Pastoral Care
Pastoral Care is an integral part of our mission in St. Vincent’s Secondary School and permeates all aspects of school life. Our Pastoral Care principles are informed by our Mission Statement where we endeavour to guide and nurture all of our students in a caring environment.
In St. Vincent’s Secondary School, we facilitate the development of all members of our school community and we foster relationships based on respect where each individual is valued in an atmosphere that is caring and positive.
At the centre of our pastoral framework are the pastoral roles, each of which contributes to the pastoral care nature of the school community. While every staff member has a pastoral dimension to his/her role we recognise that certain people fulfil key roles in this area. These include the Principal, the Deputy Principal, Year Heads, Class Teachers, the Home-School Community Liaison Coordinator, Our School Completion person, the Care Team, Special Needs Assistants and the Guidance Counsellor.
A range of policies and programmes underpin and guide pastoral care in the school including:
School Lunches
As part of our school’s healthy eating policy, we are very proud to announce that we are offering hot food, prepared and served in school daily for all students, FREE of charge. The lunch is varied with students provided with a range of options. Our school lunches are supplied by Ashdale Catering.
Christmas Dinner
Linked to our hot dinners programme, St. Vincent’s also celebrates Christmas on the day before our Christmas Exams commence. During this celebration, students first attend mass together before sitting together for a full Christmas dinner served by our teachers.
Student Wellbeing
Student Wellbeing is at the core of what we are about at St. Vincent’s Secondary School. We firmly believe that if our students are happy, then everything else will fall into place and academic achievement will flourish. Therefore we have a number of systems in place that will assist the students with the challenges they face as teenagers but more importantly we teach students how to be responsible for their own wellbeing.
School Completions Programme
School Completion Programme – Supporting Every Learner
At St Vincent’s Secondary School we take pride in our commitment to helping every student thrive. Through our dedicated School Completion Programme (in partnership with our Home-School-Community Liaison (HSCL) service), we aim to bolster attendance, participation and retention, ensuring students feel valued, connected and supported.
Key Initiatives
Smooth Transition Supports: Our HSCL and SCP teams work closely with local feeder primary schools to guide incoming first-year students and their families, helping ease the move into secondary school.
Attendance & Punctuality Monitoring: We actively monitor student attendance and punctuality, and collaborate with families to address any barriers to full participation in school life.
Parent & Family Engagement: We host events such as Coffee Mornings for first-year parents, Wellness Fairs featuring local support services, as well as courses for parents to enhance their role as partners in education.
Holistic Pastoral Care: Sitting at the heart of our school’s care framework, the SCP initiative is connected to our pastoral team which includes HSCL, the Care Team and Guidance Counsellor—ensuring a whole-school approach to student wellbeing and belonging.
Why It Matters
The SCP is grounded in the understanding that when students feel connected to school, attend regularly and engage meaningfully, they are far more likely to complete their secondary education and move confidently into further study or training. Our tailored initiatives reflect our ethos of nurturing every student’s potential.
Home School Community Liaison
At St. Vincent’s Secondary School we are very fortunate to have the very dedicated Aine Murphy as HSCL co-ordinator. Ms Murphy is a History and Music teacher from within the school appointed to the role of HSCL.
All parents of first year students can expect to meet with Ms Murphy at their own home inside the first term of the new academic year.
A note about the work of HSCL
HSCL Coordinators are teachers in schools, assigned to HSCL, to work primarily with the salient adults in the child’s life, in order to empower them, so that they can better support their children to attend school, participate in education and develop positive attitudes to life-long learning. Central to the HSCL initiative, is the identification of needs and the provision of a tailored and proportionate response to those needs, through a range of interventions, which are evidence-based, focused and structured.
HSCL Coordinators, as agents of change in schools, work in an integrated way with all other support services, particularly School Completion Programme staff and Educational Welfare Officers, to implement a whole-school approach to improving attendance, participation and retention in education.
The HSCL Coordinator reaches out beyond the school walls to the homes and communities from which our pupils come. The Coordinator can help parents to understand what happens in the school, what facilities and supports are available and the school’s procedures. This better understanding empowers parents to make more informed decisions about their daughter’s learning. The Coordinator supports parents through home visits, classes and through the involvement with agencies who support the learning process in the community.
The HSCL Coordinator is Ms Aine Murphy and she would be glad to hear from parents at 0864106370 or 021 4307730.
Emotional Support
www.childline.ie
www.corksamaritans.ie
www.spunout.ie
www.barnardos.ie
Revision Courses
Free revision courses are offered during the Easter holidays in conjunction with our partners in UCC plus and the Aspire programme.
UCC+
St. Vincent’s Secondary School is part of the UCC PLUS+ Schools Programme. The aim of this programme is to let students see the fantastic opportunities in UCC and get them thinking about their future.
Our students can avail of the following activities: Student achievement awards, CSI Camp, Xperience CIT and UCC, Easter School, science and maths revision classes, use of study facilities in UCC, Graffiti Drama, TRIZ, and grinds.
UCC+ also run a Homework Club after school for Junior Students at St Vincent’s. Students can receive support in completing homework from third level students.
Supervised Study
Supervised study is provided to all students from 1st to 6th year for 2 hours after school each day. It is also provided during the February midterm break and the Easter holidays. It is particularly beneficial for all students.
Supervised study: Gets students into a homework/study routine. Provides students with a quiet homework/study environment, particularly for students who have younger siblings at home. Is beneficial for students whose parents may be working. Allows students to relax once they go home. School bag is lighter leaving school.