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Orla McCarthy- Deputy Principal and Deputy Designated Liaison Person

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A huge welcome to the Ballinteer ETNS team. We are delighted to have you on board and hope this Padlet can be helpful to help you get settled. If you need anything you can't find on here, do not hesitate to ask your link teacher or ANA or any member of staff.

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Entry Doors in the Morning

Main entrance :

Junior Infants

4th Class

Purple door:

Senior Infants,

1st Class

5th Class

6th Class

Blue door:

2nd Class

3rd Class

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School Opening Hours: 7.30am - 6.00pm (Monday - Friday)

Entering doors at Main Entrance Reception : A fob will be issued to you by Andrea in the office. This will allow you to move around the school. Fobs should not be given to children.

Lift- the lift is only for use by members of staff and students with prior approval from senior management.

Ventilation- we require all windows to be open during the school day. Please remember to close these when leaving for the day.

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Every staff member will have a school email address for all school related activities.

The usual address format will be firstnameinitiallastname@ballinteeretns.ie

You will receive your temporary password with email or text. Please log on and change your password as soon as possible. Staff emails should only be used for school purposes.

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Staff Mobile phones should not be used during class time unless for educational purposes. If you need to make /receive calls during school time please try and keep it to break times. Calls for school reasons should be made from the designated phones. These are located in some SET rooms.

Pupil Phones and Smart Watches: Pupils are required to hand up mobile phones and smart watches at the beginning of the school day. These should be powered off. If a child uses their phone or smart watch during school hours they should be asked to hand them over and management should be notified. They are not allowed to have them on during school times. A parent/guardian will be contacted to collect the phone from the Principal.

*Pupils are not allowed to use phone in class for educational reasons (e.g. Kahoot)

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Ruth Brennan - Principal; DLP

Orla MacCarthy - Deputy Principal, DDLP,

Rebecca Carroll  - AP1 Post Holder

Anna Crowley - AP1 Post Holder

AP2 Post Holder ?

Mike White - AP2 Post Holder

AP2 Post Holder ?

AP2 Post Holder ?

AP2 Post Holder ?

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We carry out a fire drill each term. Senior Management will advise when this is to takes place and also advise on the procedures.

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School commences at 8.15am.

SET and SNAs meet and greet pupils at our four entrance doors.

Parents are welcome to walk their children to the door.

Ruth will send out a whole staff memo with reopening information before the first day also.

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Our wonderful school campus is looked after by a variety of companies. AFM are our cleaning company. They will work in the evenings.

Jim our Caretaker carries out our ongoing maintenance. If you have any issues, your first point of contact is Jim. If there are queries in relation to cleaning please inform Andrea.

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Each class level has a link teacher who has experience of that level and will communicate and coordinate info re strategy, planning, books, tours etc.
Every two class levels link to a member of the management team to ensure “Whole School” approach.

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There is a staff car park directly in front of the school building. Parents can drop off children in the set down area. Parents are not allowed to use Staff Car Park.

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General information:
Tea and coffee is available in staff room courtesy of BOM.  If bringing a drink to your classroom you must have a covered cup/bottle. Mugs cannot be taken from staffroom. Put cutlery/delph in the dishwasher and clean your area after eating.

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Ruth Brennan- Principal and Designated Liaison Person

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All staff must have their up to date 'Children First' training displayed and available for inspectors upon inspection. In September 2025 check that your cert is dated within the last 3 years. If it is not, then please do the online course and renew your cert. Once completed, print your cert and hang in classroom and give a copy to Andrea in the office.

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Child Safeguarding Statement and Risk Assessment

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Child Safeguarding Statement and Risk Assessment

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Copy of Child Safeguarding Statement - Copy

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Please link with office to access these accounts also.

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To School : Clothing: We request that pupils wear comfortable, appropriate clothing.

To PE - Children should wear runners to take part in PE classes. Teachers should also wear trainers to comply with insurance regulations.  Every class is allocated a slot in the PE Hall. Some classes may be scheduled for GAA, Rugby or Swimming lessons (First and Second Classes) with UCD at some stage throughout the year.

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Lunches: The Lunch Box Lunches are distributed in the morning by our 6th class pupils All spares are collected at 12.30pm. Children to bring home all waste in lunch boxes-cartons, cores, peel, wrappings etc. Bins are for paper waste only.

We have a Healthy Eating policy so no chocolate, crisps, fizzy drinks, sweets, crisps, juices etc. The only drinks allowed are milk and water.

