A School Where Belonging Changes Everything
Welcome to Rathdown School
We are a place of belonging. Every student matters to us. We welcome students of all academic abilities. Our focus is on providing inspiring teaching in order to deliver excellent academic results and equally on encouraging intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, creativity and collaboration which universities and employers value. Our broad extra-curricular programme has something to fire the imagination of every individual.
Our small size allows for a personal level of care and support and a studentcentred learning environment. Further, small class sizes mean that every student receives high-quality individual attention; your child will not get lost in the crowd. They will be treasured, supported and
nurtured; we are deeply interested in the individual child, and all of our students receive our time and our attention.
In a safe, inclusive and secure setting, creative and enthusiastic teachers offer the best environment for young enquiring minds. Our exciting and broad curriculum places a strong emphasis on cross-curricular and cooperative learning, catering to the talents and abilities of each individual student. We pride ourselves on a strong sense of community in Rathdown, where teachers and parents work closely together to make sure that every student gains the confidence, knowledge and essential skills to meet their own unique potential.
Mr Alan Cox
Mr Dermot Dix
A New Era for Rathdown
As we look to the next century of education at Rathdown School, our mission and values remain as we prepare to start a new chapter. To ensure that we reflect modern, contemporary Ireland, now is the right time to transition to coeducation, fulfilling our ethos to be an inclusive and progressive school that is relevant to 21st century Ireland. With the move to coeducation, we believe welcoming boys to our Junior and Senior school makes for a better community and school.
We provide for students of all aptitudes and interests with our well-balanced range of subjects, which will allow both boys and girls equal opportunity to be educated together. Whether your son or daughter is gifted academically, is a good all-rounder or needs additional help in some areas, they will receive a stimulating and rewarding educational experience suited to their needs.
With the move to a more collaborative environment, the social and personal development of our students will be enhanced, building mutual respect for one another and forging lifelong friendships along the way. Families will benefit from the opportunity to have their sons and daughters educated together, sharing this experience during their formative years. We promote a liberal and tolerant ethos, one that is welcoming of all faiths (and none) and of all nationalities.
Rathdown School has been part of the local community for over 100 years and the move to coeducation will allow us to broaden our footprint in the locality as well as optimise the use of our resources and infrastructure. We are very proud of the legacy Rathdown School has built today and the characteristic spirit of Rathdown will be maintained and enhanced for the years to come.
A Rathdown Education
MUSIC AND THE ARTS
SPORT FOR ALL, SPORT FOR LIFE
AGED 3 - 18, GIRLS & BOYS
A SMALL SCHOOL WITH A LIBERAL ETHOS
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
EMPHASIS ON PASTORAL CARE AND WELLBEING
HOLISTIC EDUCATION
We are a school whose students (especially the younger ones) really can be children, while at the same time being skilfully prepared with the knowledge, skills and values needed for the challenges of life in the 21st century.
Our values today reflect those of our founding schools, Park House School, The Hall School, Hillcourt School and Glengara Park School, set up by pioneering proponents of education. In this inspirational setting, we continue a fine heritage of academic excellence preparing students for rewarding careers and lives beyond school.
Life at Rathdown School is underpinned by our excellent pastoral support which makes for a happy and friendly community, relaxed yet purposeful, with a real sense of family. Our aim is simple. We want everyone to enjoy their time here and to flourish, to feel at home, find their voice and feel valued. The diverse list of graduate courses at prestigious institutions and the competitive career paths of our alumni are testament to Rathdown’s culture of ambition and achievement. Our alumni network helps our community to forge valuable links for life.
We have an active Parent Association who play a key role in school life, none more so than supporting our development goals. In recent years parents have supported significant financial investment in IT facilities in both the Junior and Senior School which
has seen a brand new up-to-date WIFI network installed as well as the addition of many new computers for student use; new student lockers in the Senior School; new canteen facilities in the Senior School, a newly refurbished and enhanced playground for the Junior School; The Hub (Student Social Space) extension in the Senior School; the new water-based hockey pitch. Parent philanthropy has played an invaluable role in the history of Rathdown. Indeed two past pupils and current parents of Junior School students have regaled us with memories of fundraising for the Gymnasium building in the 1980s.
The excellent teaching, small class sizes and wide range of subject choice has allowed the School to enjoy spectacular academic success in recent years. Over the last four years, the mean Leaving Certificate points has averaged 535 per student. In this time, over a quarter of our students achieved over 600 points, but the statistic which we’re most proud of is that in 2024 every single student scored over 400 points.
