Grennan College – DEIS Summary for Parents (2025–2028)
Grennan College is part of the national DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) programme. This plan outlines how we will support every student to learn, attend, achieve and feel part of our school community over the next three years.
There are eight key areas we focus on to support your child. They include:
Attendance
Our goals
- Improve overall daily attendance each year.
- Reduce chronic absenteeism (students missing 20+ days).
- Help 1st year students settle well and miss fewer days.
How we will support students
- “Every Minute Counts” attendance campaigns three times a year.
- Attendance assemblies and tutor follow-up.
- Home visits and attendance clinics by the HSCL teacher.
- Attendance awards and positive recognition.
- Strong 1st Year induction programme, clubs and activities to build belonging.
Retention (Staying in School)
Our goals
- Maintain and increase student retention at both Junior and Senior Cycle.
- Support priority groups including Traveller students and EAL learners.
How we will support students
- Extra guidance and pastoral support for students at risk of dropping out.
- Weekly referrals to the Student Support Team
- Check & Connect mentoring.
- Home visits and strong communication with families.
- Positive Behaviour initiatives and Ethos Awards.
Literacy
Our goals
- Increase students’ daily use of subject keywords and writing skills.
- Increase digital learning and submission of online work.
- Reduce the number of students with very low standardised literacy scores.
How we will support students
- Literacy Week activities and Spelling Bee.
- Standardised copy templates for all classes.
- Book clubs, reading hubs and World Book Day events.
- ICT initiatives including digital assignments and “Olive for Education”.
- Ongoing use of keyword strategies across subjects.
Numeracy
Our goals
- Improve 1st year numeracy assessment scores.
- Increase students’ confidence working with numbers.
- Strengthen functional maths skills for L2LP students.
How we will support students
- Common approaches to graphs, percentages and formulas (FIFA strategy).
- Participation in national Maths problem-solving competitions.
- Numeracy boards, numeracy-rich classrooms and maths activities during the year.
- First-year numeracy programme and ongoing skill-building worksheets.
Examination Attainment
Our goals
- Reduce the number of students achieving under 200 CAO points.
- Reduce the number of “Not Reported” Junior Cycle CBAs.
- Increase the number of students taking Higher-Level subjects.
How we will support students
- Study skills workshops for 3rd and 6th year.
- One-to-one guidance and exam tracking.
- Whole-school CBA calendar and student progress tracker.
- Exam Revision platform for home and school use.
- Regular monitoring and feedback for students and parents.
Supporting Transitions
Our goals
- Ensure all new students (first-year or transfers) receive a full induction.
- Ensure all students know who to go to for support.
- Increase parent involvement in helping students plan future college/career pathways.
How we will support students
- Welcome packs for new students and curriculum questionnaires.
- Cara student leaders supporting new students.
- Student Support Team information clearly displayed and included in diaries.
- CAO/Careers evenings and parent information events.
Partnership with Parents
Our goals
- Increase home visits to support families.
- Increase attendance at Parent-Teacher Meetings.
- Increase parent participation in school-based evening classes.
How we will support parents
- Home visits by the HSCL to strengthen communication.
- Meeting reminders via text and social media.
- Attendance clinics during PT meetings.
- Parent courses advertised and supported through HSCL.
Partnership with the Community
Our goals
- Increase links with local primary schools, especially for incoming AEN students.
- Build relationships with more community charities.
- Increase involvement with external agencies that support our students.
How we will support these connections
- Visits to primary schools and strong communication around new students.
- Annual partnership with new charities (e.g., fundraising events, school talks).
- Inviting charity and agency speakers into the school.
- Ongoing cooperation with youth services, support agencies and community groups.
Working Together
Here are some ways you can support your child's education:
· Monitor your child's homework and attendance regularly.
Encourage your child to participate in school activities and study groups.
· Attend parent-teacher meetings and stay informed about your child's progress.
Support your child during key transition periods, such as moving from primary to secondary school.
Engage with school initiatives and community programmes that support student learning and wellbeing