Allergies: Be mindful that we are a 'nut free' school and that there may be specific allergies within the class. Find out on Aladdin if anyone in your class has any allergies and talk to any parents of these children to check if their child should have an epi-pen in the room. Talk to Orla McCarthy if you have any further queries on this.

Fruit/milk are distributed in a basket daily. Distribute according to demand. Send back any leftover fruit/milk to reception at 12.30.

See Healthy Lunch Policy attached.

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Course days can be spread out over the year to avoid too many being taken around the same time. In order to book a course day, please log it on Aladdin and email Ruth. You will receive an email back to confirm. Arrangements then must be made for your class (similar to the plan for absences).

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Croke Park Hours are scheduled for some Mondays, CPD or planning time. Croke Park schedule sent in advance (in Staff Bulletin).

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Please make sure you are aware of the Code of Behaviour. If a child is on an Individual Behaviour Plan, please follow this plan for that child.

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Please be familiar with our Bí Cineálta Anti-Bullying Policy. This will be reviewed and updated annually.

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Last year, we have commenced our School-Self Evaluation process in the area of: planning for teachers which includes homework, behaviour and well-being. We have engaged in a review process and we are currently our action plan to be rolled out over the next two academic years and communicate at each staff meeting.

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The school makes available areas within the school for an independent company, Kids Inc, to provide afterschool services and Camps during school Holidays.

All contact with Kids Inc is via the Senior Management Team or the Office.

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Weekly Spanish lessons are delivered to pupils from third to sixth class over a period of eight weeks. The programme is fully funded by the Department of Education and primary schools are invited to apply for grant funding each year in order to engage a language.

Further details will be sent in the staff bulletin.

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Ruth issues a Staff Bulletin via email each Monday at 7.30am. Ruth sends this by WhatsApp also. This will update you on the plans for the week and any additional activities or events you need to be aware of. This is where the postholders will update you on their roles also. Please ensure you take the time to read this.

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Communicating with the Office:
If you need a message sent to office etc. always send two children.

Substitute teachers should call to the office to sign up Form for On Line Claims Systems at the beginning of their employment. They must also make sure they have sent in Garda Vetting and their Teaching Council information.

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The school is accessed with a fob. A fob is issued to each member of staff from the office and should be kept safe. Contact the office if a replacement fob is needed.

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Exit Doors:

Main entrance:

Junior Infants

4th Class

Purple door:

Senior Infants,

1st Class

5th Class

6th Class

Blue door:

2nd Class

Green Door :

3rd Class

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Staff communication takes place on WhatsApp and via email. There is also a social WhatsApp group that you are welcome to join. By agreement among the staff, the official school WhatsApp group should only be used between 07:30 and 16.00, Monday to Friday. Please don’t use it during teaching time for non-essential purposes as it will notify the whole team.

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From time to time, you may need to collect money from your students, events tours etc.

This is done only through Aladdin. Please ask Ellen to set up a link for payment. This is monitored by the school office.

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Each class has a budget to cover arts and crafts, games, stationery, photocopying etc. For any queries regarding this please speak to your link teacher. Orders will be completed through the office. We will share more inofrmation on how this will operate in our Croke Park day.

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The ultimate goal is to support pupils learning and development. This is done most effectively when ANA's, work as a classroom team. The most effective classroom teams work collaboratively and make a huge difference to children’s lives.

Here are some recommendations on how ANA's and class teachers can collaborate effectively:

Define roles and responsibilities

Regular communication where possible meeting in the morning informally, discussing plans for the day.

Meeting informally at the end of the day,

What worked effectively?

What did not work effectively?

What can we do to improve?

Create a respectful and positive classroom culture Engage in training

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Parent communication: phone, face-to-face meetings/ quick chats, Aladdin Connect. In the first instance, we aim to speak directly to parents about their children, either face-to-face or on the phone. We recognise that written communication can be impersonal and open to misinterpretation on both sides.

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This year the School was given a grant (80 euro) per student  by the government towards books, copies and stationary. Parents were asked to pay the remainder of the cost. This all arrived over the summer. Please check the invoices with your class level team. If you are short any books please Orla know.
Each parent pays a fee  for the year to cover photocopying, ink, Aladdin... etc.

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Junior and Senior Infants finish at 12.55

(Except for first week, Infants finish earlier.)

1st -6th Class finish at 1.55pm

It is important that you teach line up procedures from day one and the children line up appropriately. Infants and 1st class should be presented personally to their parents or guardians. If someone else is collecting a child you should know in advance.

