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Board of Management members
The following persons have been
appointed by the Loreto Trust Board to serve on the
Board of Management from 15 October 2010 to 14
October 2013:
Trustee nominees
Sr. Helen O’ Riordan, I.B.V.M.,
(chairperson)
Ms. Heike Huelswitt
Mr. Brian MacGonagle
Ms. Kai Gahan
Parent nominees
Mr. Owen Hillery
Ms. Patricia Hackett
Teacher nominees
Mr. Tom Gunning
Ms.
Lisa Shannon
Mr. Billy O’ Shea (Principal) serves as secretary to
the Board in a non-voting capacity.
Agreed Report of Board of Management
meeting
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Attendance
Sr. Helen, Ms. Shannon, Mr. Gunning, Ms.
Gahan, Mr. Hillery, Ms. Huelswitt, Ms. Hackett and
Mr. Mac Gonagle.
As Secretary to the Board, Mr. O’ Shea
also attended.
Report from Finance Sub-Committee
Mr. O’ Shea, on behalf of the Finance
Sub-Committee, presented the Board with an Income and
Expenditure Statement from 1 September 2011 to 13
December 2011.
School policies, 2011/2012
Mr. O’ Shea reported on the ongoing work
of the School Development Planning (SDP) group in the
school. The group is recommending the appointment of an
Education Officer in the school - on the same model as
the existing ICT Co-ordinator - whose brief would be to
ensure that members of the Loreto school community are
fully-informed of current and future developments in
education and to engage in all necessary research work
in the school to assess/monitor teaching and learning.
The Board both welcomed and accepted this initiative.
Child Protection
It was agreed that whole- staff training
on the new procedures would take place on 13 January
2012.
Principal’s Report
Mr. O’ Shea made mention of the following
in his report to the Board:
»
The effects of the budget measures on school staffing
(reduction of 1.36 teachers) and
finances (loss of €7,700 in income)
»
Forthcoming Christmas events – Trade Fair, 6th
year Show, Carol Service
»
The success of the recent school musical, “Grease”
»
The school tour to Paris at Easter – formally approved
by the Board
»
The continuation this year of the
exchange programme with St. Ursula’s school in Villingen,
Germany, this time with the involvement of
students and staff from St. Peter’s College
Any other business
The Board discussed the contents of its
Agreed Report to be placed on the school website by Mr.
O’ Shea.
The next meeting of the Board was fixed for 4.30 p.m. on
Tuesday, 31 January 2012.
Agreed Report of Board of Management
Meeting
Wednesday, 16 November 2011
Attendance
Sr. Helen, Ms. Shannon, Mr. Gunning, Ms. Gahan, Ms.
Huelswitt, Ms. Hackett and
Mr. Mac Gonagle.
Apologies were received from Mr. Hillery.
As Secretary to the Board, Mr. O’ Shea also attended.
Sr. Helen welcomed Ms. Shannon (teacher nominee) to her
first Board meeting.
Report from Finance Sub-Committee
Mr. O’ Shea, on behalf of the Finance Sub-Committee,
presented the Board with an Income and Expenditure
Statement from 1 September 2010 to 15 November 2011.
1st year enrolment, September 2012
The Board allocated the 120 places for 1st
year, September 2012 in accordance with its Admission
Policy.
School policies, 2011/2012
The Board formally ratified “Revised Child Protection
Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools” as set
out in DES CL 0065/2011.
The Board also formally approved the protocol
authorizing immediate action under section 5.2 of the
“Child Protection Procedures for Primary and
Post-Primary Schools”.
Principal’s Report
Mr. O’ Shea made mention of the following
in his report to the Board:
»
The forthcoming school musical, “Grease”, in
co-operation with St. Peter’s College
» Forthcoming talks for 5th
and 6th year parents on “Helping your
Daughter through Leaving
Certificate” and a seminar for 5th
and 6th year students on stress management
»
The ongoing work of Derek Madden (Health
and Safety Manager)
» The national programme on literacy and numeracy
» The school’s I.T. plan for the next two years – this
was formally approved by the Board
Any other
business
The Board discussed the contents of its
Agreed Report to be placed on the school website by Mr.
