Whitechurch National School is a community where all pupils are equally valued and respected – irrespective of gender, religious beliefs, social or ethnic background, family circumstances, educational achievement, physical characteristics or intellectual functioning. Pupils experience a sense of caring and belonging, they are treated fairly and their spiritual, moral and religious development is encouraged, as is their intellectual, social and academic development.

 

Whitechurch National School is a community where moral values such as, honesty, truthfulness, justice, fairness, sensitivity to others and environmental and civic responsibility are nurtured and protected. These qualities are drawn from the Bible and are the backbone of our ethos.

 

Whitechurch National School is a part of the local church community and has strong links with the Parish. This, for example, is shown by the fact that the pupils attend and take part in services in the local church with the choir for example, The Rector visits the school on a regular basis and serves as chairperson of our Board of Management. Pastoral support is provided to all members of the school community if wanted regardless of background.

 

The work of the school is conducted in an atmosphere of respect and welcome for religious differences. Our school, although founded and run with the Ethos of the Church of Ireland, is multidenominational in character with families from many religious backgrounds and none. The admission policy of the school welcomes those of other faiths or none as pupils. Our ethos is the backbone of our school- it is inclusive and all are valued. 

 

Whitechurch National School nurtures the freedom of thought and the development of a personal relationship with God. This is most evident in the teaching of Religious Education where we encourage our pupils to think and reflect rather than telling them what to think. We use our Patron's RE programme, Follow Me, which at its core is rooted in the lessons of the bible and also teaches about other world religions. All religious faith formation takes place outside of school eg. confirmation/ communion etc. as we see this as a personal family and parish matter.