DDLETB CNS Two Students Garden

DDLETB Community National Schools: Inclusive, Innovative, and Inspiring

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DDLETB CNS Three Students In Classroom

DDLETB CNS Three Students In Classroom

DDLETB is the proud patron of  9 Community National Schools (CNS) and 3 Community Special Schools (CSS), providing high-quality, inclusive, and student-centred education at primary level.

But what exactly is a  Community National School, and what makes it unique?

Community National Schools are state-funded, co-educational, multi-denominational primary schools that welcome all children of all backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs. Established in 2008 to reflect modern Ireland’s diversity, CNS schools provide a welcoming, respectful, and inclusive environment, fostering a sense of belonging for every child.

They give equal opportunities to all children in the communities they serve and strive to provide high-quality education through respectful, positive, supportive and responsive learning environments. They were established in 2008 and are managed by the designated Education and Training Board in each area.

What is the CNS Ethos?

At the heart of every CNS are the 5  ETB core values of Community, Care, Excellence in Education, Respect and Equality. CNS are committed to:

✅ Inclusive Education – Recognising and celebrating the identity of every child.
✅ Respect for All – Fostering an environment where every belief and culture is valued.
✅ Excellence in Teaching and Learning – Providing high-quality education for all students.

✅ Community Focused – Working alongside the community and encouraging parental involvement in all aspects of school life as well as benefiting from the support and expertise of the wider community

✅ Democratic and Student-Centered environments – Encouraging student voice, well-being, and active citizenship.

The  CNS Ethos ensures that all students are equally respected and included, regardless of their faith or non-religious backgrounds.

DDLETB CNS Two Students Garden

DDLETB CNS Two Students Garden

What is Goodness Me, Goodness You! (GMGY)?

A key feature of Community National Schools is the  Goodness Me, Goodness You! (GMGY) curriculum. GMGY is a unique,  ethical and multi-belief and values-led education programme, designed to:
📌 Support children’s  moral and spiritual development
📌 Teach  empathy, understanding, and respect  for all beliefs and worldviews
📌 Encourage  critical thinking and ethical decision-making

The programme was developed for Community National Schools in collaboration with children, parents and teachers of the schools, the local Education and Training Boards, the Education and Training Board of Ireland, the Department of Education and Skills and assisted by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment.  GMGY ensures that all children feel valued and represented, supporting their sense of identity while fostering a respectful, diverse, and inclusive school culture.

 

Why Choose a Community National School?

Parents choose CNS schools because they offer:
⭐ A welcoming and inclusive environment
⭐ Excellence in teaching and learning
⭐ A strong focus on well-being and student voice
⭐ Recognition and respect for all beliefs and cultures
⭐ A balanced and modern approach to education

As a proud patron, DDLETB is committed to the continuous growth and success of our CNS and Community Special Schools, ensuring all children receive the best possible start in life.

For more information, visit www.cns.ie.

For a list of DDLETB CNS and CSS visit our Primary Schools page.

DDLETB CNS Two Students Playing

DDLETB CNS Two Students Playing

 

DDLETB Ardgillan Community College Leinster Champions

Well done to Leinster Champions, Ardgillan College!

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The 7th February will be remembered as a historic day for Ardgillan College, marking a momentous victory for the Senior Boys GAA team. All roads led to Darver, where the Ardgillan squad faced off in an intense battle to claim the title of Leinster GAA champions. The team’s journey to this achievement was paved with dedication, resilience, and sheer determination under the guidance of their coaches, Mr. McBearty, Mr. Collins, and Mr. O’Shea.

DDLETB Ardgillan Community College Leinster Champions

DDLETB Ardgillan Community College Leinster Champions

In the highly anticipated Leinster Final, Ardgillan College went head-to-head with formidable opponents, Bush Post-Primary School.  The Ardgillan team showcased their skill, teamwork, and unwavering commitment. Despite immense pressure from their rivals, the players remained resolute, demonstrating exceptional sportsmanship and a deep passion for the game. Every pass, tackle, and score reflected the countless hours of training and preparation invested by the squad.

The core value of Community was evident by the sheer number of Ardgillan supporters.  Staff, parents/guardians, students, past-students and local GAA team members came out to cheer the lads on.  Team captain Jack acknowledged how much this support meant on behalf of the whole team.

