Mission Statement

In St. Michael’s House Special National School, Raheny we seek to create a happy, stimulating and welcoming atmosphere for all our pupils.

Our aims are:

1. To enable each pupil to lead a full and satisfying life as a child.
2. To aid and assist each pupil to reach his or her fullest potential.
3. To prepare each pupil for as independent and capable an adulthood as the potential of that pupil allows.

The school will pursue these aims through:

• The professional work of the entire school staff
• Collaboration with clinic personnel
• Communication and co-operation with parents
• Co-operation and involvement with the local community, statutory bodies, third level training institutions, vocational training centres, secondary schools, local facilities - shops, leisure facilities and voluntary workers etc.

Our aims are:

In pursuit of its aims the school, in its ordering of priorities, its organisational systems and style, its teaching approaches, and its daily routines will be informed by and promote the following shared values.

1. Education – The curriculum has to be relevant and purposeful to the pupil at his / her stage of development and ability. It must also be preparatory, so that the pupil is ready within his / her potential and level of ability to face the challenges of adult life.
2. Independence – Pupil learning objectives, teaching styles and methods will seek to maximise the pupil’s present and potential independence.
3. Social Participation – While seeking to develop pupil independence, school and classroom activities will promote participation in a wide range of social situations, both within the school and in the local and wider community.
4. Understanding – The staff as a whole will encourage tolerance and consideration of others, will foster an understanding of cultural heritage, and seek to promote the moral, intellectual and aesthetic development of all our pupils.
5. Individual Difference – The school will take account of the individual difference of each pupil, by providing a broad and balanced programme that will encourage the development and potential of the individual pupil, while at the same time allowing full participation with his or her peer groups. The staff acknowledge that there are different kinds of learning and that individual children learn in different ways.
6. Personal Relationships – We will encourage self-confidence, self-discipline and a high self-esteem in all our pupils. Positive personal relationships are an outcome which will be pursued, in order that our pupils may grow up with dignity and be prepared as far as possible for the challenges of adult life. The school as a community, and individual staff members, will seek to promote positive and productive relationships among pupils, between staff and pupils, between staff and parents and among staff and collaborating professionals.

It is the belief of the school that it is in the context of such positive relationships that learning of lasting value is most likely to occur.

Finally we would hope when the time comes for our pupils to leave both pupils and parents lives will have been enriched by their experiences in St. Michael’s House Special National School.