O’ Shea.
The next meeting of the Board was fixed for 4.30 p.m. on
Tuesday, 13 December 2011.
Report to parents/guardians from the
Board of Management (BOM) on the operation and
performance of Loreto Secondary School, Wexford from
1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011.
Introduction
This report has been prepared to
comply with section 20 of the Education Act, 1998.
It covers the period from 1 September 2010 to 31
August 2011. It was approved at a Board of
Management meeting on 12 October 2011.
The next report will issue in October 2012.
Spiritual
A variety of services and liturgies
took place during the year, as follows:
»
Start-of-Year Mass, Graduation Mass for 6th
year students, Graduation Prayer Service for
4th
year students, Masses for Advent, November
Remembrance Mass and a retreat in
Ballyvaloo for all 1st year classes.
Unfortunately, the Christmas Carol Service was
cancelled due to the heavy snowfall at the
time.
»
Commissioning of Eucharistic
Ministers in 6th year by Bishop Denis
Brennan
The school’s Religious Education department was
greatly assisted by our chaplain, Fr. Jim Fegan
(Adm.) and by Sr. Carmel O’ Brien throughout the
year.
Charity and Social Awareness
Students and staff raised
considerable sums of money for the following
charities:
Concern, St. Vincent de Paul, Crumlin Childrens’
Hospital, The Hospice Movement, Goal, Barretstown ,
the Japanese Tsunami Relief Fund and Loreto Missions
(with particular emphasis on the work of Sr.
Winnifred in Peru and Loreto Secondary School in
Sudan).
Academic
Excellent results were achieved by
the 130 students taking the Leaving Certificate.
Very impressive results were also achieved by the
school’s 119 Junior Certificate students in 2010.
A detailed subject-by-subject analysis completed by
Mr. O’ Shea (Principal) reveals that the levels of
attainment by Loreto, Wexford students in state
examinations in 2011 were, once
again, considerably above the national average.
The school rejoices in the academic success of all
students. The BOM congratulates all students and
their teachers on the continued excellence of
results in the school.
The Department of Education and Skills (DES) did not
conduct any subject inspection in the school during
the year.
Supervised Study was organized throughout the year
and was availed of by an average of 130 students
each evening.
An exchange programme with the staff and students of
St. Ursula’s Secondary School in Villingen, Germany
was repeated in 2011.14 Loreto students and 2
teachers spent a week in Villingen in May with the
return leg in Wexford in September 2011.
Staffing
The school’s total teacher allocation
from the DES for 2010/2011 was 45.05.
Of the DES total of 45.05, 1.67 was set aside for
students with special educational needs under the
overall co-ordination of the school’s Learning
Support teachers, Ms. Wilson and Ms. M. Jordan.
Over the summer we said a sad
farewell to six members of our teaching staff who
retired –
Ms. Brennan, Ms. Bolger, Ms. Storey, Ms. Campbell,
Ms. C. Larkin and Ms. K. Larkin. All of these
teachers made a wonderful contribution to life in
Loreto over a long number of years and they
will be sadly-missed. In addition, Ms. Kennington
left Loreto to take up a position in a different
school.
As a consequence of these changes, several teachers
who had been on the staff in a part-time capacity
were made permanent. We welcomed two new teachers to
our staff – Ms. de Róiste and Ms. Kennedy.
Information Technology (I.T.)
The Anseo system continued to monitor
the daily attendance and punctuality of all
students. Daily text alerts were sent by Sr. Carmel
(Deputy Principal) to the parents of students who
did not register their attendance in school.
Additionally, text alerts were sent to notify
parents of certain school events e.g. changes in
school calendar, dates of parent meetings.
