Welcome to the new-look website from St Paul’s High School, Bessbrook.

We’ve totally redesigned the site to improve navigation and to allow for a smoother, and easier user experience.

Improved navigation

You can visit the different sections of our website by clicking on the navigation bar above.

Quick Links

We’ve also made it easier to reach our Quick Links which are now located on the top right-hand side of the site.  We’ve enabled access to student and staff files (‘My Documents’) from home, as well as access to your C2k email account, access for staff to Curriculum Mapping, access to staff and students to Oscail 24/7, our learning platform, and access to staff, students and visitors to the Northern Ireland Curriculum website.

Improved Social Networking

You can also find links to our Video Library, our Facebook and YouTube pages, and our live Twitter feed all from the homepage.

Easy to use Archive

Tagging to find a story

Visitors can access our searchable archive and access news and information from the last academic year.

All of our news posts are posted with relevant tags which make your search for relevant news and information much easier.

We really hope you like our new-look site.  We’d love to hear your comments, so feel free to post a message in the box below, or send us an email with your feedback.

Visit regularly for all the news, photos, video and information about St Paul’s High School, Bessbrook.

Thanks for visiting – and good luck!

The Regional Training Unit (RTU) developed the OLTE programme in 2003 to meet the Department of Education’s (DE) requirement for a continuous professional development (CPD) programme that would help address the overarching goal of the Education Technology Strategy “That all young people should be learning, with, through and about the use of digital and online technologies”.

Representing St Paul’s High School were Maths teacher, Mrs Elaine Cahill who was awarded OLTE Level 3, and Irish teacher, Mr Dáithí Murray who was awarded Level 2.  Senior Manager for Staff Development at St Paul’s, Mrs Siobhán Bradley, attended and congratulated both members of staff on their commitment to the programme and their innovative use of online learning was has already been embedded at St Paul’s.

The OLTE programme, which focuses on the development of online tutors skills, is accredited at Level 4 by the National Open College Network.  The participants complete 3 progressively challenging units:  Unit 1- Introduction to Online Tutor Skills, Unit 2 – Design, implement and tutor an online lesson and Unit 3 – Design, implement and tutor an online programme.  To date over 250 graduates have provided more than 2000 participants with first-hand experience of learning in an online environment

In 2007/08 the Department of Education funded the first post-primary teachers’ places on the OLTE programme.  Teachers were able to avail of a CPD programme which requires them to reflect on their practice, develop resources, plan for delivery, teach and assess their pupils in an online environment.  This valuable CPD opportunity allows teachers to revisit many of the GTC Professional Competences and can be used towards Performance Review and Staff Development (PRSD) requirements.

Last year’s teachers developed and delivered a variety of online courses to pupils from across a range of post-primary schools including, for example, aspects of AS Product Design, AS Biology, and Business Language Competence. Following this success, OLTE Graduates are developing projects such as GCSE Engineering, Certificate of Personal Effectiveness (CoPE) and English Essential Skills for subsequent blended-course delivery.

This academic year (2009/2010) three cohorts of teachers have enrolled on OLTE and have successfully completed Units 1 & 2.  They have started Unit 3, with a target for online course delivery in September 2010.

The Department of Education is inviting a limited number of post-primary schools to apply for OLTE for the 2010/11 academic year.  Priority will be given to applications from schools within Learning Communities which have had no access to OLTE training in previous cohorts, which clearly identify partner schools and have begun to consider which courses have online potential for their school/learning community and could form the basis for Unit 3 of OLTE.

Mr Dáithí Murray (back, middle) and Mrs Elaine Cahill (front, left), pictured with colleagues from the SELB who graduated from OLTE programme.

Guest of Honour at the reception was Mrs Bridie Fleming, who recently retired from the school office after thirty one years of service to the school. Mrs Fleming, who was accompanies by her daughter Sinead, received a presentation on behalf of the staff. Principal, Mr Oliver Mooney, paid tribute to Mrs Fleming for her long service to the school, and for her kindness and patience in dealing with students, parents and staff.

Mr Mooney presented a glass bowl to Mrs Fleming on behalf of the Southern Education and Library Board marking thirty years of service to education.

A presentation was also made to Mr Mooney on behalf of the staff of St Paul’s in recognition of his recent award as Headteacher of the Year. Presenting an authentic bog oak representation of the ‘Salmon of Knowledge’, Vice Principal, Mrs Anne Mallon, congratulated Mr Mooney on his award, and on the recognition it brought to the Bessbrook school.

Mr Mooney, who has been Principal at St Paul’s High School since 2002, received the award along with other colleagues in the teaching profession who were recognised for their outstanding contributions to the educational system in Northern Ireland.

