Junior School Information
CUS Junior School is a private Catholic school for boys on Leeson Street, in the heart of Dublin 2, near St. Stephen’s Green. CUS provides a 21st century education to boys from 3- 13 years old. The school is under the auspices of the Marist Fathers.
CUS Junior School is located on the same site as CUS Senior School which caters for boys from 13-18 years old. Students in the Junior School automatically qualify for the Senior School, where there is a waiting list at the moment. All classes in the Junior School have an enviable pupil/teacher ratio, and the maximum number of students in each class is 18.
We are enrolling now for all classes in the Junior School for September 2019.
Work/Life balance can be very difficult for parents. CUS Junior School provides an After-School programme which is open daily until 6.00pm, all year except the first 2 weeks in August. Students are supervised while doing homework, having dinner and playing. There are also opportunities to take classes in Guitar, Computer Coding, Yoga, Spanish and an expanding list of extra-curricular programmes.
The school operates within the regulations laid down by the Department of Education (DES) and follows the Primary School Curriculum prescribed by the DES.
CUS respects diversity of values, beliefs and traditions in line with our Marist ethos.
TEACHING AND LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY
It is no longer possible to predict what knowledge people will need as they move through life. To support their ability to develop new knowledge learners need to become self – reliant, to be critical and creative thinkers, and to learn to use initiative.
To facilitate independent learning teachers integrate into their daily work the most advanced Teaching and Learning methodologies such as Active Learning, Assessment for Learning/ Assessment of Learning, and Differentiated Learning. In CUS Junior School this whole-school approach to education means our teachers are not simply transferring knowledge, but also helping the students become more thoughtful, articulate and enterprising. New teachers are supported during the induction phase of their career in CUS by a support team of experienced teachers who oversee reflective practice, mentoring and professional conversations. Continuous Professional Development is provided for all staff. This ensures the highest standards of teaching and learning in line with our vision for teachers’ work:
A teacher’s task is to tell the learners what to look for, without telling them what to see.
HOLISTIC EDUCATION
The role of CUS as a Catholic educational community is particularly important at this time of increasing secularisation and individualism. Fr.Colin, the founder of the Society of Mary, described the work of education as a formation of heart, mind, character and virtue. In general the philosophy of the school addresses the challenge of forming our pupils into gentlemen who display courtesy and sensitivity to all and who can act with integrity and a sense of responsibility. CUS has always been known for the kindness and humanity with which it treats the pupils and for the high value it places on the quality of relationships.
As educators, we in CUS recognize our responsibility to develop the full potential of the boys, something that will be different for each and every one of them and to foster excellence in everything we do and everything we ask of the boys. Our responsibility is to engage the whole person and to remember that the overall objective is for the boys of CUS to become rounded, responsible adults who can make their own way in the world.