All Transition Year students studied for the
European Computer Driver Licence (ECDL) information
technology qualification.
Lunchtime access to I.T. for students continued to
be facilitated.
With the assistance of considerable funding from the
DES, it was possible in 2010/2011 to provide
broadband access, a computer and data projector in
every classroom in the school.
In addition, it was also possible to fully equip a
second Computer Room in the school.
Capital Development
Under the Summer Works Scheme 2011,
the heating system was upgraded with the fitting of
two new boilers and improved controls.
With assistance from the Emergency Works Scheme
2011, fire doors were fitted extensively throughout
the school.
The Board of Management funded the provision of a
new changing room in the Teach Mhuire block and an
extension to the existing lunchroom.
The internal re-painting of classrooms and offices
continued.
A ceramic mosaic was created by students and
teachers and erected on the front of the Teach
Mhuire building.
There were several meetings with the DES and Loreto
Trustees throughout the year in connection with the
school’s extension/refurbishment programme. All
parties are moving towards a decision on whether to
favour a greenfield site option over the existing
site.
Extra-curricular and co-curricular
activities
The BOM expresses its gratitude to
the teaching staff for organizing the following
activities for students in 2010/2011:
debating
hockey
basketball
badminton
tennis
yoga
rounders
athletics
football
self-defence
tag rugby
educational tour to France
field trips
theatre trips
school choir
supervised internet access
horse riding
Young Entrepreneurs competition
Log-on learning for senior citizens
Justice and Peace Group
Green School Committee – culminated in the award of
a Green Flag in May 2011
Transition Year
110 students took Transition Year in
2010/2011.
Student and parental appraisal of the school’s
Transition Year programme continues to be very
positive.
Full details of the Transition Year programme are to
be found in the school policies section of the
school website.
Child Protection
Child Protection Guidelines and
vetting procedures have been in full operation
throughout 2010/2011 following original staff
training in December 2005 and August 2010. The
Designated Liaison Person (DLP) was Mr. Billy O’
Shea and the Assistant DLP was Sr. Carmel Swords.
Care of Students
All Class Teachers continued to take
a keen interest in the pastoral care of their
students.
In addition, the school’s two Guidance Counsellors,
Ms. Fallon and Ms. Young, were available to assist
in any possible way.
A dedicated Student Care Co-ordination Team
continued to be very active in 2010/2011. Comprising
the Principal, Deputy Principal, Chaplain,
Counsellors, Learning Support Teachers and Class
Teachers where required, this team met every Friday
and ensured that adequate provision was made for all
students experiencing particular difficulties in
school and in their personal lives.
Student Empowerment
Susan Fox and Ciara Byrne were the
Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl respectively in
2010/2011. They were assisted by prefects and
vice-prefects in each class group.
The Students’ Council operated with two students
elected from each of the six year groups in the
school. They were joined on the council by the Head
and Deputy Head Girls. The Council’s work was
reported in depth on the school website throughout
the year.
Code of Behaviour
Students continued to co-operate in a
very positive way with the school’s behaviour code
as evidenced by favourable comments throughout the
year from teachers and visitors to the school.
It is a pleasure to report that not a single student
was suspended throughout the year.
The Board thanks the students for this excellent
behaviour.
Parental Involvement and Contact
The school organized information
meetings for parents in 2010/2011 on the following
matters:
»
New 1st year students,
September 2011
»
Subject choices for 2nd
and 5th years
»
Central Applications Office (CAO)
»
Coping with Leaving Cert.
»
Young peoples’ use of the internet
»
Parent-teacher meetings for every
year group
»
Transition Year information meeting
All meetings were very well attended by parents. Due
to the fact that the school does not have the space
to hold large general meetings of parents and
students, it continued to be necessary to use a
local hotel as a venue for some of these larger
meetings and events.
The school website was updated weekly and contained
a great deal of information for parents
on current news as well as all school policies. For
families without internet access, hard copies
of all updates and policies continued to be
available from reception. Several useful links were
added to the website through the year.