For this reason, Rathdown is fast becoming a popular option for students and families who are aiming to use the Leaving Certificate as a gateway into the really high points university courses and many students are transferring into the School in higher year groups (typically Transition Year and Fifth Year) to allow them to complete their secondary schooling in an environment that will allow them to flourish.
Our strategy is built on the following pillars:
Reflect modern and contemporary Ireland, providing a friendly and studentcentred coeducation option for South County Dublin.
Ensure we continue to provide an excellent holistic education experience that excites and is relevant for 21st century Ireland and its students.
Commence the rollout of our ambitious plan for campus renewal.
Continue the programme of governance enhancement.
1. Commence the phased roll-out of coeducation.
2. Maintain Rathdown as a ‘small school’ option.
3. Boarding at Rathdown will remain girls-only pending construction of a new wing for boys.
1. Continued academic excellence for students of all abilities.
2. Adapt Teaching and Learning environment to embrace technology.
3. Review methods of assessment.
1. Develop an Enhanced Sustainable Finance Model.
2. Launch fundraising campaign for capital development projects.
3. We will develop our Finance Plan so as to allow us to focus on campus development.
1. Establish fundraising sub-committee.
2. Successful delivery of Strategy Plan through effective governance structures.
We work hard but have fun along the way, making lifelong friends and memories. Please don’t just take our word for itdo come and see for yourselves what makes Rathdown School special.
We hope you will be as impressed as we are by our happy, poised and confident students. If you are looking for an outstanding school, please come and visit us - we promise you a warm welcome.
Mr Alan Cox, Head of School and Senior School Principal
Mr Dermot Dix, Junior School Principal
OUR VALUES
We are Supportive
We offer a supportive and nurturing environment for our students. At the heart of our ethos to support and nurture is a focus on wellbeing and relationships. We support and encourage the growth and self-development of our students, helping them reach their full potential and discover their personal strengths. We celebrate individual talent and spirit while giving our students the space to be themselves.
We are Inclusive
We are inclusive of everyone at Rathdown. We believe diversity and difference make us a better school, a better community, a better place to learn and a better place to grow as individuals. Our inclusive school community provides a framework so every child feels safe and has a sense of belonging. We believe respect and understanding thrive when students of different abilities and backgrounds play, socialise, and learn together.
We advocate Honesty, Respect and Loyalty
We believe in providing a moral foundation for all our students to become better individuals and global citizens. These foundations reinforce the importance of truth, honesty, fairness, respect and loyalty. We want all our students to never forget the values we hold dear.
OUR VISION
Rathdown School will continue to be a small, inclusive, educationally progressive school that provides a holistic education for girls and boys from ages 3 to 18. It is a school that speaks to and reflects contemporary Irish society, a society that has transformed in recent decades.
There is an overwhelming sense of belonging and community at Rathdown. Every student who has passed through our doors has felt it; it is a major component of who we are. We understand that a sense of happiness and wellbeing, motivation and health are inextricably linked to the feeling that we belong to a greater community that shares common interests and aspirations. It is this carefully cultivated environment that enables our students to learn, succeed, achieve, discover, question, grow in confidence and find their own purpose that sets us apart.
Our aim is to provide an open, happy, stimulating and mutually respectful community where each student is able to discover their potential in a balanced, integrated and liberal manner, and will become citizens and leaders of a society that in contemporary times has become more forward-looking, diverse and open-minded. Your child’s learning journey at Rathdown School will nurture their academic wellbeing, their intellectual enthusiasm and their social confidence, giving them an enjoyment of learning that will sustain them through higher education and beyond.
Rathdown will continue to be progressive in the sense of being a student-centred school where relationships and the exchange of ideas are at the centre of the learning process, rather than a school that relies merely on the delivery of information by teachers to students. It will always be a school community that values engagement, debate and discussion among the full range of its constituent parts – students, staff and parents/ guardians, from Pre-School all the way to graduation.
Rathdown is a school that values the whole person in its students, providing an holistic, all-round education that balances academic, cultural, artistic and sporting pursuits in its curricular and extra-curricular programmes. In this context, it is a school that supports and instils confidence in its students, a school that encourages its students to identify their interests, to express themselves through their attachment to these interests, and to realise their potential in the broadest possible sense.
Our vision is that Rathdown will continue to be the place of belonging it has always been but for boys and girls and enhanced by first class facilities and campus for the next 100 years.
OUR HISTORY
“A Century of Education on the Rathdown Campus, 1919 - 2019”
In 1919 Mr. Wilfred P. Toone founded Hillcourt School, to educate the sisters of boys attending Castle Park School which he had founded sixteen years earlier. Mr. Toone persuaded two sisters, Gladys and Phyllis Palmer, to leave Cheltenham Ladies’ College and come to Dublin to run Hillcourt.
