St. Catherine’s Senior School is located on Ratoath Road, Cabra West, Dublin 7. We welcome girls from 2nd to 6th Classes. From September 2026, we will begin our transition to Co-Ed and will be accepting boys and girls in 2nd Class.
We pride ourselves on a holistic approach to education where the child’s social and emotional wellbeing are as important as their academic progress. We facilitate a wide variety of in-school activities along with after-school sports opportunities. Our pupils participate in Gaelic Football, FAI Football Competitions, swimming, tennis along many more creative arts experiences.
Our school currently has eight mainstream classes, a class for children on the Autism Spectrum, a HSCL teacher, three full-time special education posts (S.E.T.), a part time EAL teacher, six special needs assistants, a full time secretary and an administrative principal.
The school occupies the first floor of the building, which was built by the Dominican Sisters in 1944. The large school hall is shared with the Infant School on the ground floor (accepts boys and girls for Junior Infants, Senior infants and 1st Class).
St. Catherine’s continues to preserve the Dominican tradition of education aiming to develop each girl to her full potential – academically, spiritually, socially and emotionally, in a spirit of trust and truth.
We are inspired by our school Motto ‘Veritas’, which means ‘Truth’ and we aim to educate our pupils for life, helping them to reach their full potential, and use their gifts and talents to build a just and peaceful world.
We act as a feeder school for St. Dominic’s College, sixth class pupils usually transfer there for their secondary school education.
In April 2006, the Dominican sisters transferred the school to the Laurence O’Toole Trust, under the patronage of The Archbishop of Dublin.
Opening Hours
School hours: 8:40am – 2:30pm
Break: 10:40am – 10:50am
Lunch: 12:45pm – 1:15pm
Parents as Partners
Parents are encouraged to become involved in the life of the school and their children’s learning.
Several courses are organised by the H.S.C.L. Coordinator including cookery (with a focus on healthy, cost-saving meals), fitness classes and computer classes. There is a parent and toddler group also. Parents are involved in Maths for Fun, Story Sacks and paired reading initiatives.
The school has developed a strong link with the local Library and is a member of CBI (Children’s Books Ireland).
Please take some time to explore our website. Your will find information on our many activities – our Green school, our sports and music ventures and some beautiful examples of our pupils’ work.
Our Instagram page ‘stcatherinessenior‘ will keep you up to date with our busy school life.
If you require any further information, please contact the school on (01) 8387194.
School Amenities
Our School has a large PE hall, which can cater for a range of sporting activities. The hall is also used for Christmas concerts, events and school activities that involve the entire school population. There is also a large playground, which provides ample space for children to play and engage in playground games. The playground is separated into class groupings for safety.
Digital literacy is promoted in the school. Pupils have access to iPads, Chromebooks and Lego Spike kits with which they engage in cooperative activities, coding skills and suitable educational games and activities. These digital skills will be invaluable to our pupils as they grow up in a digital world.
We also have an extensive library with a huge collection of both fiction and non-fiction titles to suit all interests. We are currently updating our library with new seating and multi-cultural and bilingual books. Pupils are brought to the library on a regular basis, as well as having access to a range of reading materials within their classrooms.
We nurture a love for music in our school. Some classes take part in “Music Generation” https://www.musicgeneration.ie/ while the children are also given opportunities to join the school choir and take part in nation-wide performances, for example, we most recently took part in “Peace Proms 2026” in the R.D.S.
School Life at St. Catherine’s
Our school is an inclusive community where every student and family is welcomed, respected, and supported to feel a true sense of belonging.
- Pastoral care is emphasised in the school. There is a nourishing of the gifts of each child in an atmosphere of respect.
- Sacramental preparation, involving the home, the school and the parish is undertaken by the teachers and parish sister, Sr. Philomena, who is based in the school.
- The school is involved in the Green Schools Initiative and is now working towards the next flag based on “Marine Life”. Our school boasts a gorgeous garden and active walkway.
- We have a number of wellbeing initiatives in our school to support our pupils. All classes take part in “Zone’s of Regulation” lessons in their classrooms. We also have established a wellbeing commitee.
- Our school is an “active school” and pride ourselves in promoting physical activity among our students. Most classes take part in the “daily mile” run within the school grounds as a movement break throughout the school day. We also take part in active break times and have a range of fun equipment to support the children during their yard time. We encourage our pupils to take part in a wide variety of sports including cycling lessons, swimming, G.A.A., rugby, tennis, cross-country running and camoige.
- We have established a Student Council in our school with representatives nominated from each class each year. This promotes student voice among our school community.
- We have a diverse and inclusive environment within our school. We have created a diversity committee in our school with representatives from each class each year. The committee is involved in organising numerous activities throughout the school year including “Culture week” – which involves learning about traditions and customs different to our own. “Food Fest” also allows the children to try out foods from different countries. Neurodiversity is also a key focus within our school.
- St. Catherine’s offer paid after-school clubs for the children in our school. These include – Camoige, STEM club, Art club, FIT club and Athletics club! Get in contact with your child’s teacher for more information on current clubs in our school.
