Holy Family Senior NS is a catholic, co-educational primary school which caters for boys and girls from second to sixth class. It is co-located with Holy Family Junior School alongside the Cathedral and Old Ground Hotel in the centre of Ennis town. In addition to the two school buildings, the impressive campus also includes a separate and very spacious school hall complete with stage and sports facilities, a cafeteria serving healthy hot food, a Montessori and a pre-school, a playing field and hurling wall; a school garden and an After-School Facility.The After-School Facility is available to both the Junior and Senior school pupils so as to ensure that parents have the comfort of knowing that their children will be collected from class and taken care of until they are finished work, if they wish to avail of the service.

These outstanding facilities enable us to provide a very broad and progressive curriculum aimed at delivering a positive educational experience for all pupils. The school’s ethos prioritises the holistic development of the child and our vision is for a partnership approach in which home, school and community work together to create a spirit of mutual respect in which every child can flourish.  Practical substance is given to this vision by a vibrant and highly committed team of teachers who work collaboratively to achieve these aims and objectives. Regular school community assemblies and internal whole school reward systems and a student’s council encourage respect, loyalty and pride in the school.

There are 26 teachers including an Administrative Principal and a Home School Liaison Coordinator, Secretary, Caretaker and Counsellor  in the school. At present there are seven fulltime SNAs who along with our experienced and expert Special Education Teaching Team support the provision of a caring and differentiated curriculum to our pupils. We also have a dedicated reading unit for pupils in 3^rd and 4^th class with dyslexia. Children come from all over Co Clare to this unit which has a pupil teacher ratio of 9 to 1.

All classrooms are equipped with interactive whiteboards which facilitate the most up-to-date teaching techniques as part of the school’s on-going commitment in using ICT in education. The school also boasts a state-of-the-art ICT room which is used to enable the pupils participate in Literacy and Numeracy and other curricular interactive projects We have a well equipped library with a comprehensive range of books together with an Accelerated Reading Library. This year all pupils have access to IPADs and subjects such as SESE, Maths and Literacy have been invigorated by this new technology. All 26 teachers have access to an Intranet of shared learning resources and an internal e-mail system ensures effective communication between class teachers and support teachers in relation to individual pupil progress and achievement. The welfare and the educational needs of the children is the underpinning factor in all planning in our school community.

In addition to high quality teaching and learning, Holy Family SNS also offers an extensive range of extra-curricular activities. Our pupils regularly distinguish themselves in the areas of drama and musical performance; the visual arts and a host of sporting pursuits aimed at catering for all preferences. Sport and games play an integral part of school life and school teams participate in hurling, football and camogie competitions. In addition to Gaelic games, your child can also choose from soccer, athletics, basketball, gymnastics, swimming, drama, quiz teams, debating team, green school committee, school choir, chamber choir , band, strings project and majorettes. We are fortunate that teachers all work in a voluntary capacity to ensure that pupils have access to these extra curricular activities.

Musical performance and the performing arts have long held pride of place in the school’s tradition. Annual performances are a highpoint in the school calendar, while the school and chamber choirs have an enviable reputation at local and national competitions. They regularly participate in National competitions, Church events, Cross Border musical projects and singing competitions including Feile na hInse. Teachers also adopt a very broad approach to the visual arts and the pupils explore a variety of art forms using a range of media and also using the expertise of real artists from the community on a regular basis.

After School Pupils who meet the criteria will be eligible for free places in the Montessori School and New Pre-School from January, 2010 under the new ECCE Scheme.