Seaview, the home of the Synnott family on Upper Glenageary Road, was purchased and the name changed to Hillcourt. The Palmer sisters opened the school in May 1919 with 33 boarding pupils who filled Hillcourt to capacity.
Miss Mew was appointed Headmistress of Hillcourt School in 1972 with 82 pupils aged 8 to 17 years old. In 1973 it was agreed that The Hall School in Monkstown and Park House School in Donnybrook would amalgamate with Hillcourt to become Rathdown School with 500 pupils across three sites. Gradually Rathdown took shape on the Glenageary site and in 1987 Glengara Park joined as the fourth member of the amalgamation. Rathdown continues to the present day providing education for girls aged 3 to 19, and with the introduction of boys, will continue to build on the strong foundations of the original Hillcourt School heritage.
In 1956 a system of Houses was introduced. Members of Toone, Palmer and School Houses were distinguished by green, red and yellow girdles, and when then Principal Miss Richards retired in 1967, her name was given to School House. The Hall also had a system of houses, in their case named after the four provinces. Glengara Park named theirs after Irish rivers: Slaney, Barrow, Suir and Lee.
Rathdown Junior School has had the same houses, Irish islands, since foundation: Aran, Rathlin and Lambay, added to in recent years by Dalkey. Rathdown Senior School originally had six houses named after Governors and Principals of the three foundation schools: Palmer, Toone, Fayle, Kennedy, Vaughan and Daly-Toller. Daly-Toller started out as a typographical error for Daly-Towell, but was retained. Rathdown Senior School now has four houses: Hall, Hillcourt, Park and Glengara.
OUR SENIOR SCHOOL
We are a place of belonging:
Every student matters to us. We welcome students of all academic abilities and our small size allows for a personal level of care and support. Our focus is on providing inspiring teaching in order to deliver excellent academic results and equally on encouraging intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, creativity and collaboration which universities and employers value. Our broad extra-curricular programme has something to fire the imagination of every individual; from Lego Club for budding engineers and scientists, to drama, music, sports and Model United Nations.
The Senior School Academic Programme
Determination & hard work live here:
In Rathdown there is an expectation of high standards supported by careful monitoring of academic progress and individual attention. Each student is valued and encouraged. Learning takes pride of place, individuality flourishes and every student is empowered within our community of ambitious students and teachers. We celebrate every student’s results – from the academically gifted obtaining maximum scores to the student who struggled throughout but obtained or exceeded their target, however modest.
From the outset we will help each student develop a growth mindset and life-long attributes such as resilience, perseverance, creativity and the ability to collaborate and self-evaluate. We pride ourselves on small class sizes and a student-to-teacher ratio that allows for optimal learning. Rathdown has a long tradition of delivering academic excellence, while nurturing the skills and confidence of each individual student, regardless of their academic ability. Both students’ and parents’ high expectations are met and frequently surpassed. The majority of students gain places at leading third-level institutions across Ireland, the UK, Europe, the US and beyond.
Our Senior School offers a six-year programme: a three-year programme leading to the Junior Cycle State Examinations, a Transition-Year (TY) Programme in Fourth Year, and a two-year Senior Cycle leading to the Leaving Certificate Examination. We offer a diverse range of academic subjects (21 at Leaving Certificate level), with a particular emphasis on Mathematics, Sciences and Languages.
High quality teaching and an exceptional choice of subjects actively stretches students on every level. The combination of a broad curriculum to cater for the Board’s future vision of a co-educational day offering and careful guidance and excellent results ensures that our students are always in a strong position to achieve what they want following their time here.
Parental Survey Findings
97% believe there is a friendly/positive atmosphere in Rathdown School
95% of parents are pleased with their child(ren)’s progress
94% of parents are happy with Rathdown School
96% of parents strongly agree that their children enjoy being at school
93% of parents believe the school is well managed
Source: Rathdown School Parent Survey
A place of belonging for students of all abilities:
We have a small, qualified and dedicated team to provide extra support to students who require their assistance, mainly in the areas of literacy and numeracy. However, as students progress through to Leaving Certificate that support is, at times, focused on particular areas of the curriculum where students may experience difficulty.
We believe that teaching and learning should be both challenging and enjoyable for students of all abilities and we aim for the highest possible standards. Whether they are the most gifted academically, a good all-rounder or require additional help in some areas, your son or daughter will receive a stimulating and rewarding educational experience suited to their needs. As a small school, each student receives individual attention. We are small enough for everyone to know each other but large enough to offer an exceptional all-round education. Each student benefits as their teacher knows and understands their aptitudes and where they require extra support.
