Our Ethos
Ethos is not a document or a display on a wall. It is how a school actually lives, how people treat one another, how decisions are made, and how students and staff feel when they walk through the door each morning. It is the climate of the school, the culture that exists beneath the curriculum, shaped over time by the values a school acts on daily.
St Michael’s Community College is a State, co-educational and multi-denominational school under the patronage of Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board. Our work is underpinned by five core ETB values: Excellence in Education, Care, Respect, Equality and Community. These are not aspirational statements, they are the standards we hold ourselves to.
Excellence in Education means high expectations for every member of the school community — in outcomes, in experiences, and in the quality of teaching and learning, both in classrooms and beyond.
Care is expressed in the relationships we build, meaningful, consistent, and grounded in genuine concern for the welfare, wellbeing, and safety of every person in the school.
Respect means recognising the dignity, identity, and rights of each individual, and ensuring that our decisions reflect that recognition in practice.
Equality means treating every member of our community fairly, celebrating diversity, directing resources where they are most needed, and building a culture where everyone belongs.
Community encompasses students, staff, parents and guardians, and the wider local community. It is built on shared purpose, a sense of belonging, and the confidence that every voice is listened to.
Our Mission
We are committed to providing the best possible education for our students through a broad and balanced curriculum. We work to identify and meet the educational needs of every student, to support their moral and physical development in partnership with their families, and to provide Social, Personal and Health Education as part of a well-rounded experience of school life.
We encourage parents and guardians to participate actively in their children’s education, and we invest in our staff, providing the resources and support they need to do their work well.
Ethos in Practice
Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board has established a Professional Learning Network for Ethos, bringing together staff from across its eighteen post-primary schools to share practice and deepen understanding. A member of our teaching staff participates in this network, working with the LCETB Ethos Coordinator to ensure that our values are lived and not merely stated.
A group of students has volunteered to serve as Ethos Ambassadors. Having completed training, they play an active role in bringing our values to life across the school, modelling what it means to belong to our community and encouraging a culture where our ethos is seen in everyday actions.
This work is guided by the Education and Training Boards Ireland Framework for Ethos, developed through wide consultation across the sector, which sets out the standards all ETB schools are expected to meet.