Portlaw N.S.

Portlaw National School, Portlaw, Co. Waterford.

Check out their website here

‘In Portlaw we want each child to be seen and recognised for who they are and to expose them to as many new opportunities and experiences as we can’

They currently have two student committees. The Green School Committee has been running for nearly 15 years and has won the school 12 Green School flags. Their Student Council is in its second year and going from strength to strength. Their close relationships with a variety of community stakeholders mean that the pupils are integral to many aspects of life in their community. The Green School Committee organises the Spring Clean with the local tidy towns, as well as the ‘Create Life not Litter’ window-box initiative. The Parents Association and Green School led a campaign to get the access to the school pedestrianised. They now have a fully pedestrianised front access to the school at drop off and pick up times.

Portlaw NS has been at the forefront of child focused education in Waterford. They have prioritised the wellbeing of children and work to create individual level programs for their children. Portlaw NS has put the children at the centre of the curriculum and learning and developed our approaches from there. They recognise the individuality of their children and are keen to promote the holistic development of the children in our school community.

They use technology in Portlaw NS to create individual learning programs for children and support those who learn best with the assistance of IT. They do not believe in tech for tech's sake. So, for example each child from 3rd to 6th has an individual spelling program which they access through class iPads. Each child also has an individual reading program which is based on their exact reading abilities, and they use iPads to log reading and undergo assessment.

Portlaw NS was the first school in Waterford to open a Nurture Room and we continue on our journey to extend a trauma informed approach to pupil management. They prioritise the wellbeing of children and as part of our DEIS plan they conducted a parent’s wellbeing survey to inform our thinking. Every class does a formal wellbeing program in the school to enable each child to cope with the challenges of life. They introduced the Zones of Regulation to all classes this year and they are continually working towards the development of emotional literacy and regulation in all classrooms.

Last year they decided that as a school, they were not doing enough for teacher wellbeing. As a result, they started a pilates class for staff after school and prioritised organising more social and active events for staff. 

Children and staff go on regular hikes and use their surrounding woodland as a learning and relaxing experience. They make most sports available to their children to try and encourage them to have an active lifestyle; GAA, soccer, athletics, cycling, basketball, skipping, marathon running, tag rugby, swimming.

The Principal and HSCL recently started a committee in the town of Portlaw called the Education and Wellbeing Committee. This committee brings together everyone in the town who is working in this area; Portlaw National School, Little Buddies Creche, TYRE youth diversion project, WWETB, Foróige and The Portlaw Community Hub (family resource centre). This committee is working to identify the needs in their community and address them for their families.

Portlaw N.S. is a proud DCU Changemaker School.