The Principal, Deputy Principal and all teachers
were available on an appointment basis to meet
parents to discuss any concerns about students.
The Parents’ Council continued to provide hot food
for students at lunchtime and prior to
evening study in co-operation with Taste Restaurant.
Representatives of the Council met with Mr. O’ Shea,
Principal, on a regular basis to liaise on school
matters and the Council was also represented on the
School Development Planning Group that met on a
frequent basis.
Parents were asked by the school throughout the year
to help ensure a high level of attendance at school
by their daughters.
Ms. Cotter was the teacher representative on the
Parents’ Council for the year. Mr. O’ Shea
(Principal) addressed the Parents’ Association A.G.M.,
and attended several council meetings thereafter.
Ms. Michele Winters served as chairperson for the
year. An account of the council’s activities is to
be found on the school’s website.
School Development Planning
All policies that make up the school
plan are available on the school’s website:
www.loretowexford.com.
The following have been the main developments in
school planning throughout 2010/2011:
»
The ongoing review of subject
development plans in all departments
»
The ongoing work of the School
Development Planning Group, representative of staff,
students and parents, to prepare draft policies
for consideration by all educational partners
in the school
»
The formal review of the following
policies/area of activity:
|
1.
School self-evaluation: curriculum |
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2.
School self-evaluation: communications |
|
3.
Child Protection and vetting of school
personnel |
|
4.
Transition Year |
|
5.
In-school Management |
Professional Development of Staff
Teachers attended DES and other
in-service in a range of subject areas.
The teaching staff also engaged in detailed subject
planning development.
Input was arranged for staff on Internet Acceptable
Use.
Board of Management
The BOM held ten formal meetings in
2010/2011. At the end of each meeting an agreed
report was approved for circulation by teacher and
parent representatives. This report was also posted
on the school website.
Financial Accountability
The Independent Auditors’ Report to
the trustees for the year ended 31 August 2011
concludes as follows:
“ In our opinion the financial statements give a
true and fair view of the state of the school’s
affairs as at the 31 August 2011 and of its results
and cash flows for the year then ended and have been
properly prepared in accordance with the Education
Act, 1998.
We have obtained all the information and
explanations we consider necessary for the purposes
of our audit. In our opinion, the school has kept
proper books of account. The financial statements
are in agreement with the books of account.
In our opinion, the Board of Management’s Report is
consistent with the financial statements.”
O’ Brien Harnett & Associates,
Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditors,
97 Haddington Road,
Dublin 4.
The Board is very grateful to
families who supported the Voluntary Contribution
Scheme that yielded €53,012 in 2010/2011, a decrease
from €58,726 in the previous year and €66,983 in
2008/2009.
There was a surplus on the Income and
Expenditure Account of €10,008 compared to a surplus
in 2009/2010 of €7,269
Community Links
The BOM is particularly appreciative
of the assistance provided by the local Wexford
community in providing work experience placements
for 110 Transition Year and LCVP students in
2010/2011 and for its generous sponsorship of
Transition Year mini-companies.
Billy O’ Shea,
Secretary to Board of Management.
Board of Management meeting
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
Attendance
Sr. Helen, Ms. O’ Connor, Mr.
Gunning, Mr. Hillery, Ms. Gahan , Ms. Hackett and
Mr. Mac Gonagle
Apologies were received from Ms. Huelswitt.
As Secretary to the Board, Mr. O’ Shea also
attended.
Capital Development
The Board was informed that the first
phase of the fire safety improvement works had been
completed and that the new heating system would be
commissioned shortly.
Mr. O’ Shea reported on the ongoing work of Health
and Safety Manager, Derek Madden, particularly in
relation to staff training.
Annual report to parents
The Board formally approved the
contents of its annual report to parents on the
operation of the school in 2010/2011. This will be
relayed to parents in the week beginning 17 October
2011.
