Message From
Our Principal
As Principal of St. Catherine’s Vocational School, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to our school website. This site contains detailed information about our school and I hope it will also give you an insight into our happy, dynamic and caring school community. Students at St. Catherine’s are educated in an environment where respect is the core value. As our world changes, the need for respect, honesty, kindness and courage remain and here at St. Catherine’s we work to ensure students leave our care with the best preparation for life that we can impart.
Our committed and capable staff deliver a quality education across all aspects of school life; curricular, co-curricular and extra curricular. Our inclusive school allows students to grow both personally and academically. We encourage persistence in the pursuit of excellence. Our aim is to have all students reach their full potential.
The community that is St. Catherine’s Vocational School works together to create a vibrant, warm and welcoming atmosphere in which all students thrive. I look forward to welcoming you to St. Catherine’s Vocational School to experience it for yourself and to see the multitude of activities that go on in the school on a daily basis.
Ms. Anne Marie Luby
School Principal
Our Mission
What We Stand For
St. Catherine’s Vocational School seeks to achieve a safe, respectful learning and working environment so that participants can achieve their full potential in partnership with relevant agencies.
History
Until 1972 secondary education in Killybegs was provided by a private school, St. Mary’s, run by Mr. Eugene O’Rourke. When St. Mary’s closed the parents and local community set up the Killybegs Community School which was financed entirely by local contributions. In 1973 the Department of Education granted a Vocational School to Killybegs which opened in September of that year. Initially, prefabricated classrooms were provided and the school opened for first, second and third year students. As the numbers began to grow, a Senior Cycle was provided. The present two-storey building opened in 1986.
In 2011 a building extension with two classrooms, fitness suite, changing rooms and disability access was added. In 2014 the autism spectrum disorder centre was added to the front of the school providing first class facilities for students, teachers and members of the community alike.
The School gymnasium and all weather synthetic playing pitch double as a community resource during the evenings and both have a full schedule of activities.
The school offers Junior Cycle, Senior Cycle, Transition Year and Post Leaving Certificate courses as well as a programme of night classes.
Management
STRUCTURE
St. Catherine’s Vocational School is one of 15 schools under the Donegal Education and Training Board (ETB). The school is managed on behalf of the ETB by a Board of Management. The primary role of the board of management is one of governance. Governance is about providing direction and oversight for a school while ensuring that the rights of all members of the school community are upheld and that the school is accountable for its work.
The day to day running of the school is carried out by the principal and deputy principal aided by a management tea