Mr Mooney was presented with a ‘Plato’ Award, and will represent Northern Ireland in the UK Teaching Awards which will be presented in London in October.

Mr Mooney was recognised by the judging panel as ‘a principal of great vision and a champion of comprehensive education’.  The judges acknowledged Mr Mooney’s commitment to continuous improvement in all aspects of his professional life, and described him as ‘value-led, people-centred and achievement-oriented’, providing ‘strongly principled educational leadership’ to the Bessbrook school.

The governors, staff and student body at St Paul’s High School are delighted with the recognition of Mr Mooney’s leadership and this accolade joins the many other achievements and recognitions which St Paul’s has brought to the local area.

Citation:

Mr Oliver Mooney has dedicated his life to the field of education since graduating in the mid-1970s.  He taught Geography for some years in a boys’ grammar school and then went to work for the Education and Library Board as an Advisor in Geography. He was appointed Principal of St Joseph’s Boys’ High School, and then to St Paul’s High School Bessbrook, where he became Principal in 2002. He has been a Principal of great vision, who has achieved a very significant amount in his time in St Paul’s.  He led the school through a massive refurbishment and extension during his first few years.  He has empowered the staff in the school to create a dynamic team where all stakeholders can contribute significantly. This has led to an open, creative learning environment where each person; pupil and adult has the opportunity to achieve his or her potential. He is a man of intelligence who is not afraid to lead. He has championed the cause of comprehensive education since experiencing its worth within St Paul’s and has been been instrumental in influencing thinking and policy in this area in Northern Ireland. He is a man of wisdom and has played a role in the appointments of many Principals throughout the north, being an astute assessor. He has been an inspirational leader who most certainly fits the shoes of Principal of the Year.

St Paul’s High School in Bessbrook was established in 1966 to serve a large rural catchment area in South Armagh with the aim of providing its pupils with a Christian education within the Catholic ethos. Its vision is to be a community inspired by the Catholic faith, living out Gospel Values and reflecting all traditions of our Irish cultural heritage.  It aims to foster a spirit of cheerful co-operation and provide a caring environment which promotes high achievement and self esteem among staff and pupils.  Mr Mooney joined the staff as Principal in 2002 and has provided outstanding leadership with a clear and compelling vision for success. Its current enrolment has reached 1500. It is a unique secondary school in that it has consistently been oversubscribed since 2003. This is at a time when many schools cannot fill their quota.  It is also only one of three post primary schools in Northern Ireland which has to refuse places to pupils who had obtained grade A in the Transfer Procedure; our reason being one of geographical criteria.

Under Mr Mooney’s leadership, St Paul’s High School has been committed to a collaborative school vision of excellence and equity that sets high standards for every pupil, from the most able to those with special educational needs in the Learning Support Centre. In the ETI inspection, which took place in October 2008, the views of parents, teachers, support staff, governors and pupils were sought through questionnaires and meetings, some of the responses noted in the report of the inspection included, “the parents highlighted the school’s pupil-centred inclusive ethos; …the provision for pupils of all abilities; the leadership provided by the Principal and the very high regard in which the school is held in the community.” “The governors expressed their commitment and strong support for the school, highlighting the principal’s leadership, the emphasis placed on the pupils’ academic, emotional, social and spiritual development; the hard work and dedication of the staff; the work of S.M.T; the links with the community and other organisations, and the pupils’ good achievement.”

Mr Mooney is able to engage others’ complete commitment to the school’s vision and values by inspiring, challenging, motivating and empowering others to carry the vision forward. He is a person of charisma, who models his vision of inclusivity in his approach to every pupil and adult within the school system. He has significant intelligence, is able to think strategically and embodies the conviction that the essential goodness of each human being can be harnessed for the greater good of the school community and the wider community.