The Senior School Curriculum
Our Senior School offers a six-year programme: a three-year programme leading to the Junior Cycle State Examinations, a Transition-Year (TY) Programme in Fourth Year and a two year Senior Cycle leading to the Leaving Certificate Examination.
We offer a diverse range of academic subjects, 21 at Leaving Certificate level. Students can study up to 8 subjects for their Leaving Certificate, thus ensuring a broad education suiting girls and boys of all aptitudes.
At Junior Certificate, while we offer a diverse range of subjects, we do ensure that the core areas of Mathematics, English, Irish, Science and Languages are well catered for as we provide additional hours in these subjects when compared to the requirements as set out by the Department of Education.
Our Junior Cycle Curriculum
Every student studies English, Irish (unless exempt), Maths, Science, History, Geography and one modern language (German, French or Spanish). Students choose two additional subjects from a range including Business, Music, Graphics, Classics, Visual Art and Home Economics.
Additional subjects in Physical Education, Civic, Social & Political Education (CSPE) and Social, Personal & Health Education (SPHE) fall under the umbrella of Wellbeing, and are taken by all students.
What are the Strengths of Rathdown?
Why Choose Rathdown?
The Leaving Certificate Curriculum in Rathdown compared against a sample of South Dublin Schools
Our curriculum compares favourably with coeducational and single sex schools of equivalent size. We provide for all boys and girls of all aptitudes and interests with our well-balanced range of subjects.
Transition Year (TY)
Transition Year is a one-year programme which provides a bridge enabling students to successfully advance to Senior Cycle. It offers a different focus to the other five examinationdriven years. Our TY programme offers a broad and varied schedule of activities. It introduces students to new and interesting subjects and allows them to develop new life skills. It promotes the intellectual, personal, social and vocational development of our students. Selfassessment of goals, effort and achievement is an important part of the year. Rathdown students develop independence whilst being supported and guided where necessary.
A planned schedule of activities is developed for each term, ranging from trips and excursions to workshops and work experience. A particular highlight is the annual TY Musical which involves every student, whether on stage or behind the scenes.
Day-Boarding Option
Students are welcome to join their boarding peers for all meals in the canteen and in the extensive after-school study programme. We can tailor a package that meets the needs of busy families.
Student Wellbeing in the Senior School
Understanding & care live here:
We recognise each student as an individual and fully support their every endeavour. New talents are explored and discovered within an inspirational climate which encourages high personal aspirations for each student. Our aim is to create an open, happy, stimulating and mutually respectful community environment where each student is able to discover their potential in a balanced, integrated and liberal manner. Your child’s learning journey at Rathdown School will nurture their academic wellbring, their intellectual enthusiasm and their social confidence, giving them an enjoyment of learning that will sustain them through higher education and beyond.
Each student belongs to a year group and a form class, under the care of a Year Head and a Form Prefect. The Care Team provides a pastoral support framework finely attuned to the needs of both boarding and day pupils. Our qualified full-time nurse keeps a kindly eye on everyone’s health and wellbeing. Nurse is supported by a local GP, who visits regularly.
Time and again visitors say how they are struck by the atmosphere in the school that fosters a special sense of community and self-awareness amongst the staff and students. Every student entering Rathdown School is allocated to a particular House, each of which commemorates one of the original schools: Glengara Park, The Hall, Hillcourt and Park House. Each
House competes for points awarded during House Days or for helpful acts around the school carried out by individual House members. The points are tracked throughout the year and the winning House at the end of the year is rewarded.
Senior School Clubs & Societies
Opportunity & empowerment thrive here:
Each student is encouraged and supported in developing a successful and fulfilling balance between academic and extra-curricular activities. With a wide range of activities and clubs on offer each week, the opportunities are exciting and allow each student to explore their own interests.
We place great emphasis on the involvement of students in projects that help the wider community, while also developing the students’ own awareness of the world around them. Each year, students are encouraged to participate in An Gaisce, the National Challenge Award. A team of students and staff travel to Romania annually to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. Students Unite for Children’s Health (SUCH) was set up by Rathdown students to promote charity work and foster a sense of giving within the school community.
Senior School Clubs & Societies
Our Green Schools Committee aims to create an overall awareness of and respect for the environment. Rathdown School is actively involved in the Eco UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards which recognises and rewards young people who raise environmental awareness and improve the environment.
Our Lego Club provides an outlet for budding engineers and those interested in Science & Mathematics. The club competes in national competitions, building robots and mini-machines using Lego as a medium. The club meets weekly and is a fantastic opportunity for students of all ages to meet and learn to work collaboratively.