Report from Finance Sub-Committee
Mr. O’ Shea, on behalf of the Finance
Sub-Committee, presented the Board with an Income
and Expenditure Statement from 1 September 2010 to
11 October 2011.
The Board formally approved the signing of the
audited accounts for 2010/2011.
School insurance
The Board formally reviewed all
buildings, contents, vehicles and personal accident
cover currently in place and expressed its
satisfaction with same.
School policies, 2011/2012
The Board formally ratified a new
Internet Acceptable Use policy that had been
submitted to it by the school’s development planning
committee.
Child Protection
DES 65/2011 was discussed by the
Board. It was agreed to ask the development planning
committee to examine this circular in detail and to
submit a revised Child Protection policy to the next
Board meeting for immediate discussion and
implementation.
Principal’s Report
Mr. O’ Shea made mention of the
following in his report to the Board:
»
The visit of a Music inspector on 7 October
»
Parents’ Association update
»
Talk for 1st year parents, 3 October
»
LC results analysis - feedback
»
JC results – analysis shortly to be
forwarded to Board members
Any other business
The Board discussed the contents of
its Agreed Report to be placed on the school website
by Mr. O’ Shea.
The next meeting of the Board was fixed for 4.30
p.m. on Wednesday, 16 November 2011.
Agreed
Report of Board of Management meeting
Wednesday, 7 September 2011
Attendance
Sr. Helen, Ms. O’ Connor, Ms.
Huelswitt, Mr. Gunning and Mr. Hillery.
Apologies were received from Ms. Gahan and Mr. Mac
Gonagle.
As Secretary to the Board, Mr. O’ Shea also
attended.
Capital Development
The Board considered an update on the
Greenfield site option.
Mr. O’ Shea advised the Board that fire safety works
and summer works on the heating system were both
nearing completion.
The Board was also informed of the completion of the
new kitchen facility for students and that the
school was now registered with the Environmental
Health Service as a Food Business Establishment.
Mr. O’ Shea reported on the ongoing work of Health
and Safety Manager, Derek Madden.
Report from Finance Sub-Committee
Mr. O’ Shea, on behalf of the Finance
Sub-Committee, presented the Board with an Income
and Expenditure Statement from 1 September 2010 to
31 August 2011.
The Board formally approved the 2011/2012 budget
proposals as submitted by the Finance
Sub-Committee.
The Board was advised that the annual audit would be
conducted within a week or so.
School policies, 2011/2012
The Board prioritised the following
areas for review and development in the new school
year:
|
1. |
School self-evaluation: communications |
|
2. |
School self-evaluation: teaching and
learning |
|
3. |
Internet Acceptable Use |
|
4. |
Child Protection and vetting of school
personnel |
|
5. |
Healthy Eating |
|
6. |
Admission
|
|
7. |
In-school management |
Child Protection
The Board confirmed Billy O’ Shea and
Sr. Carmel Swords as Designated Liaison Person and
Deputy Designated Liaison Person respectively for
the 2011/2012 school year.
It was agreed to request all staff to sign their
acceptance of the new child protection protocols in
September 2011 and every three years thereafter,
subject to their being no policy change in the
intervening period. All new staff would be asked to
sign upon appointment.
Principal’s Report
»
Mr. O’ Shea made mention of the following in his
report to the Board:
»
Very impressive and pleasing Leaving
Certificate results
»
27 September - start of year mass
»
School tour to France at Easter –
formally approved by the Board
»
German exchange visit in the week
beginning 18 September 2011
»
The staging of a school musical ,“Grease”, at the
end of November in co-operation
with the staff
and students in St. Peter’s College
»
The TY Introduction Meeting for
parents and students on 5 September
»
The first meeting of the Parents’
Council on 12 September
Any other business
The Board discussed the contents of
its Agreed Report to be placed on the school website
by Mr. O’ Shea.
The next meeting of the Board was fixed for 4.30
p.m. on Wednesday, 12 October 2011. |