Mr Mooney is the Principal responsible for leading the school community through a massive refurbishment and extension programme which transformed the school fabric and ensured that the school is now equipped with state of the art facilities embracing all new technologies. He has shown significant wisdom in making appointments of dynamic and visionary staff who respond positively to the school ethos and develop professionally through original contribution. This discernment has been recognised by the employing authority, the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools. He is currently an assessor for Principal appointments throughout Northern Ireland. He has developed and sustained a strong leadership team and has been described in the ETI inspection report as ” visionary and inspiring, whose management ensures the best possible provision for the pupils with a strong focus on enabling them to make a valuable contribution to their community.” “The quality for the arrangements for pastoral care in the school is outstanding.”  “The school offers a comprehensive range of subjects at both Key Stage Four and Sixth Form” “The school supports new and inexperienced staff well; the SMT provide them with good and innovative opportunities to develop professionally and personally.” “The self-evaluation and school development planning processes are well embedded at all levels to the benefit of the pupils. The excellent school development plan is informed by a rigorous analysis of quantitative and qualitative data.” As Principal, he is responsible for the matching of the talents of senior management to the areas outlined above. He displays trust and faith in each member of SMT, empowering them to make a difference in areas where they have obvious strengths. He encourages and empowers all of the staff to develop professionally, and he builds their capacity to support and sustain the outstanding quality of senior leadership and management. Evidence of this can be seen in the number of staff who have completed or are embarking upon the P.Q.H, and in the whole school commitment to embracing new technologies through our acquisition of the BECTA Award for ICT.

Mr Mooney has created a culture and climate across the school which is characterised by the highest expectations and enthusiasm for teaching and learning and a commitment to achieving outstanding results. The Inspection Report noted that the self evaluation and school development planning processes are well embedded at all levels to the benefit of the pupils. The excellent school development plan is informed by quantities and qualitative data. Percentage achieving five or more passes at GCSE grade C has increased significantly to 72% in 2009. Great foresight was shown by Mr Mooney in the appointment of a Vice Principal for Quality Assurance; an outstanding visionary worker who has led a detailed whole school improvement package at GCSE, involving staff, pupils and parents. Monitoring and evaluation with personal target setting for pupils that stretches and increases excellence have been put in place. The consequence has been that individual, team and whole school accountability for pupil learning outcomes has been increased.

St Paul’s High School was recognised as a Specialist College in Science in 2008 and has embraced fully all elements of its development plan within the school and within the wider community.  Links have been established with local industry and with Norbrook Pharmaceuticals in particular.  As part of its Extended School involvement, there have been a multitude of initiatives ongoing, including a Summer Scheme for our future Year 8 pupils. We have recently submitted a comprehensive development plan for a collaborative cross-denominational project, in conjunction with QUB and the Atlantic Philanthropies project. This has been successful at Stage One and we look forward to its development in the coming year. We work collaboratively with Rathore Special School in the areas of Music and Drama and have made very considerable progress in 2009-10. In response to the CCMS Post primary Review Project, which is ongoing, we have established a collaborative curriculum unit for Post 16 study and Key Stage 4 study. This has been a particular success this year and has forged strong links between the two post-primary schools serving South Armagh. The school takes very seriously its own leadership role within the Area learning Community and works conscientiously to be an example of good practice to others. All these initiatives have been inspired and led by the vision of the principal Mr Mooney.

Mr Mooney works collaboratively with others within the school and at Board of Governor level to build an open, fair and equitable learning community. This is evidenced in an excellent staff induction programme and a professional approach to PRSD (Performance Review and Staff Development); which takes into account personal and professional objectives as well as common objectives drawn from the School Development Plan. In his management structure, he has constantly kept sight of the public faces of the school i.e. Music, Drama and Sport. To this end, he has fostered their development in terms of departmental appointments and within the management structure. Evidence shows that this was a well thought out strategy, because the school has blossomed significantly in terms of sport, dance and music. The extra curricular provision and its uptake is the envy of many schools of all types and sectors. Where staff conflict has arisen, he has exhibited effective strategies in managing the situation and in enabling the situation to be resolved speedily in a professional manner. He has, from the first day of arrival, embraced the need to celebrate success and achievements of individuals and teams. His level of pastoral care for staff, when in personal crises has been exceptional; using many strategies to enable the person to return on “full power” to the school organisation. He has heralded the concept of life long learning at every level; encouraging CPD for all staff and enabling each pupil to identify and achieve their career plan. The embedding of Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance as a whole school initiative is currently a priority for him and his management team.

Oliver Mooney aims for the maximum, never settling for doing “just enough”; this can be evidenced in the elaborate curriculum offered at each Key Stage, and the multitude of curriculum packages available to each student at Key Stage four; each package being valued highly by the school population. He is involved in primary education, and is the Chair of the Board of Governors in his local primary school. He was a member of the panel for STEM in Northern Ireland who, at the outset, awarded contracts to those who became the providers of STEM within the Northern Ireland context. He is fond of the outdoors and enjoys spending time with his family and young grandchildren. In these, and other ways, he sustains a strong sense of commitment and high personal energy levels.

The Presentations were made by Head of the PE and Sports Department, Mr John Rafferty, and also present were guest speakers Mr Austin O’Callaghan from the Championship Program at the BBC, and Mr Sean McGourty from the Ulster Colleges.

