A Statement of School’s Ethos and Aims

In St. Patrick’s P.S. we aim to provide a safe, secure, happy, stimulating, working and caring environment in which the potential of each child is realised, that is spiritually and morally, physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially.

We would like the days spent in St. Patrick’s PS to be memorable for the children.

For each child the school will aim to develop:

- a love and respect for God, the Sacraments and the Christian way of life

- a positive self image which will enable him/her to appreciate his/her worth, work and talents, to grow in confidence, make decisions and behave responsibly using his/her talents, skills and abilities willingly and wisely

- a knowledge and understanding of aspects of health, hygiene and safety and of their importance for her/his physical, social and emotional welfare

- a positive attitude towards discipline and authority and a respect and tolerance of others, their work, ideas and property whether they be of differing religion, race, culture, sex or class, showing an awareness and concern for the underprivileged and less able-bodied than ourselves

- a welcoming, caring and positive attitude towards people from other races and cultures who are integrating into our community

- a love of and thirst for natural curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, motivating the child to discover and want to think, do, try, read, write, investigate, calculate, question and make informed decisions for him/her self

- effective communication skills to enable him/her express him/herself appropriately and naturally and confidently

- a knowledge and appreciation of how continuity and change in society have affected our way of life

- interests and skills which will enable him/her to enjoy and make the best of his/her leisure time

- aesthetic awareness and an appreciation of the beauty of nature, the Wonders of the World, achievements in Art, Music, Science, Technology and Design, Sport, Literature, Drama and Dance

- those skills which, when used appropriately, effectively and with confidence, can enhance the quality of learning, living and working in the world of today and tomorrow.

In essence we want to help our children

- become articulate, literate, numerate

- acquire knowledge, skills and practical abilities and above all the will to use them

- develop a reasoned set of attitudes, values and beliefs

- follow the Christian way of life

- to become increasingly independent.

These aims can be achieved through

(a) the "hidden curriculum" that is the climate of relationships which are embedded in the ethos of the school

(b) the Northern Ireland Curriculum.

In our school Education for Mutual Understanding is seen as a whole school responsibility and links have been established between ourselves and Donaghmore Controlled Primary School in order to pursue curriculum based activities both formally and informally. We participate in many Cross Community Contact ventures.

We take pride in our Cultural Heritage. It is through music, poetry, literature, art, history, games, visits to places and visits from other people that the children learn more about and to appreciate their own traditions and those of others.

We also aim to foster a love of the Irish Language in our children. We have an Irish language assistant through the Mid Ulster Council who assists our Year 5 children and Link Up students from St. Joseph’s GS who work with our Key Stage 2 children.

We realise the importance of developing our children for the future, as a contributor to society, the economy and the environment. To this end we have a teacher, seconded from China, one day a week to teach our children Mandarin, we have a School Council and a hard-working and successful Eco-Committee.

Health Matters, Food Hygiene, Sex Education and Road Safety all come under the umbrella of Health Education. The education of children in sexual matters is primarily the right and duty of parents. We do invite medical personnel in to talk to the Year 7 pupils about "Growing-Up" and they attend a one day seminar on "Love for Life" with other local primary schools in our Parish and community. The school, however, does have a complimentary role to play. Teachers will answer questions, which may arise in the context of hygiene or in other work.

Through Information Communication Technology (ICT) children will be given opportunities to handle and process data using various equipment such as PCs, iPads, Easispeaks, digital cameras.

In St. Patrick’s we use a variety of media to enhance the teaching and learning for our children. We are very fortunate to have Interactive White Boards installed in all our classrooms and a fully functioning IT suite complete with PCs, laptops, Apple Macs and a ‘Green Screen’. To ensure our children receive the best quality IT provision we have an IT technician based in school two days per month.