For over 20 years, Rathdown School has been involved in Model United Nations (MUN), allowing students to build confidence in public speaking and debating as well as a lasting interest in international affairs. We were the first all-girls’ secondary school in Ireland to host our very own MUN Conference, RADMUN, which now attracts over 300 delegates from secondary schools around Dublin each year.
Students are encouraged to get involved in drama, debating and public speaking with many taking individual exams and representing the school at inter-school competitions, in addition to gaining beneficial life-long skills. We value the development of self-expression and creativity as key parts of our students’ academic and personal development.
Our music and drama performances and productions form a core component of our students’ lives and education. They are of an exceptional standard, and many students continue to pursue their talents in these areas long after leaving school.
We understand that everyone is an individual and each student is encouraged to follow their passion, whether that is building robots or debating, singing or sailing, participating in Model United Nations or gardening – it does not matter. Everyone is afforded the opportunity to try something new or develop existing interests. We create an environment which encourages all our students to participate. Students are encouraged to embrace the future boldly, creatively and with a sense of purpose.
The Senior School Sports Programme
Courage & teamwork live here:
Sport is an essential ingredient of Rathdown School daily life. All students in Rathdown have the chance to fulfil their sporting potential. This may mean playing at the highest level or taking a more recreational approach. We want to inculcate a passion for sport and activity in our students. We want everyone to learn, enjoy and experience the benefits of being physically active and to learn how to continue their good habits after they leave school – Sport for All, Sport for Life.
Hockey is our main sport and will continue to be after the introduction of Coeducation. Schools hockey, for both boys and girls, is thriving in Ireland and will provide a tremendous outlet for all who want to play. Our significant investment in facilities is testament to our commitment. Our water-based hockey pitch is of Olympic standard and has been used by the National teams to prepare for major competitions.
We also provide excellence in coaching, appointing Heads of Hockey with impressive records as coaches and players, who in turn select coaches for our students who are dynamic, creative and resourceful.
There are many sports and clubs on offer at Rathdown to suit all levels and abilities, ranging from hockey, basketball and athletics to tennis and cricket. Our aim is to provide all students with
a sporting experience during their time at Rathdown School and, more importantly, an interest in sport for life. If a student has already developed a particular talent, we have the expertise to help them reach their potential. If they have yet to find their sporting passion or interest, students will be able to do so through the wide range of sports on offer. We recognise the important role sport plays in developing skills in communication, organisation and teamwork and our programmes are designed to develop our students physically, mentally and socially.
On our 16-acre campus, we have extensive sporting facilities, including an Olympic standard water-based hockey pitch, a sand-dressed hockey pitch, a grass athletics track, an all-weather cricket crease, six outdoor tennis courts and a fully equipped gymnasium which caters for indoor basketball and badminton as well as the Physical Education programmes for the Senior and Junior Schools. We also use local stables for our equestrian team, a local swimming pool and, of course, Dún Laoghaire harbour for sailing.
In addition to those sports listed above, we have many other sports and activities designed to keep students active and engaged: lacrosse, yoga, soccer, Gaelic football and rounders.
Exterior
OUR JUNIOR SCHOOL
Our Junior School students are automatically guaranteed a place in Rathdown Senior School.
Understanding & care live here:
Rathdown Junior School is a warm, child-centred community of learning and development. Everything we do at the school is planned to keep our students’ best interests front and centre at all times. Child-centred education involves teachers constantly gauging what their students make of the material being covered. It also involves prioritising students’ happiness and wellbeing. We take our duty of care very seriously and are ever mindful of the fact that the future of the students entrusted to us is in our hands – and also of the truth that happy children learn well.
The Junior School Academic Programme
Determination & hard work live here:
It is our aim that students at Rathdown develop the skills that enable them to become lifelong learners. To do this, we develop the whole child and encourage the confidence and self-belief that will lead to the success we wish for all our students in every aspect of their lives. Small class sizes mean that our committed teachers build close supportive relationships with their students. The bond of trust between staff and students is more than evident and allows students' journeys through our school to be rich and rewarding.
Depending on numbers the P5 and/or P6 class can be split in order to ensure small class sizes, which means that your son or daughter will receive individual attention in relation to their academic, social and creative development. The best of traditional methods are employed in teaching literacy and numeracy skills, coupled with more innovative and modern methods.
Rathdown Junior School follows the National Primary School Curriculum as laid out by the Department of Education and Science.
• The curriculum works in two-year cycles. In the odd-numbered year students are introduced to new concepts, and in the even-numbered year these concepts are reinforced
• The core subjects, which receive the greatest amount of time in the weekly timetable, are English, Maths and Irish.
• Social, Environmental and Scientific Education (SESE) subjects consist of History, Geography and Science.
