Summary Perspective of Stakeholders
Consideration of the views of boards of management, senior leadership teams, parents, students and staffs of Mount St. Michael’s and St. Colman’s College, and the parents in 17 local feeder primary schools, can be summarised as follows:
The preference is for a secondary school where there is:
- Co-educational provision
- A school where all students can learn together, irrespective of gender.
- High quality of teaching and learning
- The highest academic standards should prevail, with all students being enabled to learn to the best of their ability
- A wide curriculum and all options and programmes made available to students
- The widest curriculum to be available, with all students being able to access all subjects on an equal basis for boys and girls
- A wide variety of cultural, sporting, and extra-curricular activities
- The interests and abilities of students to be catered for through the wide range of sport and extra-curricular activities
- A local school
- It should be possible for students to be able to attend their local school where they can gain access to the same education as students in other local towns
- A Catholic Ethos
- Catholic values of compassion, respect, kindness, care should be the lived experience of students, as well as being able to attend rituals such as prayer services, mass etc., and that RE is taught to all, with due respect to those of other faiths and none.
- High standard of pastoral care of students
- Care of students in a safe environment is a priority for parents and staff alike.
- An inclusive, diverse environment
- Those of all ethnicities, races, religions etc. can work and thrive together irrespective of background.
- Modern buildings and facilities
- All students should be able to be educated in modern buildings with state-of-the-art facilities.
F Smith, Facilitator, December 2023