2nd to 6th class- Older children are walked out to the door area and parents must arrange a meet up point. Teachers of these classes must ensure they walk out with the class, so that the children are behaving appropriately. Children must wait at door if parent is not at collection point. They can return to the office and we can call if they are not collected.

Please note it is not enough to see the pupils out the classroom door. You are responsible for pupils until they are outside the school entrance door.

Parents who wish to collect children early must go to the office first and then you will be contacted. Remind children they must never see themselves out of the school without someone at the office seeing them out and a parent/guardian signing them out at reception.

Never let a parent take a child from the class.

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At present we have two streams from Junior Infants to Sixth Class. Junior Infants up to First Class are located at ground floor level along with our Autism Unit, Reception area and GP Hall.

Second to Sixth Class are located at first floor level along with our Library and Staff Room. SET classes are split over both floors.

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All new staff members will be assigned a link teacher to support them in their first year. Your link teacher is a point of contact for any question, big, small or tiny, that you might have.

Our goal is for all new staff to feel supported and our more experienced staff will be happy to help.

Link Teachers 2024:
Junior Infants- Claire Davey
Senior Infants- Nathalie Harris
1st Class- Yvonne Kelly
2nd Class- Lisa Dobey
3rd Class- Aine Egan
4th Class- Anna Crowley
5th Class- Katelynn O'Brien
6th Class- Emma
Autism Class- Orla McCarthy
SET teachers and SNAs- Rebecca Carroll

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Please email Ruth after you have requested EPVs on Aladdin.

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Break times are as follows:

Breaks

Junior Infants to 2nd Classes 9.45 – 10.00am

3rd to 6th Classes 10.10 – 10.25am

Lunch

Junior Infants to 2nd Classes 11.30 – 11.55 am

3rd to 6th Classes 12.05 – 12.30pm

Please go promptly to collect your class from the yard/hall afterwards.

Staff go to the Staffroom and children go to the yard at break times.

Give children a little lunch before the yard and encourage them to go to the toilet prior to exiting the classroom.

Speak to your link teacher about the procedure regarding the route to and from yard (i.e. which door to enter and exit)

Any queries on yard rota or procedures please ask Orla McCarthy.

Yard duty rotas are located in the shared drive.

On wet days children remain in classrooms.  School Policy is that children do not leave their places without permission when indoors for break (both small and big). On wet days children are given activities by the teacher for the big break (e.g. play with games, worksheets, watch a short clip on the whiteboard etc.

A copy of the yard duty list for teachers is available on the staff drive under timetables. When on duty arrive in the yard promptly, arrange with your partner as to which yard you are supervising. Please ensure you have a whistle for yard time.

When on yard duty, you can arrange with the teacher next door to supervise your class and go to the staffroom to grab a cuppa. You can take 10 minutes at each break for this/or 20 minutes at one break.

Yard Injuries - The Accident Book is kept outside the office. An account of serious accidents especially head injuries are to be written in by a teacher on duty and the first aid attendant may have to add to this account. If children are injured or not well send them into the reception area.  All bangs on head must be reported to the class teacher and office informed to ring parent if necessary. Parents will be informed of any head injuries via the office. If you have any health and safety queries, please contact Orla McCarthy.

At the end of break, a teacher rings a bell. The children freeze and then one teacher on yard blows the whistle and then children move to their lines. Spend time at the start of the year teaching children about lining up and line up, stairwell and corridor etiquette.

Any discipline problems should be reported to the class teacher.

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Communicating between our Staff : WhatsApp

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Communicating between our Staff : WhatsApp

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Staff have access to two WhatsApp groups:

The School WhatsApp group and the Social WhatsApp group.

The School WhatsApp Contact groups are set up by Senior Management with the Senior Management team Representative acting as the Administrator/as one of the Administrators for each  group.

These groups are intended to facilitate communication by staff in relation to staff matters.

The Social Committee may communicate upcoming social events, via the social group.

Messages posted on School WhatsApp Contact Groups should always be respectful in language and tone.

Any opinions expressed are the opinions of individual members and may not be representative of the whole group or the Parents’ Council. Group administrators are not responsible for any comments posted by individual members of the group.

School WhatsApp group may not be used to post inappropriate posts.  Such posts include posting personal and/or business promotions, using inappropriate language, or voicing grievances about any individual members of the group.

These groups are not appropriate for airing issues around teaching methods, teaching staff, or school policy. Please deal with the school or teacher directly if you have an issue.

Please note that the school has a strict child protection policy on photographs and videos, so please do not circulate any in which a pupil appears unless that image has already appeared on the school website or Twitter account, or you have received the permission of the students’ parents to do so or the permission of the students themselves if they are over 18.

