Cork secondary school to open special class for students with ASD
St Patrick's College is now enrolling for the 2022 academic year and is also opening a special class for students with ASD
Following a request from the Department of Education, St Patrick's are opening a special class for students with Autism spectrum disorder
(ASD) in September 2022; "This is in response to demand and it's something we feel we can do really well," said principal, Brian Cronin.
The class will be tailored to the individual students; some students might predominantly attend the mainstream classes whilst some might spend more time in St Patrick's new special class. Either way, "it's a school where all students get plenty of attention. Because it's a small and caring atmosphere. We don't let things slip in terms of the academic ability and general well-being of the girls," said Brian.
"We're a Catholic school but we're accepting of girls from families of all faiths and none, we have a very diverse school. We want to make sure that their lights shine and that we nurture their development".
St.Patrick's College focuses on three critical areas: student learning, student wellbeing, and celebrating student success. "All that we do in the school is focused on ensuring that the girls are enabled to flourish in these three vital areas. Our school is small - nobody gets lost or forgotten about - yet due to the commitment of our teachers, we can still provide a comprehensive and up-to-date curriculum." St Patrick's College is an inclusive school catering to girls with SEN and will now have a special class for students with ASD.
"Most importantly, the college has committed and experienced teachers, many of whom go the extra mile for their students."
The extracurricular activities at St Patrick's College are tailored to the desires of the students. They include soccer, ladies Gaelic football, craft club, movie club, makeup club, and much more, "we listen to what our students are interested in and go with that," said Brian.
All students are also invited on educational trips in Cork and surrounding areas to help them learn and expose them to new experiences. All 1st years go on a bonding trip to an activity centre in September each year to further improve their transition.
- Strong record of college entry - over 90% consistently progress to 3rd level
- High Expectations for student learning
- Transition Programme for students entering 1st-year
- Small class sizes (average size of 16)
- Extra-curricular Activities including Soccer & Ladies Gaelic Football
- Comprehensive curriculum including Art
- Affordable Book Rental Scheme 1st - 6th Year (includes locker, insurance, Home Ec ingredients)
- Individual Chromebook for each 1st year
Speaking of progression to college and St Patrick's Aspire2 Programme, Brian said, " The school has very close links with both UCC and CIT, where many of our students go on to study. We are part of the Aspire2 programme, which consists of just 10 schools around Ireland. This programme is funded by DPS Engineering and provides support to senior cycle students so that they can move on to higher and further education.
Speaking of her experience in St. Patricks College is Allana Murphy;
"I’m a sixth-year student at St Patrick's Girls' College. I like being a student here as the staff and students are very friendly, there are lots of sports activities that I can attend - soccer and Gaelic football and overall the atmosphere is great in the school. With the classes being smaller, it allows students to have a closer, more personal relationship with the teachers. We have fantastic access to Chromebooks for digital technology, which makes a great difference for projects and while we were learning online, we could borrow them from the school. The environment here in the past few weeks has been very safe and everyone is following COVID-19 rules."
To find out more about enrolling your daughter in St Patrick's College visit www.stpatrickscork.org
