Secondary School

Introduction

St. Kilian's Secondary school follows the Irish curriculum (except in German) and takes students to the Leaving Certificate. It has a clearly academic focus. It comprises the Junior Cycle (1^st to 3^rd year, 7th to 9th class), the Transition Year (4^th year, 10th class), and the Senior Cycle ( 5^th and 6^th year, 11th and 12 class).

At the end of the Junior Cycle, students sit the Irish Junior Certificate. The Transition Year focuses on personal development and does not have any examinations. The Senior Cycle ends with the Irish Leaving Certificate. Details of these Syllabi can be obtained from the Irish Department of Education at www.education.ie

Classes begin at 8.30 a.m. and end between 3.30 and 4.05 p.m. Supervised Studies are available between 4 and 6 p.m. from Monday to Thursday. On Fridays, school generally finishes at 12.55 p.m.

Soccer, hockey, fencing and Olympic handball teams are coached after classes. The school also regularly participates in Debating competitions (English and German).

Contacts

Timetable

German

While the Secondary school as a whole complies with the Irish curricula and syllabus, the teaching of German goes beyond the requirements of the Leaving Certificate.

German is taught to native speakers, students whose German course started in the kindergarten or Primary school, as well as students who join St. Kilian's for the first year of the Secondary school.   ('German in St. Kilian's')  Policy Statement

While the new students learn German in a very comprehensive (7 periods/week) foreign language course, German for the other students is split into three separate subjects:

• German (3 pds/wk), either as a foreign language course or for native speakers
• Landeskunde (German Studies, 2 periods/week) is action and project orientated and mixes both groups
• Internationale Geschichte (International History, 3 periods/week) is designed to assist students with text acquisition and formal language. This class is also taught to mixed groups. It does not replace History as a Junior Cycle subject.

The different groups are reorganised after the Junior Certificate.

While at present students can sit the German Language Diploma exam at the end of Transition Year (Stage I) and in 6th Year (Stage II), the structure of German teaching will permit them to choose two bilingual subjects, Deutsch and Geschichte/History for the Senior Cycle from 2005. These subjects will be recognised and examined, initially on a trial basis,  as bilingual Leaving Certificate subjects, and successful candidates will receive a special bilingual Leaving Certificate recognised as university entrance exam in both countries.

Mathematics is taught throughout the school following the Irish curriculum. During the second term of 8th class (2nd year) classes are split into Higher and Ordinary level groups after a qualification process that begins before Christmas. At Junior Cert level, about two thirds of St. Kilian's students still sit the Higher level papers; at Leaving Cert level, the percentage is between a quarter and a third, which compares to a national average of about 18%. At the request of the Learning Support team, individual students can also be prepared for the Junior Cert Foundation level maths exam.

Science is a compulsory subject at St. Kilian's up to Junior Cert level. Classes are only run on the Higher level. They combine Biology, Chemistry and Physics. In Transition Year, students are given a modular insight into the workings of the separated subjects before they make their subject choices before the Senior Cycle. St. Kilian's encourages all students to choose at least one science as a Leaving Cert subject; timetabling ensures that students who wish to do so can opt to study all three subjects. Facilities are excellent: Each subject is taught in a fully equipped science laboratory, which makes it possible for teachers to use a practical and hands-on approach to teaching.

Computers play an ever increasing role in teaching. At St. Kilian's more and more teachers employ the modern computer lab, or the computers in the science rooms, the Learning Support room etc., as a teaching tool. Having introduced primary students to elementary computer skills, the school goes on to complete a European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) course in 9th and 10th year (3rd and 4th). The school aims to provide all students with the user skills necessary to exploit Information Technology.

Religious Education is inter-denominational with numbers limiting teaching to the Catholic and protestant faiths.

Sport and physical education are taught as part of the standard curriculum in St Kilian's with provision of additional sports coaching. See Sports at St Kilian's