Specialist School with a High Performing Team

Why choose St. Patrick’s and St. Brigid’s College, Claudy for your child?

Raising Examination Performance

Among the findings of the most recent school inspection (January 2008), the inspectors identified:

n the strong caring, supportive and spiritual ethos;

n the high standards achieved by the pupils.

These findings are further confirmed by last year’s hugely impressive GCSE results – 149 A* and A grades; 269 ‘B’ grades and 257 ‘C’ grades. As an all-ability, non-selective school, we feel that we are already fulfilling the vision for the future of Catholic Education as outlined in Cardinal Sean Brady’s recent message:

“In a period of unprecedented educational change we should continue to believe that we can continue to raise standards for all children without depending on crude mechanisms of selection at eleven years of age.” (Cardinal Sean Brady, St. Malachy’s Church, Armagh, Thursday,November 26, 2009)

St. Patrick’s and St. Brigid’s College is clearly an excellent school led by a high performing team, totally focused on continuously improving and getting the very best outcomes for our happy and high achieving pupils. The ‘feel good’ factor in the school is tangible and commented on by visitors to the school.

Enhancing pupil learning and attainment is at the centre of everything we do in this college. We seek to raise standards by overcoming barriers to learning, and empowering our youngsters to become successful learners. As each individual pupil’s performance is of vital importance, we place an unrelenting emphasis on literacy, numeracy, ICT, meeting additional needs and inclusion.

Assertive Mentoring and Personalisation of Learning

St. Patrick’s and St. Brigid’s College is constantly striving to enhance the personalisation of learning by pioneering, and seeking to further develop, the use of Assertive Mentoring. Such a drive to constantly improve the personalisation of learning is prompted, and rendered possible by, our experience of being a Specialist School in Business and Enterprise, capable of understanding and carrying the use of pupil data to a new level.

Unlocking Untapped Potential

Recognising that there is so much untapped potential in our young people, our overarching aim is to unlock that potential by combining target-setting and detailed tracking of pupil progress and then using that data, not merely to inform, but to transform pupils’ learning and examination performances by supporting them to achieve challenging, yet realistic and achievable goals. Not only do we track the progress of each individual pupil, we track improvement in areas of weakness and build upon individual pupil’s strengths.

Motivation for Achieving Maximum Potential

Such a relentless focus on providing regular feedback and identifying the practical actions which will lead to improvement is highly motivating and gives young people the confidence and ambition to achieve their maximum potential. Additionally, information is easily made available to parents who are regularly alerted electronically to encourage maximum parental involvement with a view to further enhancing pupil motivation. In this way, we make doubly sure that we add value at every level.

All pupils are encouraged to participate fully in school life and to make a positive contribution e.g. through involvement in the Students Council.

Learning Must Lead to Earning

As befits a specialist school in Business and Enterprise with strong school-business/industry links, we strongly believe that learning must lead to earning. It is for this reason that we are so proud of the achievements of all our departments, especially our “flagship” subjects - Science, Maths, Learning for Life and Work and RE.

To enable our youngsters to target the well-paid and secure jobs in this highly competitive 21st century, we are placing a strong emphasis on relevant 21st century education - the so-called STEM subjects – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, supported by IT and Business and Enterprise. The modern world has an ever-increasing need for confident, well educated young people who aspire to become technicians, technologists and engineers of all kinds who might one day wish to become employers themselves.

The School

The school offers a broad and balanced curriculum with options available as well as opportunities to develop outside the classroom through music, sport, drama and other activities.

As an all-ability college, we are very proud of our academic achievements. In addition to the most highly academic of our pupils attaining impressive results and pursuing ‘A’ level courses in grammar schools, we take pride in the achievements of all our pupils.

And as a Business and Enterprise Specialist College, and as a member of the Foyle learning Community, we work collaboratively our Specialist school partners we enjoy the support of our specialist school partners – Lumen Christi, Thornhill and Lisneal College. In these ways, we constantly seek ways to convert our pupils’ learning potential into earning potential.

Parental Support and Involvement

We are particularly proud of the very high level of support from our pupils’ parents who know that they can trust us to achieve the best possible outcomes for, and fulfil the potential of, each child. They know that we will have high expectations of our pupils and everything they do.

Parents are confident that we are totally focused on equipping our youngsters to deal with the challenges that life in the 21st century presents, teaching them the joys of living and learning, while retaining a strong moral and spiritual sensibility. In fact, one parent has expressed the view that, with its special, positive atmosphere and high standards, St. Patrick’s and St. Brigid’s is more than just a school, it is becoming a way of life.

Personal Responsibility in a Christ-Centred School

The school’s catch-cry is: ‘If it is to be, it is up to me.’ Pupils are taught to take responsibility for their own success at school. Additionally, pupils are taught to respect and care for themselves and others, each being a person uniquely created in God’s image and likeness with a unique combination of gifts and talents to be developed for the good of all. Everything we do is based upon the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church.

In the course of the school year, we make use of the beautiful setting of St. Patrick’s Church in Claudy as our College Chapel. As well as this, our school prayer book; school prayer group; the staff choir; the pupils’ choir and orchestra; the organisation of charitable activities and our vocations drive, spearheaded by our ‘Madagascar Project,’ all combine to enrich the religious and spiritual dimensions of school life.

A Modern School in an ideal setting

With its beautiful surroundings, its ideal rural setting, its high quality teaching enhanced by assertive mentoring and its strongly supportive Pastoral Care system, St. Patrick’s and St. Brigid’s College has much to offer your child.

The school’s private bus network makes it easily accessible not only to children from the surrounding, rural areas but also from further afield, including Derry City. If you wish to visit the school, you will be most welcome.

Yours sincerely,

J.A McCauley B.A.,M.A.,M.Sc.

(Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Acadmiques)