Meet the Cork school paving the way for greater inclusivity 

“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often,” as Winston Churchill once put it.

A man whose influence can still be felt in many a history classroom today, at one Cork school it seems this particular philosophy of his has extended far beyond lessons about World War II, and instead into just about every aspect of school life!

There are few places where change is more fully embraced than at St Patrick’s College. Within the past few years, the school has not only navigated its way through the Covid-19 pandemic, adjusting to periods of online learning and uncertainty like every other school, but has also totally reinvented itself.

A major expansion to the school was completed last year, providing students with eight newly built classrooms, a newly installed state-of-the-art gym, and a much needed canteen. The most important addition, however, was their cutting-edge new space, An Cuan, which was specially designed for students with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) needs, and where classes began last September.

As well as this transformation to the premises, last year also saw the school’s students undergo their own makeover of sorts. The introduction of a brand new uniform for St Patrick’s College meant the girls attending the school updated their signature brown dress code to a new look consisting of a black jumper, white shirt, striped tie and grey trousers or skirt.

The biggest change of all, however, is still to come. From 2023/24, St Patrick’s College will become co-educational, with male students enrolling at the school for the very first time in its 65 years of existence.

“I think schools have to continually change and grow in order to reflect the society they’re a part of,” explains Brian Cronin, Principal of St Patrick’s College. “We sent surveys out to parents a few years ago, asking them what they thought of our school and what they’d like to see us do more of or do differently. Their perceptions of the school were incredibly positive, but the big thing that came back to us was the need for a co-educational school in the locality, that was the main feedback.

“People rightfully saw it as an opportunity for us to be more inclusive. We can now have a school that as well as being a very caring school community, is also one that celebrates diversity and inclusion. It’s definitely a good change — I actually think change in general is good, and it has to happen in schools in particular to reflect the broader changes happening in society around our students.

“At the same time, the most important things aren’t changing — we can still offer parents and students our core school values of human dignity, kindness, trust, respect and cooperation founded on our Catholic ethos. They’re all very important to us. It was the patron of the school, Bishop Fintan Gavin, who ultimately signed off on the decision to go co-educational and the Diocese emphasised that they would like their schools to be inclusive and schools for all. This was important to the Diocese and the school and gave further impetus to the change to co-ed."

While the co-education won’t begin until next September, all the other changes at the school are already having a hugely positive effect. As for Churchill’s theory of frequent change leading to perfection, the school’s results speak for themselves. “We were absolutely thrilled with the Leaving Certificate results that our students received last month,” Brian shares proudly. “One of our students scored 600 points, while 20% of them achieved 450 points or more, and two-thirds of the class of 2023 got 300 points or more. We also had a Leaving Certificate Applied group this year, which is an alternative to the mainstream Leaving Cert, and they achieved fantastic results too. 70% of the LCA class earned a Distinction, which is the highest result possible. All of those results will open up a lot of different doors for our students, as the range of courses out there right now is so broad. We were actually talking to the students recently about what kind of courses they're doing, and they’re pursuing everything from commerce, to law, to nursing, to pharmaceutical science, and things like sports coaching and hair dressing.” 

It's little surprise that the students of St Patrick’s College tend to graduate into such varied career paths. After all, they get used to plenty of variety while they’re still attending the school! “We offer as many clubs and extracurricular activities as we can, and we always look to the students to see what they're interested in,” says Brian. “Three or four years ago, for example, we didn't have a soccer team but now we do because we have enough people interested to make up the team numbers. Similarly, we have a camogie team purely because there was such strong interest from the girls. We also have a gaelic football team and an athletics team, thanks to our wonderful staff who train the students and take them to matches, competitions and so on. We have some really fun lunchtime clubs too, such as our art and gardening groups. We always try to tailor things to whatever the students are interested in.” 

Even in the school canteen, special attention is paid to what each students likes best.

"There's always plenty to choose from in the school canteen. The lunch menu includes things like chicken curry & rice, meatballs & pasta, chicken goujons & wedges, ciabattas & vegetarian options. The canteen is open in the morning from 8.10am and so is very convenient for parents and students. Our canteen provides a hot breakfast and a hot lunch for each student, free of charge, which was really important to us [with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis]. For both cost reasons and convenience reasons, I’d imagine it's a lifesaver for a lot of parents. I’m a parent with teenage boys myself, so I understand the complexities of getting breakfast and a packed lunch ready in the mornings!” 

The school’s commitment to looking after students — and making things that bit easier for their families — goes far beyond just school meals. From those very daunting days at the start of First Year, and right throughout their secondary school journey, each pupil is well cared for at St Patrick’s College. “We’re a small, friendly school where everyone knows each other and we all look out for one another,” Brian assures. “Even at our recent open evening, we had some of our students talking to visitors about why they’d recommend the school, and one of the things they mentioned was that they can get individual attention in class because we keep our class sizes small. We would like that to continue. 

"I know we’ve had some parents asking whether the school will get really big now that we have our new classrooms and we’re becoming co-educational, but that’s not at all what we’d want. We see ourselves continuing as a small to medium sized co-educational secondary school, where our friendly, personal atmosphere will remain alive and well. I’d definitely recommend our school for students that worry they might get lost in a really big school of a thousand students or whatever, and whose parents might feel the same. We’re ideal for those students, who would perhaps be intimidated by larger class sizes and a huge school.” 

To find out more about whether St Patrick’s College is right for your child, head to www.stpatrickscork.org/news/open-night-applications-for-2024.

You can also fill out an enrolment form for next year on the website, or pick up your form from the school’s office. Applications close on Friday,  October 27th.