Care & Welfare

We want all our students to grow into happy, confident, and aspirational young people who feel empowered to take up their place in the modern world.

​

Daily life in St. Joseph’s / Scoil Iósaef is firmly focussed on the care and welfare of our students. We aim to create a safe and secure learning environment and work hard to ensure that relationships for learning are characterised by mutual respect, openness, and trust. Our pastoral care structures aim to support students to effectively overcome barriers to learning and realise their potential.

​

The effectiveness of the personal development and preventative education curriculums is regularly reviewed to ensure it is flexible and responsive to the needs of all students. The pastoral team works collaboratively with outside agencies to support the care and welfare of all students.

 

The pastoral care aims in St. Joseph’s / Scoil Iósaef are:

​

• To create and maintain a school culture where students feel safe, valued, known and respected;

• To inculcate within students a strong sense of their own dignity, identity and self-esteem, combined with a mutual respect for others;

• To proactively support students to develop strategies and change behaviours to maximise mental and physical health;

• To prepare students to become effective citizens in the local and global community

 

The personal development and preventative education provision cuts across the curriculum but is also delivered through discrete weekly timetabled lessons which have been planned to ensure progression.

 

Students study a range of topics, including:

​

• Health and the whole person;

• Self-concept;

• Feelings and emotions;

• Morals, values and beliefs;

• Managing influences and making decisions;

• Managing change;

• Learning about learning;

• Relationships and Sex Education (RSE);

• Safety and managing risk;

• Drug awareness.

​

Safeguarding

​

We work hard to make sure that all our students understand that their concerns will be listened to, and appropriate action taken. St Joseph’s has a robust child protection and safeguarding policy which is in line with guidance issued by the Department of Education.  The school engages in a regular process of self-evaluation to ensure that policy and procedure relating to child protection and safeguarding is working to protect students.