Hello! Come in…
We asked two of our students to show you around.
Educate Together & the National Curriculum
Dún Laoghaire Educate Together National School is under the Patronage of Educate Together.
Educate Together is unique in education
Educate Together schools, like many others in Ireland, are state-funded and follow the National Curriculum. We offer a welcoming, non-fee-paying environment for students from all backgrounds. These co-educational schools don’t have uniforms, allowing everyone to express their individuality.
We focus on fostering a sense of equality and justice among students. The involvement of parents, students, staff, and the wider community is highly valued, and everyone’s input helps make the school a better place.
Educate Together Schools follow an ethical curriculum called Learn Together. This curriculum has been designed and written by the Educate Together Patron body. It consists of four strands: i) An Ethical Approach to the Environment ii) Equality and Justice iii) Values iv) Ethical Perspectives and Belief Systems.
Forest School:
Growing Green Fingers
We are proud to offer Forest School, an innovative and inspiring outdoor education program that takes learning beyond the classroom and into nature.
Forest School is all about exploration, discovery, and hands-on learning in a natural environment. Children spend regular sessions in outdoor spaces, where they engage in activities like building shelters, identifying plants and animals, climbing, storytelling, and creating art using natural materials.
Through Forest School, children develop confidence, resilience, and problem-solving skills, while fostering a lifelong connection with the environment. It’s a space where the children in our school can play, take safe risks, and grow at their own pace.
Our program is designed to support the holistic development of the children in our school building social, physical, and emotional skills alongside academic learning. By experiencing nature in all its forms, from sunny days to muddy puddles, children learn to adapt, appreciate the seasons, and care for the world around them.
We believe Forest School helps children thrive, giving them the tools they need to be creative, independent, and environmentally conscious learners.
Write a Book Project
Each year, our students take part in the Write-a-Book Project, a wonderful initiative that encourages creativity and a love of writing. This exciting program invites children to become authors by writing, illustrating and producing their very own books.
The Write-a-Book Project allows students to:
Explore Their Creativity: Children get to dream up stories, characters and ideas, bringing their imaginations to life.
Develop Key Skills: Through writing, editing and illustrating, students enhance their literacy, critical thinking and artistic abilities.
Build Confidence: Completing their own book and sharing it with classmates fosters a sense of pride and achievement.
Celebrate Individuality: Each book reflects the unique voice and perspective of its author, making every creation special.
At Dún Laoghaire Educate Together National School, we celebrate the hard work and talent of our young authors, showcasing their amazing creations during the project. The Write-a-Book Project is a highlight of the school year and we are always inspired by the creativity and dedication of our students.
Music Classes — Plucking the Strings of Happiness
Students from 2nd to 6th class have the opportunity to participate in music lessons with Mobile Music School. This is a fantastic chance for our children to explore the joy of playing the ukulele together.
To ensure everyone can join in, we’ve invested in a brand new set of ukuleles for the school. This way, each student can fully engage and enjoy the learning experience.
Mobile Music School is known for its engaging and inclusive music education programs. Our talented instructor, Niamh, leads our students in discovering the basics of ukulele-playing; fostering musical skills, confidence, and creativity.
Music education offers many benefits, such as enhancing cognitive development, memory, and social skills. We believe this program will be a valuable addition to our curriculum, providing enriching experiences that will benefit our students for years to come.
Swimming: Making Waves
Every year, our students from 1st to 6th Class make fantastic strides in their swimming lessons at Blue Pool, our local community pool (it’s 200 metres from our school). Each class participates in an engaging 8-week swimming program and every Friday, they excitedly put on their swim gear, and get ready for a fun and educational adventure.
With the support of our dedicated Blue Pool instructors, they practice everything from floating and kicking to mastering basic strokes and advanced techniques.
It’s truly heartwarming to witness their transformation from tentative first splashes to confident laps in the pool. The encouragement and cheers among classmates make every milestone feel special! This term’s swimming program has been a wonderful success, helping everyone build a solid foundation for enjoying the water safely and confidently.
Athletics: Ready, Set Go!
We encourage our students to get active and join in the fun of athletics. Over the past few years, our senior students have taken part in exciting athletic events with other local schools, enjoying everything from obstacle races to 100m sprints and 4x100m relays. This year, they're gearing up for the Athletics events organized by Cumann na mBunscol Athletics.
We’ll be registering teams for the School Sports in February, and the competitions will be held at the impressive Morton Stadium in Santry over several days in late May. We can't wait to cheer on our young athletes and help foster a love for sport in everyone!
Rugby: Trying your best
Throughout the year, our students have a great time learning and practising the exciting skills and techniques of rugby! Our amazing coach, Emily from Leinster Rugby, does a wonderful job of introducing the fundamentals in a safe and engaging way, and the kids are so enthusiastic.
They’ve been working hard on their passing, catching, running, and kicking, all while enjoying a variety of fun drills and games during practice. It’s a fantastic journey of growth and teamwork!
Roots of Empathy
Growing connection and compassion
Roots of Empathy is a wonderful evidence based program that helps children develop empathy and understanding. At the centre of this experience is a baby and their parent, fostering a unique relationship that lasts throughout the year.
Guided by a Roots of Empathy Instructor, the class engages with a specially designed curriculum that encourages connection and compassion.
If you’d like to learn more about this incredible program, just click here! We’d love to share more with you!
Educate Together schools are dedicated to helping students reach their full potential. Each student is encouraged to explore their unique talents and abilities, with equal opportunities provided for all, regardless of their identity.