All communication in a WhatsApp Contact Group is considered private and should not be disseminated outside that group by any individual member without permission.

For individual concerns regarding pupil performance, school policies etc, please raise these directly with the teacher or, where necessary, the School Principal.

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There is a photocopier available to staff on each level. Your photocopier code is linked to your laptop number and works on every photocopier. Please speak to Andrea regarding this.

Photocopying should not take place during class time.

Printer inks are available in the secretary's office. Photocopying paper is located beside the printer. Please inform office if either is running low.

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We opened our first Autism class in Ballinteer Educate Together National School in September 2022 and welcomed six new students. Our second class followed in September 2023. We now have two Autism class teachers, four SNAs and six children in each class.

Our aim is to create a safe, inclusive and nurturing environment for the children in our classes.

We use a holistic and child-centred approach to teaching and learning to support the individual needs of our pupils. We adopt a range of strategies and approaches to support all aspects of development, prioritising areas such as, communication and language, social and emotional well-being and independent life skills. A wide range of assessment tools are utilised to identify the individual strengths and areas for development of each child, to ensure that they flourish and reach their full potential.

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Every school is different and it can be daunting coming into a school, especially one as big as ours. You will be assigned someone to help you to ease into your new post.  The link teacher or ANA is your first port of call, then the management link teacher who is over your class level, then senior management. If the query is in relation to a particular area that is covered in a management post then you should go to that post holder. This step by step approach us deal with any queries in the best way possible. Obviously, if the query/concern is of a sensitive nature you should contact Senior Management directly.

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Kitchen Rota

We have a kitchen rota for emptying and turning on the dishwasher. It is posted on our fridge in the kitchen.Two staff members are assigned to this duty each week. We ask that all staff members contribute to a clean and tidy kitchen that we all can enjoy.

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Each staff member will also have an Aladdin Schools account. You will receive your Aladdin log on details from Ellen in the office. This will include a temporary password which you will need to change as soon as possible.

Aladdin will be the primary means of communication for the school management/office and parents. All staff need to access their Aladdin account daily in order to update attendance and check for any updates.

*Attendance must be updated before 9.15am each morning. Meetings will take place with parents in early September for pupils who had challenges in relation to attendance.

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Reporting and Communicating with Parents/ Guardians

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Reporting and Communicating with Parents/ Guardians

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Parent/teacher meetings:

Senior Infants to Sixth Class hold these after school in early November each year.

Junior Infant Meetings take place in January.

Phone calls/Meetings can be set up to communicate with parents/guardians throughout the year.

Notes/Memo to parents are distributed on Aladdin weekly.

Remember parents should not find out in the end of year report that their child has been struggling etc. Regular communication is key and an end of year school report should not be a shock to any parent.

As a school we pride ourselves on our regular communication with parents. We like to be on a first name basis with parents/guardians and we take the time to get to know them and their families.

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If you have any concerns over a child’s welfare and wish to document it only use child’s initials and report it to the DLP/DDLP. They will store written accounts/reports.

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Following consultation on the Dignity at Work and Communication Policies and practices in school in the last term, it has been decided that all email communication between teachers and parents/ guardians will now take place via Aladdin only. Teachers will be asked to only send emails to parents via Aladdin and not from their staff email address. Parents/ guardians will be asked to only send/ reply to emails via info@ballinteeretns.ie.

Ellen and Andrea will redirect emails from parents to teachers’ email addresses. In this way, parents will no longer have direct access to teachers’ email addresses.

This system operated well prior to Covid to ensure that emails coming through the school office were in keeping with our expectations for respectful communication within our school community. It is our hope that this practice will ensure that all emails arrive to teachers’ inboxes during appropriate working hours only. Finally, the practice will ensure that a record of written communication with parents/ guardians is maintained on the Aladdin system.

There is no expectation to attend to emails outside reasonable working hours. We aim to respond to parent emails within two working days. New staff to the school should initially ask Ruth to check all email/ written communications with parents before sending.

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As a school, we take a collaborative approach to planning. Time is allocated from our Croke Park hours each month in order to facilitate class teacher collaboration.

SET teachers will have dedicated collaboration time in order to plan with their fellow team members and class teachers.

Sceim Coicise/Fortnightly plans to be written /planned in conjunction with class team.

Cuntas Miosuil: Monthly record kept. This should be put on the school Drive and kept in the teacher’s own planning folder.

