to understand how we collect and use your personal data,...
Vaping and e-cigarettes: A HSE information booklet for parents, guardians and young people
This booklet is about e-cigarettes and vaping.It is for young people as well as parents and guardians and is designed to help you understand the risks associated with vaping. Download PDF...
Message from Principal
St. Joseph’s is a Catholic Secondary School, under the trusteeship of CEIST, formerly the Sisters of Mercy that welcomes all students. Its peaceful setting on the edge of the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the Nuns beach and its modern facilities make our school an ideal learning environment. We are proud of our unique position in Ballybunion as the only co-educational school nurturing students from First Year to Leaving Certificate. We strongly believe in the approach where boys and girls are educated together.
This prospectus together with our Open Night and web site serves to enlighten 6th class students and parents on the day-to-day functioning and management of our school and the vast array of activities, student successes, subjects and courses on offer.
In any publication of this kind, it is impossible to recognize and pay tribute to the hundreds of pupils, staff, parents and sisters who have made a contribution to St. Joseph’s Secondary School. However, I wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank everyone who has supported our school and contributed to its development.
Catholic Christian principles underline the philosophy of education in the school. Personal attention is given to each student in the school. At the heart of our policies is a concern for the welfare, happiness and success of each student who is entrusted in our care – by challenging those that are gifted to reach their full potential and encouraging those who need extra support.
We have a caring and committed staff in St. Joseph’s and while placing emphasis on the academic tradition of our school, are extremely conscious of providing a holistic education for students. Each class is assigned a Year Head teacher, a teacher with whom they can identify and with whom they can discuss any concerns they might have. We also provide a mentoring programme whereby fifth year students mentor incoming first years. Students have a voice in their school through the Student Council, which provides student leadership. Our committed teachers place a high value on teaching and learning and quality education is all-important. We nurture, challenge, support and encourage our students and in turn they respond with a passion for life, a love of learning and the courage to serve others. The examination results and subsequent employment of our students is a source of satisfaction to us. We aim for and achieve the highest grades at Junior and Leaving Certificate Level.
The world in which we live presents many difficulties and challenges but there is one constant factor that keeps us focused and that is our ‘mission’, which is ‘to develop the full potential of each student – intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, socially & culturally.
John O'Donovan
