Senior Cycle students are timetabled for one career class per week.  First and third year students are helped in class groups or smaller groups at subject choice decision making time.  As well as consultation with parents of the relevant year groups. 

Senior cycle students attend open days and career exhibitions when appropriate.  Students have access to a Career Library and I.T. facilities.

At St. Brigid’s the social and emotional intelligence of every student is given keen attention and is considered to be as important as their academic achievements.  This is part of a whole school approach to creating the optimal environment for a balanced psyche and well rounded adolescent persona. 

The school offers a peer mentorship  program for all first year students.  The guidance department oversees and trains the senior students for their mentoring roles.

Special Educational Needs Department

The Special Education Needs (SEN) Department aims to facilitate and co-ordinate the provision of education to students who may have difficulty functioning and achieving within the constraints of traditional mainstream education. The department carefully considers the needs of the individual student and aims to provide support for this student in a holistic sense by assisting with all aspects of the individual’s learning and development through junior and senior cycles. The Department monitors the student throughout her time in the school and aims to work closely with all those who have a shared interest in the student’s educational and personal development, placing a particular emphasis and value on its relationship with the student’s primary educators, her parents. The SEN Department aims to work in collaboration with parents and external agencies in the preparation of individual students for adult and working life.

Exceptionally Able Students

In the interests of providing a balanced service to our students and to our community and in keeping with our commitment to the original tenets of the Education Act 1998, the school is dedicated to ensuring that Exceptionally Able Students have the opportunities for academic excellence that they require in full recognition of their Special Educational Needs. St. Brigid’s acknowledges the fact that the needs of the exceptionally able are no less significant than the needs of students at the opposite end of the spectrum. In 2011 our school participated in a programme to heighten awareness of our Exceptionally Able Students. As a result of this programme, we annually seek to identify any students in this category and the parents of the relevant students are invited to refer their daughters to CTY (Centre for Talented Youth). (See Appendix 1 for levels of giftedness).

Development of Inclusive Curriculum

Differentiation is now a prominent feature of the modern classroom and it enables teachers to cater for the broad spectrum of abilities which may exist within any one classroom. However, should the attendance of the student at normal class require the presence of an SNA, this will be facilitated by the school, if sanctioned by the Special Educational Needs Organiser.

As far as possible and in consultation with parents all students will participate in Junior Cycle certification through either Level 2 Learning Programmes or Level 3 subjects or a combination of both.

At senior level students will be prepared for one of the following Leaving Certificate Curricula:

· Established Leaving Certificate

· Leaving Certificate Applied

· Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme

For those students who have been diagnosed by an educational psychologist as having Special Educational Needs, or who are experiencing difficulty accessing the school curriculum, access to support will be determined based as outlined in the DES Allocation Model.

The school has in excess of 6 qualified Resource/Learning Support teachers who are available to students requiring support and to advise subject teachers in this area.

The school is committed to providing Learning Support and mainstream teachers with training so that they can work with students with Special Educational Needs.

Each year group is assigned an SEN co-ordinator. The SEN co-ordinator works with the students, their parents and mainstream teachers to ensure that the student is supported throughout their time in St. Brigid’s. The Co-ordinators will also liaise with outside agencies including the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS), the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), the visiting teacher service, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and numerous others as the need arises. The SEN co-ordinator is the link person between the school and parents on all matters relating to SEN.

ASD Class

In September 2020 St. Brigid’s was delighted to open an ASD class. The class has capacity for 6 students. The students are supported by teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNA) and access both mainstream classes and individual/group ASD classes depending on the student’s individual needs.

