Ethos & Learn Together

Our School is under the patronage of Educate Together. Our ethos is based on the four main principles of Educate Together:

• Equality Based: All children are treated with care and equal treatment regardless of their socio-economic, cultural or religious background. The children are free to be themselves and are exposed to different beliefs and perspectives in a respectful way which encourages critical thinking. This affirms each child’s identity and encourages them to see diversity and different world views in a positive light.
• Co-Educational: Children are encouraged to explore their full range of abilities and are provided with equal opportunities regardless of their gender or identity. We encourage our children to challenge gender stereotyping in all its forms and encourage and support the wide variety and range of talents among children irrespective of gender or identity.
• Child-Centred: Our school puts the children at the heart of all policies and practices and involves them in decision making where appropriate through class discussions and our student-led committees (Student Council, Green Schools, Active Schools, Amber Flag).
• Democratically Run: democracy is central to our ethos and to the running of our schools. We encourage participation at all levels of our school, from student-led committees, our Parent’s Association (PTA), Teachers, In-school Management Team and Board of Management.

Learn Together is an Ethical Education curriculum which is taught in Educate Together Schools. Ethical Education is defined as education that enlightens, challenges and broadens our perspective of the world. It encourages reflection and engagement with local and global issues and emphasises a shared responsibility for ensuring that equality and human rights are extended to all. Ethical Education invites pupils and teachers to engage with issues and problems facing society and aims to develop the skills of critical thinking, discussion and debate.

The Learn Together Curriculum aims to enable pupils to:

• Become self-aware, reflective individuals with a secure sense of belonging and identity.
• Develop the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes that will facilitate them to live as ethical people who are empathetic, socially aware and committed to democratic principles and values, global citizenship and equality.
• Develop and use critical thinking skills that will facilitate them to critique their world and empower them to give reasoned explanations for their opinions, decisions and actions.
• Recognise their role as active members of a democratic society with the potential to take action that will lead to positive change.
• Recognise the impact of the climate crisis and their role as active members of a democratic society with the potential to take action that will lead to positive change.
• Develop ethical principles in relation to human rights, equality and justice and apply these principles to their daily lives.
• Become familiar with the tenets and beliefs of the major religions and rational understandings of the world.
• Relate this learning to their individual experience in the context of their local, national and global community.

The Learn Together curriculum is a spiral curriculum with similar themes explored and developed from Junior Infants to 6th class. We cover 4 strands as part of the Learn Together Curriculum:

• An Ethical Approach to the Environment
• Equality and Justice
• Values and Ethical Perspectives
• Belief Systems

For further information please see https://www.educatetogether.ie/about/ethical-education/primary.