At CBS Thurles, we are committed to ensuring that every student receives the support they need to thrive academically and personally. Long before students join us, we connect closely with their primary schools to gather important information that helps us understand their individual needs.
Our Student Support Team is a central part of the student support system in our school.
Through implementing a continuum of support, our Student Support Team provides for the educational, social, emotional, behavioural and learning needs of our students and is concerned with promoting a whole school approach to wellbeing.
The Student Support Team also identifies and forges relationships with external support services and develops pathways for onward referrals.
Essentially, the Student Support Team is a student-focused mechanism put in place by the school in order to coordinate the support available for students in the school and enable students with support needs to continue to access a full education.
We arrange meetings with our Special Educational Needs (SEN) department and parents before entry to ensure that the right supports are in place from day one. For students requiring extra assistance, we carefully map out personalised learning plans tailored to their strengths and challenges.
The well-being of our students is at the core of what we value as it is vital in order for students to achieve their full potential. We are proud to be a Jigsaw One Good School with staff involved in the One Good Adult programme, which is available to our students wherever they may require a little bit of extra help. We nurture positive relationships with peers and staff to help our students feel safe supported and connected to the school community. The importance we place on well-being is evident throughout our curriculum, especially in first year students partake in life skills classes focusing on resilience and team building which has a particular focus on promoting positive mental health and well-being.
Our Learning Support Team works in partnership with the Department of Education and is supported by the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS). We provide a range of supports, including team teaching within the classroom and targeted withdrawal sessions for additional help. Special Needs Assistants are also an integral part of our team, offering one-to-one support to students who need it.
Building strong, trusting relationships between students, parents, and the AEN team is at the heart of what we do. All interventions and plans are developed in close consultation with parents/guardians and the student to ensure the best possible outcome.
We believe that with the right support, every student can achieve their full potential.