Useful Websites: National Council for Special Education https://ncse.ie/

Gifted Kids http://www.giftedkids.ie/

As I Am https://asiam.ie/

Dyslexia Association of Ireland https://www.dyslexia.ie/

National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) https://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Services/National-Educational-Psychological-Service-NEPS-/NEPS-Home-Page.html

National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) https://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Services/National-Educational-Psychological-Service-NEPS-/NEPS-H

Ms. Róisín Moore                              (Principal)    
Ms. Mairéad Lucey                            (Deputy Principal)

Year Heads and Pastoral Care Team
Mrs. Margaret Mc Grath                   (Year Head, First Year; Science, SPHE & Religious Education)

Mrs. Miriam Malone                          (Year Head, Second Year; Science, Biology & Chemistry)

Mrs. Maureen Dillion O' Rourke      (Year Head, Third Year; English)

Ms. Maria Neary                                (Year Head, Transition and Fifth Year; Spanish and French)

Mrs. Mairéad Mc Elligott                  (Year Head, Sixth Year & TY; Religious Education & SPHE

Ms Aisling Nolan                               (Guidance Counsellor, SPHE & Religious Education)

Subject Teachers (in alphabetical order)

Ms. Siobhán Ahern                 (Science, Biology & Chemistry)

Ms. Fiona Archibald                (Art, SPHE & Religious Education)

Mrs. Susan Bartlett                 (Home Economics, Religious Education & SPHE)

Ms. Adrienne Brosnan            (Mathematics & Geography)

Ms. Anne Brosnan                  (French)

Mrs. Vivienne Buckley            (English & Geography)

Ms. Emma Bunworth              (Physical Education & SPHE)

Ms. Marie Cahill                      (Home Economics & SPHE)

Ms. Ciara Carmody                 (French, Geography & CSPE)

Ms. Michelle Clifford               (Gaeilge)

Mrs. Aisling Coffey                  (Business)

Mr. Steven Colgan                  (Technical Graphics & DCG)

Ms. Sinéad Collins                  (Gaeilge & Spanish)

Ms. Mary Cotter                      (English & History)

Ms. Emma Cronin                   (Mathematics, Science, Biology, Chemistry & Agricultural Science)

Ms. Elaine Daly                       (Science & Biology)

Mrs. Peggy Dowling               (LCA Coordinator; LCVP, Business Studies, I.T. & CSPE)

Ms. Karen Downes                 (Spanish & French)

Ms. Aoife Finnerty                   (Religious Education)

Mr. Michael Fleming               (History, Economics, Business Studies & SEN)

Ms. Mary Foran                      (Mathematics)

Mrs. Agnes Gilligan                (History & Gaeilge)

Ms Clíona Hallissy                  (Spanish & English)

Mrs. Rosie Healy                    (Music & Gaeilge)

Ms. Theresa Healy-Rae         (Gaeilge & English)

Mrs. Caroline Hennigan          (English & Mathematics)

Ms. Marina Hickey                  (Mathematics & Geography)

Ms. Stephanie Horan              (Religious Education & SEN)

Mrs. Mary Ita Houlihan           (English & History)

Mr. Martin Hughes                  (Science, Mathematics & Physics)

Mr. Christian Lyne-Roberts    (Music, French & I.T.)

Ms. Margaret Lyons                (Mathematics)

Mr. Jeremiah Lyons                (Gaeilge & English)

Mrs. Dolores Mc Sweeney     (Gaeilge)

Ms. Noreen McAuliffe             (Business Studies, Accounting & Religious Education)

Ms. Orla McCarthy                  (LCVP, Business Studies, Mathematics & I.T.)

Ms. Joan Morrissey                (English, History, CSPE & SEN)

Ms. Jenna Moynihan               (Physical Education & SPHE)

Ms. Sheree Murphy                (Science, Biology, Physics & Mathematics)

Ms. Niamh O'Connell              (English, History & SEN)

Mrs. Ber O'Connor      (Transition Year Co-ordinator; Physical Education & SPHE)

Ms. Catherine O'Donoghue    (Home Economics)

Ms. Carol O’Dowd                  (Gaeilge, Geography & CSPE)

Ms. Eilish O’Riordan               (SEN – ASD class)

Ms. June O'Sullivan                (SEN -ASD class)

Ms. Alice Quilter                     (Art & CSPE)

Mr. Stephen Sheldon              (English & Geography)

Special Needs Assistants

Mrs. Cora Kelliher

Ms. Trisha O’Callaghan

Ms. AnnMarie O’Sullivan

Office Hours are 8.30-4.15 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and 8.30 - 2pm on Wednesday. 

Our office staff, Karen, Margaret and Carmel, will be happy to deal with any queries on the school's main phone line, or in person during office hours in the school.