Matrix (Long term plans)- available for editing on the school Drive. Discuss these with your link teacher. SET teachers -your Student Support Files are your long term plans.

School Plans/Policies - For school planning, we all follow the same strands at certain times of the year in particular subject areas. E.g. PE. You plan with your class team so this will be something your link teacher will be able to guide you on.

Newly Qualified Teachers who wish to engage in the Droichead process should consult with the Droichead Professional Support Team. (Ruth, Orla, Rebecca and Emma)

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Fire and Emergency:
Emergency exit routes are displayed in classroom. The school will have a fire-drill once a term. Each class should have a “practice drill” regularly during the first month. For further questions contact Orla McCarthy.

*Please note in the case of a fire drill or an emergency- you, as the class teacher, are responsible for every person in your room at the time of the drill/emergency.

Leaving School during Lunch Break:
No staff should leave school during lunch break without informing the Principal or, in her absence, the Deputy Principal. Any staff member who must leave the school during lunch time must ensure that another teacher is willing to cover in case of accidents, emergencies, early return to class etc.

Emergency Light Bulb Picture:
Each class has a laminated picture of a light bulb stuck inside the door of their room. This light blub has your name and room number on it. It should be used in the case of needing assistance. You can send a student next door, to the office etc. and once the light bulb is seen help will be sent immediately. You should discuss this with your class in the first couple of weeks.

Moving around the school:
When moving around the school, it is advised that you stay to the right-hand side. Classes should be constantly taught how to line up and walk quietly to and from areas around the school and the yard.

First-Aid Kits
First-Aid Kits are located in each classroom . If there is a need to replenish items throughout the year, please let Ellen in the office know.
*The ice packs are in the freezer beside the purple stairs.

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Text Orla or Ruth after 7.00 a.m. if you find you are unable to come to school.

In advance, all teachers should have an “Emergency Work Pack” available. Let your support teacher/ next door teacher know where this is kept.

In advance, also leave a list of classes where children are to be sent on days we cannot get sub cover. Make sure you choose a teacher next door or SET teacher to split class.

Always make sure the other class teachers are aware of a split if it is a planned absence such as an EPV day.

Distribute children to classes on your own corridor (where possible keep it to your own class level).

SEN teachers should be informed where their children are sent in case of absence.

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Supportive and enthusiastic Board of Management, led by our chairperson Maeve MacCarthy.

Free tea, coffee and milk provided in our staffroom

Inclusive school

Flexible approach to family events

A friendly ear for difficult times

Staff Social Committee with events organised termly

Open door policy to all Senior Management Team including emergency and support

Wellbeing and Inclusion based each year with staff events

Link teacher for new staff

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Avoid an overly crowded or stimulated classroom as we have many students with additional needs.
We recommend setting up a quiet area within your room as some pupils prefer learning away from distractions
There are a number of flexible seating options for students who require movement.

If hanging up samples of work, please use white tack as opposed to blue (request by Facilities Management Rooms are deep cleaned each summer, you will be provided a checklist at the end of the year to ensure your room is left in order.)

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We have a very proactive PTA who fundraise and hold events in the school as well as help with running our library.

If the PA need to be in the school it will be noted in the weekly memo or WhatsApp group.

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The Teaching Council published the second edition of the Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers on 20 June 2012. The Code sets out the standards of professional knowledge, skill, competence and conduct which are expected of registered teachers. The standards are underpinned by four core values – respect, care, integrity and trust, and reflect the complexity of teaching. A copy of the second edition of the Code was posted to every registered teacher. Teachers should ensure that they are familiar with the Code.

The core elements of the updated Code remain unchanged from the 2nd edition published in 2012. The Code also has an important legal standing and will be used by the Council as a reference point in Fitness to Teach investigations. The Council has updated the 2nd edition of the Code to reflect some recent amendments to the Fitness to Teach provisions of the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015, and a new section, entitled ‘Complaints relating to registered teachers’, has been added.

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Policy Review in Our School

In line with best practice and Department of Education guidelines, our school regularly reviews all policies to ensure they remain relevant, effective and up to date. Policies are reviewed on a planned and timely basis using our policy tracker.

Policy review is a collaborative process. Initial reviews take place at staff meetings, where teachers discuss policies and suggest updates based on classroom practice and school priorities. We value and actively seek input from pupils, parents and other relevant stakeholders, as their voices help to shape policies that reflect the needs of our whole school community.

Following consultation, policies are presented to the Board of Management for review, ratification and adoption. Once ratified, policies are communicated to the school community and implemented across the school.

Policies are located in the shared drive, alonside the tracker.