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CurriculumThe pupils in Holy Family School access either the NCCA Curriculum for children with Moderate Intellectual disabilities or the Curriculum for children with severe and profound intellectual disabilities.
Along with this, each year an Individual Educational Plan (IEP) is compiled for each pupil in which team members meet and identify goals and targets to focus on for the child's specific educational needs. The IEP goals and targets are written on a working document and are constantly reviewed with one formal meeting to review goals mid-year. |
Subject Areas
*Communication & Language
* Reading/Writing
* Maths
* History
* Geography
* Science
* Visual Arts
* Music
* Drama
* Physical Education
* Social, Personal, Health Education
* Religious Education
* Home Economics (Senior Cycle)
* Reading/Writing
* Maths
* History
* Geography
* Science
* Visual Arts
* Music
* Drama
* Physical Education
* Social, Personal, Health Education
* Religious Education
* Home Economics (Senior Cycle)
Language & Communication
We put particular emphasis on Language and Communication as one of the foundation curricular areas. Each pupil is individually assessed annually on both their receptive and expressive language functioning and appropriate provisions and programmes are tailored to maximise children's communication abilities. Such programmes include PECS, Derbyshire, celf language assessment, colourful semantics, See and Learn and Lámh, to identify but a few. Physical EducationOur school provides many opportunities for Physical Education activities. These include swimming, horse riding, golf and soccer for all.
Our students are involved in a wide range of sports with many both training and competing in the Special Olympics programme. 
Soccer for all is an initiative that has been set up by the FAI and involves the Transition Year pupils from the local Secondary School. The TY pupils plan and prepare weekly workshops and drills to suit our pupils. This is a program that has been implemented for a number of years and has been extremely successful for all involved.
Some photos from our annual cycling workshops. where pupils begin to learn to cycle from a baseline, all beginning with a balance bike and progressing onwards at their own pace.
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NumeracyWe have adopted a very hands on approach when addressing the numeracy strands. Particularly our Senior Cycle pupils who have taken on a number of initiatives to approaching maths and numeracy in a practical and everyday situations.
We have a PVT Mini Company where pupils are involved in creating, gathering and selling produce. Practical approaches to maths are adopted for maths across the school with all classrooms well equipped with tactile resources such as Numicon that are highly motivating for pupils. Home Economics
The above pictures give you a very brief insight of the senior pupils partaking in home economics as part of their secondary curriculum. Home Economics involves many strands by which pupils have to carry out a task from analyzing a recipe, inferring what materials, ingredients and resources are required, shopping for materials to following the recipe to creating a finished product.
S.E.S.e.As well as our classroom activities we encourage broadening our learning to beyond the classroom. SESE planning often involves whole school activities such as inviting in guest speakers. This year we had visits from many members of the community such as the local Guards, a Speaker on being safe when cycling.
We often get involved in social outings, where pupils are given the chance to transfer their learning from the class to the wider community. Swimming and HydrotherpayEach class has a weekly slot for swimming and hydrotherapy, in this fantastic facility. During this time the pupils can engage with the aquatic strands of the curriculum as well as allowing some multidisciplinary programming be facilitated.
Music Therapy
We have a part time music therapist. Each class is allocated a weekly music therapy session for one school term. During these sessions pupils engage and interact with the music material as a means of developing life and interpersonal skills.
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At Holy Family School we are continually promoting the holistic education of our pupils. We are always willing to try new programmes. Here are a few of the programmes we have undertaken in the past 12 months all of these involve health and safety promotion and education within our school. We are very proud that we have been awarded a health promoting school flag. Click here to learn more about our health promoting school activities.
For the First time in Holy Family School, senior pupils will begin taking elements of the new junior cycle certificate programme. The programme is called Level 2 Learning Programme (L2LPs) for pupils with particular special educational needs.
The L2LPs will build upon prior learning and are designed primarily around 5 Priority Learning Units (PLUs) that focus on the social, personal and prevocational skills that prepare students for further study, for work and life.
The PLUs include:
1. Communicating and literacy: Covers both verbal and non-verbal ways of receiving and giving information. Reading and writing are also further developed.
2. Numeracy: Develops awareness of patterns and relationships in shape and number as well as skills in estimation, measurement and problem solving.
3. Personal care: Deals with health and well being, covering areas such as healthy eating and healthy lifestyles.
4. Living in a community: Students develop strategies to establish and maintain positive relationships with people around them. Seeking help and advice as well as dealing with conflict are included here.
5. Preparing for work: Assists students in making the transition from school to further education, training or employment.
All students who complete a junior cycle programme will receive a certificate awarded at Level 2 of the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). L2LPs will lead to a certificate at Level 2.
The L2LPs will build upon prior learning and are designed primarily around 5 Priority Learning Units (PLUs) that focus on the social, personal and prevocational skills that prepare students for further study, for work and life.
The PLUs include:
1. Communicating and literacy: Covers both verbal and non-verbal ways of receiving and giving information. Reading and writing are also further developed.
2. Numeracy: Develops awareness of patterns and relationships in shape and number as well as skills in estimation, measurement and problem solving.
3. Personal care: Deals with health and well being, covering areas such as healthy eating and healthy lifestyles.
4. Living in a community: Students develop strategies to establish and maintain positive relationships with people around them. Seeking help and advice as well as dealing with conflict are included here.
5. Preparing for work: Assists students in making the transition from school to further education, training or employment.
All students who complete a junior cycle programme will receive a certificate awarded at Level 2 of the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). L2LPs will lead to a certificate at Level 2.