• Arts Education operates in the areas of Music, Drama and Visual Arts.
• The curriculum also includes Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) and Religious/Ethical Education.
• At Rathdown we enrich our curriculum through the use of specialist teachers for areas such as Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Music, French and Sports/PE.
There has been media coverage of late about the importance of introducing children to modern languages at a young age; we are already doing this at Rathdown – our students start learning Spanish at age five.
The same is often said about ICT. At Rathdown we have an ICT programme that does not simply stand apart from the rest of the academic curriculum. Rather, it is used in such a way that our students learn organically how to incorporate technology in their work across the academic disciplines, notably through project work.
In Music class students are introduced to music theory and learn about the wide range of music types such as classical, jazz, blues and rock & roll.
The specialisation that comes from exposure to a range of different subjects develops a deeper understanding of a subject and prepares students for the Senior School system.
The school has a Learning Support department whose members work to provide the academic support that some children need, mainly in the areas of literacy and numeracy. These teachers work closely with class teachers, providing support in a variety of ways: through being an extra presence in the classroom, and by taking students (separately from the whole class) either singly or in small groups for reinforcement in particular areas.
The school day has a rhythm to it that works very well: academic classes interspersed with breaks, PE or other activities and lunch. For lunch, we offer a nutritious cooked lunch every day for all children whose parents wish to avail of it (otherwise sending packed lunches on some or all days).
Any children staying on campus after the school day for activities or to take part in our after-school programme (which we call Extended Day) are fed another hot meal in the early evening.
The Junior School Sports Programme
Courage & teamwork live here:
PE is an important part of the Junior School curriculum for all our students. The key approach here is ‘sport for all’, not merely for those who excel. Our programme focuses on improving children's flexibility, physical strength and conditioning. We teach fundamental skills such as throwing, catching, handeye coordination, running, skipping and turning; and aim to develop our students’ core strength, balance and the coordination skills that are useful for all sports or fitness activities. The children receive Speed, Agility, Quickness (SAQ) training. We also teach team skills, and what is involved in winning and losing graciously.
Our students play sports such as hockey, rounders, basketball, badminton, football, athletics (track & field) and cricket, with fixtures against other schools being arranged especially as the children progress up through the Junior School. Our approach is to introduce our students to a broad range of sports to give them as many sporting opportunities as possible rather than have them specialise from too young an age. Children have between 90 minutes and 2.75 hours of PE/Sport per week, depending on their age (with older children receiving more, as part of a longer school day that runs to 4.00 pm).
In addition to the PE/sports in which all children participate, we have a number of sports-themed extra-curricular activities (mostly taking place after school) that families may choose for their children:
• Athletics (P4-P6): This club offers an opportunity for children to extend their exposure to track & field events. (Spring/Summer)
• Playball (KG2-KG3): The success of Playball does not start and end with development of motor skills but rather lies in its approach. At Playball your child will be coached positively and encouraged to develop life skills which will improve self-image
• Sports Club (P1-P3): The aim of the sports club is to encourage positive involvement in sport. Each term we will look at a different sport. We will learn the skills needed to play it while also learning about how to umpire a match and run a small tournament. It will be a fun and very active club that your child is sure to enjoy. (Autumn/Winter)
• Lego Club (KG2-P3): Lego club is all about having fun by using your imagination, building and creating. Children will also be developing important life skills such as problem solving, communications and spatial intelligence.
• Tennis (P2-P6): This programme is designed to encourage children to enjoy tennis while developing the physical, mental, technical and tactical foundation for the future. Classes are for 40 minutes and include lots of games, coordination and skill exercises in an energetic and fun environment
Junior School Clubs & Activities
Opportunity & empowerment thrive here:
Aside from the sports-themed activities listed above, there is a wide array of extracurricular activities on offer in our Junior School, most taking place after school. We aim to provide a balanced and complementary range of offerings throughout the Junior School. A typical year’s offerings include:
• Art (P4-P6): Art is an exceptional way of learning and understanding the world. Let us take you on a journey exploring ‘World Art’ – focusing on developing art skills in painting through the use of acrylics, water colours and various other media such as fabric, pens, pencils, oil pastels and chalk. Students will be introduced to techniques such as pointillism, mixed media, tribal art, stamping, print-making and many more. This class will also explore the work of great artists in a fun and interesting way.
• Arts & Crafts (P1-P3): This club offers a hands-on, fun and creative approach to arts and crafts – inspiring your child’s imagination and self-expression! The emphasis is on learning skills and developing confidence and creativity while enjoying the process.
