Teaching and Learning
The Quality of Teaching and Learning
In St. Louis we pride ourselves on having a warm, friendly, caring group of teachers who take a great personal interest in all their pupils. We have very few discipline problems so that teachers can focus all their energies on the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom. Our mixed-ability system combined with a high degree of setting allows pupils to achieve their full potential in all subjects and therefore gain the best possible results in their Junior and Leaving Certificates. We expect very high standards from our pupils and we have a long and proven track record in achieving those standards of excellence. Our top pupils regularly achieve the very high points required for the top university courses such as pharmacy, dentistry and medicine. Pupils regularly gain entrance scholarships to the main universities in Ireland. On the other hand, pupils with learning difficulties receive a high degree of support and inevitably gain a successful Leaving Certificate.
Curriculum: Organisation and Structure
When a pupil enters the school she is assigned to a mixed ability class group. Depending on enrolment, the size of the class could vary from 18 pupils up to 25. While the pupil’s home class will remain a mixed ability class, gradually the pupils are grouped on an ability basis for various subjects. This begins with Maths and then Irish and by the time a pupil reaches Fourth Year all classes are ‘set’ so that pupils can advance at an appropriate pace. This system recognises that a pupil’s strengths may vary from subject to subject. For example, a pupil who is very good at English would be in a top, fast track honours class with pupils of similar ability while if she found Irish difficult, she would be in an Irish class that proceeded at a slower pace. This system of setting allows for normally four but sometimes five different classes in a subject all occurring at the same time. It is widely recognised that this system affords pupils the opportunity to maximise results in Certificate Examinations.