Welcome to the website for Rathkeevin National School. We hope that this will be of great benefit to our teachers, pupils, parents and visitors alike.
Rathkeevin NS is a co-educational school from Junior Infants to 6th class. We are situated on the main Clonmel to Cahir Road [N24].
Rathkeevins NS has a committed, dedicated and caring teaching staff whose aim is to enable and help every child under their care to reach their full potential.
The classrooms are fully equipped with interactive whiteboards, computers, laptops, data projectors, broadband internet and a wide range of suitable software. They thoroughly enhance the learning environment of our pupils.
Children enjoy extra curricular activities such as football, music, quiz, soocer, art and basketball. The school continues to have strong ties with the local GAA.
Fr. John Crotty came to Powerstown-Lisronagh Parish as Parish Priest in 1866. He is credited with the building of Rathkeevin Old School in 1868. According to Griffith's Valuation of 1850 and Ordnance Survey of 1840, there were three schools in the vicinity - at Lawlesstown, opposite the Giantsgrave Pillar Stone (Uaig an Fhataig) and another at Chancellorstown at the bend of the road on the Barne Estate side of New Chapel Cross Roads. The third was a substantial two-roomed, slate-roofed house at Kilmurry, now Paddy and Davy Murphy's house at Derrygrath Cross. The Lawlesstown school was valued at 6 shillings, a one-roomed thatched cabin. It was occupied by Lar Keating, who probably was the teacher and also a relative of Phil Keating, the farmer close by. The Chancellorstown one, valued at 10 shillings, was vacant/unused at this time. The Kilmurry School was owned by Landlord Perry of Woodrooffe Estate. The Valuation of this school was £2-5-0 pence, probably two-roomed with ancillary porches. The school house at Kilmurry was converted into a house for the Anderson Family. From then on to the present day, the Derrygrath/Kilmurry Crossroads became known as Anderson's Crossroads. In 1860 Captain Stephen Moore took over at Barne Park Estate. He contributed to various charities and supplied free sand from his sandpit (near Dower's) for the building of Rathkeevin School in 1868/69. Edmund Slattery was the first teacher at Rathkeevin School. He was probably related to the local Board of Guardian member, a Slattery of New Chapel.
Rathkeevin School received its first pupils on 19th October 1868. It consisted of a classroom, 13ft. by 16ft. and a workroom of 14ft. by 8ft. The height from ground to eave was 11ft. high with the workroom being a foot lower. Furniture was sparse. The school contained six desks with adjoining forms which were 10ft. in lenght. Two extra forms 12ft. and 6ft. respectively made up the complement of furniture. The school was non-vested, being built with local funding.
The first Manager was The Reverend T. Hannigan, Parish Priest, Cashel Road, Clonmel. The first teacher was Mr. Edmund Slattery, an experienced teacher of twenty two years, who taught all classes. Fourteen boys and eight girls commenced school that day. Their names as they appear on the roll were as follows:
Note: Edmund Burke, the first boy registered is grandfather of Frank Burke, who is Treasuere of the current Board of Management of Rathkeevin National School as well as Vice-Chairman of Moyle Rovers G.A.A. Club and Secretary of its Development Committee)
A noteworthy event took place on 12th April 1869, when Rathkeevin National School had its first School Inspection. The Inspector Thomas O'Hara, having commented on the formal standard of education, added the following remarks on the building: "Whitewashing much required", "The enclosure of the premises should be completed by a gate in front.", "Privees should be erected as soon as possible".
The next major development to take place occurred in 1945, when Rathkeevin National School moved acorss the road to a brand new building with an intake of thirty three pupils. Two classroms, toilets and cloakrooms were built, with surrounding play areas. The teachers were Mrs. Somers who taught the Junior Classes and Mr. Séan Cleary, the Principal who taught the Senior Classes.
1994 saw the addtion of a third large classroom with internal improvements, built with local funds (costing £66,000). This was followed in 2001 by the extension of the school grounds into the adjoining corn field, providing a purpose-built playing pitch (costing £80,000).
This brings us to the present development which consists of three new classrooms, a small library, a resource room, an office as well as modernisaton of the older building, creating a bright modern learning environment for the children of the school. This opened 2006.
At present plans are afoot for the provision of modern technology in the form of interactive learning computing systems as well as improvements in the external environment. In total well over half a million euro has been spent on developing the school in recent years.
Opening of the new Rathkeevin N.S. 1945
| Principal: | Diarmuid Burke |
|
Junior & Senior Infants |
Paula Morrissey |
| Senior Infants & 1st Class | Helen O'Dea |
|
|
|
|
1st & 2nd Class: |
Niamh Mackey |
|
3rd & 4th Class: |
Laura Grace |
|
5th & 6th Class: |
Seán Curran (Deputy Principal) |
| S.N.A.: |
Gemma Gallanagh Sera Palazzo |
| Secretary: | Claire O'Sullivan |
| Rev. Father Peter Ahearne | Chairperson |
| Diarmuid Burke | Secretary |
| Frank Burke | Treasurer |
| Seán Curran | Teacher Rep. |
| Aisling Cooney | Parent's Rep. |
| James Cooney | Parent's Rep. |
| Maria O'Sullivan | Community Rep. |
| Martin Hanrahan | Community Rep. |
| Chairperson: | Laura Ahearne |
| Secretary: | Elaine Fennessy |
| Treasurer: | Aidan Foley |
Fantastic, comprehensive links to various curriculum resources to aid parents with their child's learning.
Parents Resources Infants to Second Class
The school curriculum is geared towards the overall development of the pupils and is based on the requirements of the Department of Education & Science for Primary Schools. The weekly timetable includes the following subjects: Irish, English, Mathematics, Social, Environmental and Scientific Education (History, Geography, Science), Social Personal and Health Education, Religious Education, Arts Education (Visual Arts, Music, Drama) and Physical Education.
For further details on the Curriculum please visit www.ncca.ie