• Ballet (LG2-P3): Our ballet classes concentrate on ballet techniques as well as balance, grace, and strength. The girls will work on posture and body alignment while developing strong muscles. Ballet gives a foundation of life skills; it builds physical health, confidence and discipline, and it provides intellectual stimulation.
• Chess Club (P3-P6): Lessons take place at lunchtime one day a week. While playing chess in a fun environment, your child will sharpen their analytical and observation skills. Chess teaches critical & abstract thinking, planning, logic and analysis. It improves the ability to concentrate and teaches the value of good sportsmanship.
• Green School: This is an initiative that promotes awareness and protection of our world and focuses on different aspects of life (travel & transport, litter & waste, energy, biodiversity) and how we can be more eco-friendly. Each flag encourages schools to set and achieve goals, including increasing awareness and bringing lasting change to how we can operate in a greener way and put the 'reduce, reuse and recycle' model into practice.
• Junior School Choir (P2-P6): The Junior School Choir Club rehearses every Tuesday morning at 8.30am. This gives P2- P6 students who love to sing an opportunity to do so in a fun environment with others. The Junior School Choir Club covers a wide variety of songs - pop, classical, musical theatre and world music - to name but a few! The group performs for school assemblies and events.
• Kinder Music (KG2-KG3): These classes focus on developing your child’s musical ear and sense of rhythm, through learning simple songs and using percussion instruments. KG2 and KG3 students are introduced to the piano, violin, recorder, flute and guitar amongst other instruments in the Kinder Music Classes. They provide the ideal preparation for individual instrumental or singing lessons later on.
• French (KG2-P6): TThrough lively and stimulating activities, students will build up a broad and lasting knowledge of the French language. They will learn to understand and use familiar everyday expressions and phrases.
• Speech & Drama (KG2-P6): Speech & Drama classes cover all aspects of speech and drama, including poetry, plays, improvisation, mime and movement, storytelling and public speaking. Students are prepared for optional participation in the Stagecraft Poetry Feis and the Irish Board of Speech and Drama Communication Exams. The emphasis in the classes is on participation and fun.
• STEM Club (P1-P6): STEM Club is an enjoyable way to engage young people with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. Most importantly, this club is fun and exciting, allowing all students involved to explore STEM subjects in innovative and inventive ways.
• Science Club (KG2-KG3): This is a fun, hands-on based science class, which will develop your child’s natural curiosity, creativity and encourage them to use their imaginations. This will be done through interactive experiments and making a mess!
As can be seen from this list, we ensure that we offer something for everybody, from more physical activities to more cerebral, from musical to cultural to artistic.
This range of activities is yet another way that we show that we recognise and encourage children in their individuality and empower them to build and pursue their own interests.
Junior School Extended Day & Camp Programme
Fun & adventure play here:
We understand that for many of our working parents our after-school programme (which we call Extended Day) is an essential part of the care that we provide. To allow parents extra flexibility and peace of mind, we provide extensive after-school facilities throughout the year and an activity camp – Camp Rathdown – which opens during school holidays (apart from during the Christmas break).
Our programme is in keeping with the caring ethos of the Junior School and aims to provide a home-from-home atmosphere for the children in a secure and stimulating environment outside of school hours. Under the supervision of qualified staff, the programme runs daily (Mon – Fri) from 8.00am (before the official start of the school day at 8.45am) until 6.30pm all year round, excluding bank and national holidays.
Children have the opportunity to complete their homework and also to take part in games and activities organised by the Extended Day staff as well as enjoying unstructured play time with their friends (often outdoors, weather permitting). They are also fed a hot meal before going home.
Our fun multi-activity Camp Rathdown programme is open to girls and boys aged 3 to 12 years and runs during all mid-term breaks and during the Easter and summer holidays.
Designed for recreation, adventure and creativity, Camp Rathdown is open daily and offers a range of activities suited to all abilities. The activities vary from week to week, including sports, art and craft, drama, music and science. Children are given the chance to develop character, learn new skills, make new friends, and discover new interests.
PRE-SCHOOL
“Play is the highest form of research”
Albert Einstein
Rathdown Pre-School (KG1) follows a play-based curriculum guided by Aistear, The National Curriculum Framework for children aged 0-6 years, accommodating boys and girls. The Aistear themes – Wellbeing, Exploring and Thinking, Communication, and Identity & Belonging – are at the centre of every activity. Our aim is to provide a happy, fun learning environment where each child is encouraged to achieve their full potential. A very special atmosphere prevails in our purpose-built Pre-School building, with a full schedule of exciting activities planned in our classrooms each day from 8.45am to 12pm. Science, geography, art, languages, pre-reading skills, pre-writing skills and much more are explored through play-based activities. Messy play provides a unique opportunity for hands-on learning. Music and PE classes take place during our morning sessions and ballet is available as an optional extra. Rathdown PreSchool operates the ECCE scheme and our age eligibility criteria operate in line with this Government funded scheme. Year One is available to children from the September of the calendar year in which they turn three years old and Year Two is available to children from the September of the calendar year in which they turn four years old.