Following their hard-fought triumph, the team returned to Ardgillan College as champions, proudly presenting their well-earned trophy to Principal Ms. Ní Mhurchú as the latest edition to our trophy cabinet.

Congratulations to the entire team and coaching staff for bringing home this remarkable achievement—Leinster Champions 2025!

BETT 2025 Every Student Celebrated

DDLETB Engages with Global EdTech Leaders at BETT 2025

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BETT 2025 Every Student Celebrated

BETT 2025 Every Student Celebrated

Members of DDLETB schools, colleges and centres recently attended the annual BETT Conference in London, the world’s largest EdTech event, bringing together over 30,000 educators, policymakers, and industry changemakers from 130 countries. With more than 500 EdTech exhibitors and 300 expert speakers, BETT continues to be a game-changing event, highlighting the future of education through technology and innovation.

For Team DDLETB, BETT is always a unique opportunity to connect with global educators, explore cutting-edge educational technologies, and exchange ideas on best practices. The event showcased a vast array of advancements, from Literacy and Numeracy supports to SEN and STEM, E-Sports, Interactive Learning, and the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality in the classroom.

One of the key themes at this year’s conference was the role of AI in education, with thought-provoking discussions on how artificial intelligence can be leveraged to enhance learning experiences, provide personalised instruction, and support both students and teachers in efficient and meaningful ways. Similarly, Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) were highlighted as powerful tools for immersive learning, allowing students to engage with content in ways never before possible—whether through virtual science experiments, historical recreations, or simulated real-world problem-solving.

DDLETB BETT 2025 Robot

BETT 2025

Another major focus was EdTech solutions for Special Educational Needs (SEN), with a growing number of technologies designed to support differentiated learning and accessibility. From assistive reading tools to adaptive learning platforms, the emphasis was on making education more inclusive and ensuring that all students, regardless of their learning needs, have access to high-quality education.

BETT 2025 also provided valuable insights into the increasing role of E-Sports in education, with discussions on how competitive gaming can foster teamwork, strategic thinking, and digital literacy and often improve participation. With many schools now integrating E-Sports into their curriculum and extra-curricular programmes, the conference explored ways to maximise its educational benefits while promoting student engagement and well-being.

In addition to exploring the latest advancements in technology, DDLETB representatives had the opportunity to network with global experts, attend interactive workshops, and discover best practices from leading education systems around the world. As education continues to evolve, the insights gained at BETT will help shape the future of learning within DDLETB, ensuring our schools remain at the forefront of innovation, accessibility, and excellence.

With so much inspiration and knowledge to take away, we look forward to seeing how these cutting-edge developments can be implemented within DDLETB schools, colleges and centres in the coming years.

 

DDLETB Ballydowd Special School Mural

Creativity Shines in Ballydowd Special Care School

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DDLETB Ballydowd Special School Mural

DDLETB Ballydowd Special School Mural

‘I am Whatever I Choose to Become’ was a Hip Hop, Rap and Street Art collaborative project by the talented students of Ballydowd Special Care School.

The project synergised the skills of NOISE Music and street artist Shane Ha with the students ‘creativity and unique perspectives. This exciting project culminated in an exhibition beside the school building within the Special Care campus.

The exhibition was centred around the unveiling of a graffiti wall mural which was revealed against the backdrop of a number of songs produced as part of the collaborative project (and a vibrant playlist carefully chosen by the students!).

 

“Thank you for inviting me to the BBQ on the 12th June in the run up to Cruinniú na nÓg

2024, it was great to see the artwork, to hear their music and the pride that the young

people had in having an audience to appreciate their hard work. Well done to all

involved, it was truly inspiring”.

– Eithne Swaine (Creative Communities Engagement Officer – South Dublin County Council)

 

“One of our main aims at NOISE Music is to provide hard-to-reach young people with

opportunities to participate in our song-writing, music production, and performance

programmes. Our project in Ballydowd School enabled us to introduce ourselves to 6

young people in the school, and to complete a song with a promising young rapper.