At the heart of everything Educate Together schools do is a commitment to inclusivity. All children are given equal access to education, and no single religion or worldview is prioritised over another. Together, we create a nurturing and supportive environment for every student.
Additional Educational Needs
We pride ourselves on recognising the individuality of each of our students and celebrating their strengths. We work hard to meet the individual needs of students. We have a ‘universal strategies’ approach and have systems in place across the whole school. Examples include relaxation stations, access to fidgets, movement breaks, and visual timetables.
Certain students may need additional support. Our best practice ‘Continuum of Support’ approach ensures those students with the most needs are prioritised. This could be, support with literacy or numeracy, managing social situations, emotional literacy, or regulation.
We have a team of extremely caring and dedicated Additional Needs Assistants (ANAs) to support our students’ care needs. ANAs work with their assigned students in the classroom and in the yard to help them reach their potential and get the most out of school.
Additional Educational Needs Teachers work across all classes. They are allocated to the school on a needs basis by the Department of Education. They support students through one-to-one teaching, in-class teaching, or small-group teaching. We are always happy to link in with any external agencies to help support your child in school.
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As part of an overlap between our Learn Together Curriculum, and our Additional Education Needs, DLETNS celebrated 'Neurodiversity Fortnight: celebrating all our minds' in October 2024. During this time, we explored how our brains are all unique and how we each process information in our own way. Together, we learnt about the diverse needs and feelings of each individual, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation for everyone in our community. The PTA were involved in organising an event for the adults in the community, while our teachers led school-based activities for all our students. We embraced and celebrated our uniqueness, something which we strive to do all the time!
Wellbeing is a priority in our school. We offer a range of programs and initiatives that focus on social and emotional literacy and support learning beyond traditional academia; including Neurodiversity fortnight, Restorative Practice, Forest School, Intercultural Week, Ukulele lessons, and Student Council.
Over the last two years, wellbeing has been the focus of our 'School Self Evaluation.' We have consulted with parents, staff, and most importantly our student body, in a genuine and meaningful manner on wellbeing. From analysing this data, we have implemented various actions, including: working on our communication structures between school and the parent body, implementing wellbeing school programmes (e.g. Zippy's Friends, Zones of Regulation, Friends for Life) and doing our morning meetings/check-ins.
We recognise that for students to learn they need to be happy, feel safe and well in school, which is why wellbeing is of paramount importance.
Our focus on wellbeing
Restorative Practice – for stronger relationships
We are proud to be on a journey to become a Restorative Practice (RP) school. RP is all about building positive relationships and developing community. The framework provides the skills to solve conflict and arguments, with the emphasis on restoration and not on blame.
Here’s what it looks like in practice. Each class has a daily morning meeting, where students give an energy rating of how they are feeling, and we play a short game that develops community.
When issues arise, we use the 5 Restorative Practice Questions to solve conflict: What happened? What were you thinking at the time? What have you thought about since? Who has been affected? What can you do to make things right?
New skills for a new world
At Dún Laoghaire Educate Together National School, we are proud to offer a comprehensive Digital Literacy Program that empowers our students with the skills they need to navigate and succeed in an increasingly digital world.
iPads in the Classroom
Classes use iPads, allowing students to use various educational apps and tools across all subjects. They can read, do maths, create presentations and videos, and learn independently, all while being creative and working together.
Chromebooks for Advanced Learning
Chromebooks help students learn essential skills like typing and creating documents. They use online tools like Google Workspace to research, write, and work together on projects, preparing them for future learning and work.
Early Coding Skills with Bee-Bots and BBC Micro:bits
We introduce coding with fun and engaging tools. Younger students learn basic coding with Bee-Bots, while older students explore more advanced concepts with BBC Micro:bits. These tools make learning to code interactive and help students develop problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.
Develop critical digital skills for the future.
Gain confidence in using technology to express ideas and solve problems.
Learn to collaborate effectively in a tech-driven environment.
Foster creativity and innovation through hands-on, project-based learning.
Key benefits of digital literacy
STEAM Academy
Learning through Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics
Wednesdays 2:10 - 3:10 pm
Welcome to STEAM Academy, an exciting and interactive afterschool program designed for kids aged 4 to 12! Here, your child will creatively use the latest technologies to tackle some of humanity’s biggest challenges and become the NextGen PROs we all need!
Check out our our introductory video, where you can get a glimpse of our unique approach to STEAM education, our core values, and even see some of the amazing robots your children will build with us!
Our program focuses on equipping students with essential problem-solving skills through modern technology, preparing them to face future challenges. Aligned with the UN sustainability goals, our lessons provide a solid educational foundation and a clear progression path. We’re thrilled to share that some of our talented students have participated in global competitions like the World Robotic Olympiad and have even become world champions! Join us in this incredible journey of learning and discovery!
Join the Fiesta Spanish Classes
12-week term | Mondays 2.10 -3.10 pm | 1st-3rd class
At Lingotot Spanish, we’re all about opening up a world of joy and opportunity through languages! We specialize in creating a fun and engaging learning environment that helps children build a positive connection with language from an early age. Our classes are lively and interactive, filled with songs, movement, child-friendly props, music, stories, and crafts that spark excitement!
We use simple language games to make learning enjoyable and effective, ensuring that every child feels included and motivated. Plus, when you register, you’ll receive a termly workbook to support your child’s journey. Join us as we explore the wonderful world of languages together!
A 10% sibling discount is available and processed on booking.
MONTHLY PAYMENT PLAN AVAILABLE - please email us at southdublin@lingotot.com for more info.