In 2003, the then Minister for Education, Mr. Noel Dempsey, introduced a system of standardisation for the school year calendar for all Second Level schools.  This basically sets the dates for when our school opens and closes throughout the year.  Classes last for 40 minutes.  

Monday - Thursday  -  Classes commence at 9.05 am and end at 4 pm, with a morning break from 11.05 am to 11.15 am, during which the students buy refreshments from the school shop.  Lunch break is from 1.15pm to 2pm, during which the students are allowed down town.

Friday  -  Classes commence at 9.05 am and end at 1.55 pm, with a 10-minute break at 11.05 am.  There is no lunch break on a Friday.

The school uniform must be worn at all times in school, at competitions, functions and organised activities in which students take part.

BOY'S  UNIFORM

•         Bottle green V-neck pullover with a white shirt.
•         A pair of black trousers/jeans.

GIRL'S  UNIFORM

•         Bottle green V-neck pullover with a white shirt.
•         A green tartan skirt or black trousers/jeans.

All classwork and homework textbooks are given to the students on a rental basis.  The rent is set at the beginning of the school year at a very reasonable rate.  This scheme saves the parents considerable expense.

The provision of Social and Cultural activities is an integral part of the school year in which each student is given the opportunity to develop his/her potential.

In sport we specialise in Gaelic Football, Volleyball, Basketball and Athletics.  We have access to modern handball courts.  For the non-sporting there are also great opportunities - Musicals, Plays, Public Speaking Competitions, School Trips, Young Enterprise Competitions, Union of Oxford Young Enterprise Competition and Exam, Horizon Weekend, Art Exhibitions, Creative Writer Workshop, Newspaper in the Classroon, Smoke-Free Leitrim, Outings to live plays, Essay Competitions, Gaisce Awards, French, Irish and General Quizzes, all of which play a part in the students development.

The students of the school are actively involved in charitable work for Concern, Irish Heart Foundation, M.S. Readathon, Daffodil Day and Telethon.  While in most cases the students use their own initiative in the various activities, we are at the same time aware of the enormous contribution that our teachers make in developing the interests of students and recognise that our teachers carry out most of this work on a voluntary basis.

The school counsellor, Mr. John King is available to all pupils by appointment throughout their time in Drumshanbo Vocational School.

All first years are assessed on standardised tests when they arrive in September.  The results are available to teachers and pupils and form a background on which to monitor pupil's progress throughout the school.  A series of self-description classes also take place in first year.  This allows the counsellor to get to know the pupils and vice versa.  There may also be an interview with each student where any problems the pupils have may be raised.  During first year the counsellor has discussions with the remedial teachers.

Senior pupils have up to four formal interviews with the Guidance Counsellor.  At the beginning of 4^th Year, subject choices will be discussed.  Later, their career profile will be discussed and they will be offered relevant information from the career library.  In 5^th Year, all C.A.O./U.C.A.S. applicants will be brought through the complicated procedures and will be supplied with up to-date information.  In the 3^rd Year and 5^th Year, the students will sit aptitude tests.  The results of these will help guide the pupil on their final interview.

The guidance counsellor is available to students in August after they receive their results and also to those students who choose a course in Drumshanbo College of Further Education.  He arranges career trips and visiting career talks.

The importance of a library in a school needs to be emphasised.  With the competition of television and other pastimes for teenagers there is the distinct danger that reading will be neglected.  With this in mind a special effort is made to equip the school library with a wide selection of novels and as many reference books as is possible.  With the advent of the new syllabus in English in Leaving Certificate, where private reading is given more importance, it is essential that pupils have developed the habit of reading in the early years in post-primary school.  It is hoped that over the next number of years the range of books will be greatly expanded and that the library will become a central element in many subjects.

Because of sharing a campus with Drumshanbo College of Further Education, the school has a fully equipped, modern computer suite.  Students of all classes have contact with computers and huge numbers pursue our 3^rd level, PLC Course, which is a recognised passport to the technological era.  The school has three computer rooms in total - two of these are used mainly by the Secretarial PLC Class.  However, the Secretarial Class have Thursday afternoons off which frees the two computer rooms for other classes to use them.  The third computer room is used quite a lot by the Leaving Cert Applied Class and the Special Needs Class.

Back to top