Our school is situated in a small village called Ballymitty in south County Wexford. It is perched on top of a hill and is surrounded by green fields and lots of trees. We get to see the changing seasons around our school and we work hard to make sure that our school environment is a safe and organised place. We use our outdoor school environment to encourage children to be active, to give them a break from being indoors and to support learning in a variety of ways.
We have a welcoming and warm school environment where we celebrate difference and diversity and where we promote inclusivity. When you walk through the doors of our school we want you to feel welcomed, supported and listened to no matter your age, ability or belief.
Our school strives to be a place where there is quality teaching and learning for staff and pupils. We engage pupils every day in stimulating and colourful classroom environments where we want to open their minds, broaden their horizons and enrich their lives. We want our pupils to leave our school as creative thinkers and problem solvers and thereby active participants in society for the 21st century.
Our School Motto: Kind Hands, Kind Feet, Kind Words, Kind Hearts underpins all our policies, plans and procedures but most importantly all our practices. Pupils are taught the universal values of kindness, honesty and respect in all curricular and extra-curricular areas. Well Being and resilience are promoted through Mindfulness, Yoga, Religious lessons and Social/Personal and Health Education.
We believe that creating positive memories of time in school is one of the greatest gifts you can give a child. We therefore celebrate the little and the big successes of our school. We have pupils who are engaged in many extra and cross curricular activities such as sports, the arts, sciences and many more. We celebrate through articles on our website, newsletters, assemblies, 'Ring for Chocolate' Bell, Pupils of the Year awards and sometimes in the simplest of ways by saying “Well done”.
Our school is only a small piece in the great world jigsaw but we want to encourage pupils to make a difference no matter how small. We believe pupils must have a voice and must be given the opportunity to express their views on issues of concern to them in the school. They do this through participation in committees:
We have pupils on our Green School Committee who want to manage and sustain their world for the next generation through different school programmes such as Litter Picking and other initiatives.
We have an Active School Committee who promote not just a physically active school but a physically educated school. We want our pupils to be able to throw and catch a ball, run a mile, reach up high, crouch down low. We want our pupils to have healthy minds and bodies so that they can achieve great things. This committee help to organise activities, resources, active lines etc.
We have a Student Council who provide a structure through which pupils can debate issues of concern and undertake initiatives of benefit to the school and the wider community. They hold events such as Valentine's Day Fairs, No Uniform Days, Ballymitty's Got Talent Shows etc.
We also have a European Development Team who support the staff in developing links to and projects with European schools.
We have a very active Erasmus Programme in our school since 2021 - through EU funding every year staff get to visit schools in Europe and pupils visit schools every second year. We understand how important Erasmus is in broadening horizons for our pupils as well as opening their minds.
We have a staff who are committed to education and who want to make this school the best it can be for every pupil.