We are planning a second project with that young person over the summer, also

supported by the staff in Ballydowd, and will continue to offer opportunities to any

young person that comes into the school who has an interest in song writing and

music production.”
– Gerry Horan (Director of NOISE Music)

 

 

A message from Paul Sloan – School Principal Ballydowd Special School

It was truly rewarding to see the students enjoying their time working with a professional street artist. They learned to create their designs using spray paint on a large scale, which was an exciting experience for them. This kind of exposure can boost their confidence and potentially inspire them to pursue a career in the arts in the future.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all our guests for contributing to the day’s success. A special thank you goes to our superb BBQ chef, Jojo, for cooking for everyone. We are also very grateful to Creative Ireland for providing the funding for this project and to artist Shane Ha and our own Art Teacher Olive Hanratty, who facilitated the weeklong project in typical Irish weather and were both fantastic.

Thank you!

DDLETB Ballydowd Special School Guests from ACTS

DDLETB Ballydowd Special School Guests from ACTS Clinical Team

 

DDLETB Special School Ballydowd Staff

DDLETB sports officers Darren Bruton and James Bowes with Paul Sloan

Teacher Leadership Program Review 2024

Teacher Leadership Programme Review Of 2024 – Looking Forward To 2025

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We were delighted to see the return of the Teacher Leadership Programme (TLP) in 2024, following its ‘Reflect and Review’ phase.

The programme continues to empower educators to drive positive change and innovation in their schools. Have a look below at the exciting titles for this year’s TLP projects, showcasing the creativity and dedication of participating teams.

Congratulations to all teams who have successfully completed two general learning sessions and are now diving into their project work. Best of luck as you continue to put in the hard work, passion, and ingenuity to make a meaningful impact in your school communities in 2025!

 

Eriu CC: Mastering Maths symbols and Action verbs

CP Setanta: Empower and Energise: Impact of Brain Breaks on Student Learning

Ardgillan CC: Attendance Boost: Every Student, Everyday

St.Kevins CC: Chatty Corner

Fingal CC: Nourish to Flourish: Supporting 6th Year Student Well-being with Healthy Food Choices

Castleknock CC: Smart Schools: Shaping the Future with AI

Coláiste Cois Life: “Ag Spreagadh Feabhais: Aitheantas Iarrachta ar VSware a Fheabhsú” “Inspiring Excellence: Enhancing Student Effort Recognition on VSware”

Skerries CC: Using Restorative Practice to shape positive relationships in our school community

Griffeen CC: Outdoor Classroom

Grange CC: Leaving Certificate Mentoring Programme

Luttrelstown CC: Morning Moments: Structuring Tutorial Time for Positive Impact

Donabate CC: Supporting our NQTs and PMEs

Lusk CC: Exam excellence: Designing a Rubric for Success

Adamstown CC: Fuel for Focus: Breakfast Club

Firhouse CC: The Effective use of teacher feedback by students

Swords CC: UDL (cross school project with CP Fóla)

CP Fóla: UDL (cross school project) with Swords CC)

Lucan CC: Optimising Student Revision: A Structured Approach to the Use of Revision Templates

Collinstown Park CC: Scaffolding for Student Success

Kingswood CC: Good News Story’s

Greenhills CC: Mastering OneNote

St Finians CC: An investigation into the effectiveness of Restorative Practice

Every Child A Reader DDLETB

Deansrath CC and St. Kevin’s CC – Everyone A Reader Project

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Every Child A Reader DDLETB

Every Child A Reader DDLETB

Congratulations to Deansrath CC and St.Kevin’s CC who have launched the ‘Everyone A Reader’ project sponsored by a local engineering company and supported by Children’s Books Ireland.

The project aims to build a love of reading among students, staff and the wider community. Each school will receive 400 new books for each year of the project. Of these, two hundred will be chosen by the expert Children’s Books Ireland team, selected to capture the students’ interest and attention and reflect Irish society’s richness and diversity. A further one hundred titles will be chosen by the students and teachers in each school, further building a sense of ownership over their new library.

Every year for the three years, the schools will also receive class sets of books, which make up the final one hundred books and which will facilitate the set-up of book clubs for TY students. A Champion of Reading – a well-known Irish author or illustrator – will work with the school over three years to encourage creativity and engagement with the library.

Staff will be trained in maximising the use of their new library, while school-wide surveys will measure the project’s long-term impact.

Yvonne Crowley, a teacher at Deansrath Community School, said: ‘The Everyone a Reader project is a massive opportunity for our school to develop and foster a love of reading and encourage reading for enjoyment in our students. ‘The excitement in the faces of the students as they browsed all the books is one that I have never seen before and gave them a new way to experience modern titles and books that they could relate to. We are so grateful to have this programme running in our school to enhance our students’ love of reading.’