In addition to our sessional service, Rathdown Pre-School also offers both part-time and full-time day care services. These services open daily between 8am and 6.30pm. The afternoons are funfilled with extra-curricular activities such as Forest School, Sports Tots, Steam Club and lots more. A hot lunch and a hot evening meal are catered for by our in-house catering department. Camps are available throughout holiday periods with the exception of Christmas.
The colourful and spacious classrooms include interactive whiteboards; double paint easels; reading corners; construction & small world areas, and home corners. Our playground is well equipped with toys and outdoor equipment. Our sheltered area provides an outdoor classroom which allows for year-round outdoor activities such as sand and water play.
The Pre-School programme encourages individual and social development, resulting in a community of selfsufficient, curious and happy children who eagerly participate in all class and school activities. The children take part in Assembly, Sports Day and all major occasions throughout the school year alongside the children of the Junior School.
RATHDOWN MUSIC SCHOOL
Creativity & performance live here
Rathdown offers top-class facilities where like-minded students of all years can work together and encourage each other to develop their talents. All of the Rathdown community has outlets for music-making, performing and participation in drama and dance.
We provide an outlet and platform for budding stars of the future, as well as for students whose ambitions are not as lofty. Whether it is learning an instrument, singing in the choir or being involved in dramatic productions, whether it is representing the school at competition or taking exams, Music and the Arts are part of the lifeblood of Rathdown. Through lessons, rehearsals, exams, competitions, performances and recitals the students are drawn together to make the most of a busy and ambitious musical life. Our school orchestras and choirs partake in various competitions and performances throughout the year. Individual and group tuition is offered in singing and a wide variety of instruments. Musicianship classes are also available.
The superior facilities of our purposebuilt Music School allow students to explore their talents in full. A large auditorium allows us to host performances, choir and orchestra rehearsals, as well as individual lessons and public events. There are eight sound-proofed practice rooms, as well as a state-of-the-art Music Tech room.
Individual music lessons in a wide range of instruments and vocal styles are offered by our dedicated team of music professionals. In addition, our choirs and orchestras are open to everyone in the school, and there is a packed performance schedule throughout the academic year.
Rathdown offers a broad and varied selection of instrumental and group lessons and activities: Kinder-music; violin; viola; cello; piano; guitar; clarinet; saxophone; flute ; recorder; Irish harp; percussion/drums; trumpet; trombone; voice (both classical and musical theatre).
A School Where Belonging Changes Everything
We hope you now have a sense of what makes Rathdown School unique, but this is no substitute for visiting us in person. Come and visit us either individually or as a family and allow us to show you around our lovely school.
No matter if your child joins our Junior or Senior School, they will be joining a family community where they will be well known and cared for as an individual.
Admissions are coordinated by our Registrar, Jennifer ElGabali, who will be very happy to answer any questions that you may have. A student’s name may be entered for admission to Rathdown School at any time, although early registration is advised. Registration forms are available on our website (www.rathdownschool.ie) or from the School Office.
For all admission queries, please contact Jennifer on Email: registrar@rathdownschool.ie Telephone: +353 1 285 3133
Rathdown School is owned by Rathdown School Trust, a registered charity, which is limited by guarantee. It is governed by a Board of Governors and managed by a Board of Management.
BELONGING
WE ARE A SCHOOL WHERE BELONGING CHANGES EVERYTHING
Rathdown School
Upper Glenageary Road
Glenageary
Co. Dublin
A96 NX44
Ireland
Telephone: +353 1 285 3133
Email: registrar@rathdownschool.ie WWW.RATHDOWNSCHOOL.IE
Location
Set within 16 acres of beautiful grounds in Glenageary, Co. Dublin, on a hill overlooking the sea at Dún Laoghaire, with inland views of the Wicklow Mountains, our school offers students security and space to grow and develop.
Our accessible location enables students to take full advantage of the rich opportunities offered by Dublin city and its surrounds. Glenageary is a suburb of Dublin, located 12km south of the city centre. This residential area is very quiet and is well connected to Dublin by bus and only a few minutes’ walk from Glenageary railway station facilitating connections nationwide.
Hillcourt House, the original schoolhouse of Mr Toone’s Hillcourt School, will continue to be the focal point and iconic ‘front’ of the school. Here is Hillcourt House flanked by a new student entrance.