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Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh was founded by the Presentation Brothers in 1964 with the aim of providing a Christian education for the boys of Bishopstown and the adjoining parishes. In an age when the focus of education in Irish secondary schools tended to be rather narrow, both in terms of the type of curriculum offered to students and in terms of the whole concept of what constituted a good education, Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh broke new ground. In its early years, an expanded curriculum, embracing a full range of traditional academic subjects as well as many technological subjects, set the school in the foreground of modern education and prepared it to meet the demands of a rapidly changing world. Accompanying this curricular expansion was a new view of education which put a considerably increased emphasis on the total development of the person through the medium of a broad range of extra-curricular activities.

From its earliest years, Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh established itself as a centre of academic excellence. A measure of its success in this regard has been the consistently high standard achieved by its students in the Certificate Examinations each year and the regularity with which students of Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh have featured in the UCC University Entrance Scholarship list in an almost unbroken sequence since 1969. Side by side with the development of this tradition has been the development of another equally proud one an enviable record of extra-curricular achievement at local, national and international level.

Since 1992, with the withdrawal of the Presentation Brothers from the direct management of the school, the position of Principal has been occupied by a lay person. The Presentation Brothers, as well as being the Trustees of the school, continue their involvement in the school through their representation on the teaching staff and on the Board of Management, four of whose members are directly appointed by the Presentation order.


Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh is a Catholic school which seeks to create a caring environment, in which Christian values permeate all aspects of school life and teachers and pupils find fulfilment. The school believes in the vital importance of good relationships between teachers, students and parents and is conscious of its role in the broader community. The school recognises the need for the on-going professional development of its staff to meet the challenge of a changing world.

The school endeavours to:
  • provide students with opportunities to live their faith through liturgy, prayer and reflection;
  • inculcate good standards of behaviour and respect for one another;
  • promote academic excellence to the full potential of the individual student;
  • foster the growth of self-worth and confidence through the development of the whole person;
  • provide access to the resources of civilisation;
  • equip students with life-skills and develop their leadership qualities;
  • provide an opportunity for the physical development of each student.


The school hopes to achieve the above through a curriculum which provides well-structured learning experiences, both academic and non-academic.”

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Thus, the pursuit of excellence, the fostering of the work ethic and the development of talents, both academic and non-academic are the ideals and objectives which the school sets before its students. To encompass these ideals and objectives, Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh is committed to the provision of a socio-educational ethos in which its students can develop into fully-integrated and responsible young adults, capable of coping with the pressures and challenges of the modern world.

The Christian dimension of its ethos is one of the main identifying characteristics of the school and is central to its educational philosophy. At all times the school endeavours to nurture in its students a spirit of generosity towards and acceptance of one another in an atmosphere based on mutual respect and tolerance and on the recognition of the intrinsic dignity of each individual.

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An essential feature of the educational philosophy of Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh is the belief in the importance of the holistic development of the individual through the medium of extra-curricular involvement. Recognising that education does not take place solely in the classroom, a wide range of clubs and societies is in existence in the school to enable each student to discover and develop areas of activity which are congenial to his interests and talents. The success of this aspect of the school’s philosophy may be seen not only in the frequency with which students of the school distinguish themselves through their victories in various competitive activities but also in the very positive development of self-confidence and maturity in those students who participate in such activities.

The principal extra-curricular activities are listed on the Extra-Curricular Page.


The school also regularly competes in such events as:

    Young Scientist of the Year Competition,
    Mathematical and Science Quizzes,
    General Knowledge Quizzes,
    Australian and Canadian Mathematics Olympiads.

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The involvement of home and school at collaborative level in promoting the welfare of each student is central to the success of the school’s educational programme. Thus, in recognition of the importance of the role of parents as partners in the educational process, the school subscribes to a policy of regular contact with parents at both a formal and informal level.
  1. Formal contact between parents and teachers occurs mainly through the medium of parent-teacher meetings, which are held on an annual basis for each class-group, and through the medium of twice-yearly reports on each student’s performance in the school’s house-examinations.
  2. Less formal contact may occur through the medium of the Class Teacher, who is available for consultation by appointment or who may initiate contact with parents should there be some concern regarding a student’s academic progress or general behaviour. The School Journal, issued to each student at the beginning of the school year, is also a valuable channel of communication between school and home as individual teachers may occasionally use it to record their comments on matters such as homework-record or behaviour in class.
  3. Informal contact with parents is maintained through the medium of such publications as the school newsletter “Spiorad Signals”, the Transition Year newsletter “Tran4mation” and occasional circulars.

The Parents’ Council, a group of fifteen parents elected by the parent-body, is also a very valuable medium of communication between parents and management.

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