At the Presentation Night, students who played in the following winning teams were all honoured for their sporting achievements over the past year.

]]> http://www.stpaulsbessbrook.org/students/year-9-end-of-year-trip/feed/ 2 http://www.stpaulsbessbrook.org/students/science-expressions-at-st-pauls/ http://www.stpaulsbessbrook.org/students/science-expressions-at-st-pauls/#comments Mon, 21 Jun 2010 08:51:00 +0000 Webmaster http://www.stpaulsbessbrook.org/?p=4737 Throughout this year, Year 8 students from St. Paul’s High School along with, primary 7 pupils from Bessbrook Primary School; St.Joseph’s Primary School, Meigh; St. Malachy’s Primary School, Ballymoyer and St. Peter’s Primary School Cloughrea,...]]> Throughout this year, Year 8 students from St. Paul’s High School along with, primary 7 pupils from Bessbrook Primary School; St.Joseph’s Primary School, Meigh; St. Malachy’s Primary School, Ballymoyer and St. Peter’s Primary School Cloughrea, worked jointly on a project organised by Science Expressions and sponsored by Astrazeneca. The theme we chose as a group was “Building Bridges”.

Science Expressions is a curriculum support programme related to science KS2 / KS3 transition. It is designed to enhance the enjoyment and achievement of key stages 2 and 3 pupils through enabling outside experts to work with primary pupils in the areas of health education and engineering and enabling primary and secondary pupils to present their science and technology to their peers at pupil conferences and exhibitions.

For the pupils taking part in this project it;

-  made science more relevant, exciting and enjoyable,

-  raised student motivation and interest in science,

-  improved pupils’ achievement in thinking skills and personal capabilities,

-  eased the transition from primary to secondary education and

-  showed how school science is related to the outside world, and possible careers.

For the teachers taking part in this project it:

-  enabled primary and secondary teachers to understand one another’s concerns,

-  helped teachers to shift their emphasis from content to process learning,

-  enhanced teachers’ management skills in unfamiliar situations

-  provided an opportunity for continuing professional development (CPD) and

-  provided resources to enable teachers to implement the revised curriculum.

The climax of the year was a day in W5 presenting all of the work that was carried out by the schools throughout the year. Our presentation consisted of a display of all of our work including numerous brilliantly made model bridges, a five minute film outlining our activities and a drama based on “The Billy Goats Gruff”. The pupils involved from all of the schools were outstanding and did all of our schools proud.

Other topics included Human respiration, how our senses determine food choice, Nutrition awareness and Acids in our food.

The programme also gave pupils an insight into careers in the Food Industry and the courses available at Loughry Campus.

A typically French breakfast on the first morning saw the start to a busy weekend. After breakfast there was a two hour guided coach tour of Paris taking in all the famous sites including the Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, Louvre museum (featured in the De Vince Code film), Opera House, Notre Dame Cathedral, National Assembly building and finally the Eiffel Tower.

Over the next few days students had the opportunity to visit some of these sights and also had a chance to take a Cruise on the Seine. Sunday involved a visit to Notre Dame Cathedral, giving students and staff alike time to take in the unique legacy of prayer and history of the building in a Mass based around the Catholic Ethos, which is reflected in St. Paul’s

After Mass students visited another beautiful church, the Sacre Coeur which is located in the heart of Paris. Here they climbed the steps to Montmartre and visited the Artist’s square near by where many pupils had their caricatures’ drawn.

After spending some time in the Artist’s Square it was a coach trip to the foot of the Eiffel Tower where some of the more hearty souls ventured the 1,710 steps to the very top, where those who did manage the steps took the time to absorb the breathtaking aerial view.

The last stretch of the trip was the more relaxed and leisurely and gave staff and students a chance to tour the city of Paris itself. The day began on a sunny Monday morning with a tour of the Stade de France and this was then followed by a shopping spree at the Val D’Europe, the largest shopping centre in Europe.

The following day saw a trip to Disneyland Paris. One of the pupils said it was full of mice, a joke slowly taken up by some members of staff. Bonjour Mickey et Minnie!!  Sunshine showers didn’t dampen spirits of the thrills at Disneyland and the magical feeling left everyone with a smile on their face.

The final day saw a trip to the beautiful Palace of Versailles, a place rich in history and surrounded by some 250 acres of beautiful gardens. After taking a wander in these beautiful gardens and through the Palace rich in Artwork, it was time to begin the trek back home to Ireland.

After waving au revoir to the Eiffel tower staff and students  travelled by coach to Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport back to the Green Green Grass of Home.

St Paul’s in Paris from St Paul's Bessbrook on Vimeo.