Thank you to all the P6 and p7 pupils who attended this year’s Dominican College Open Night and Open Day. The school was delighted to welcome more than 700 visitors this year. This was our first Open Evening and morning since 2020 attendance levels were very positive and parents expressed delight at being able to see round the school in the daylight. Overall feedback from parents was even more positive than usual; they complimented the warm, pastoral ethos of the school, the positive relationships between pupils and staff and most of all, the confidence and eloquence of our Year 8 pupils.
Our junior choir welcomed parents with one of the highlights of the 2022 Dominican Carol Service, “Somewhere in My Memory”. This showcased the musical talent in the school; more than one fifth of the school population are involved in either the junior or senior choirs.
Parents also had the opportunity to hear directly from both the Head Boy, Joseph Mooney and the Head Girl Mollie Byrne as they outlined all the ways that they have prospered and progressed in their seven years at Dominican College. They also heard from Maggie and Oscar two of our new Year 8 pupils who reflected on how much they have grown within a much shorter Dominican journey as they make the successful transition from primary school to Year 8 life with all its variety, opportunities and challenges.
Our School Principal, Mr Lynch, followed this with an address focusing on the values of a Dominican education. He firstly reminded pupils and parents that they face an important decision in choosing their next school:
“Choosing a school for your child is such an important decision. You have to decide what really matters to you in education what qualities and skills do you want your child to develop in the next 7 years. You want a school that brings out the best in your child. Dominican is that school.”
Mr Lynch continued by explaining how Dominican College is a unique and special place which is fully focused on and committed to the development of the whole pupil:
“We are an inclusive and diverse all-ability Grammar school that welcomes all students regardless of ability and background. Diversity contributes greatly to the atmosphere in our school. This school has always attracted a high proportion of pupils from all denominations. The welfare of each pupil is of paramount concern to all members of staff at all times in Dominican College and we focus on the full academic and personal development of students within our child centred Christian environment. Our main aim at Dominican is and always will be to assist each pupil is to achieve their full potential. Dominican College seeks to Empower its students, with confidence and skills to enable them to make well informed decisions both at school and into adult life”.
Moving on to talk about the outstanding levels of pastoral care within the school, Mr Lynch continued:
“We expect a high standard of behaviour from all of our students at all times. Our family atmosphere ensures that problems are detected, communicated and resolved at an early stage. Within this school there is a real sense of belonging and self-discipline is a crucial part of our Pastoral Care Programme. We pride ourselves on the promotion of positive behaviour which encourages students to take responsibility for their own actions and gives them the confidence to act with justice. Our students will become not only the positive contributors to society but will create and shape its future based on the values that they will learn during their time at Dominican.”
Reflecting on the wealth of curricular and extra-curricular experiences available for pupils in the school, Mr Lynch continued:
Our wide, relevant and quality driven curriculum ensures that all pupils are engaged and empowered to reach their full potential. Whilst our curriculum is broad and balanced we have in place curriculum pathways to suit each and every pupil regardless of ability or academic background. We want our pupil experience to be enjoyable and at the same time for them to be challenged, nurtured and respected.
Let me make it clear the pursuit of Academic excellence is absolutely vital in this school. Our students achieve at the highest levels at both GCSE and A Level. As you can see from the results Dominican students are achieving at the highest level academically.
To assist each pupil in developing all their talents and even discovering new talents we also have a full range of extra-curricular activities on offer and encourage all pupils to develop their creative, musical, sporting and dramatic talents within a wide range of clubs and societies.”
Concluding his presentation by looking to the future of the school, Mr Lynch explained:
“This is an exciting time in Dominican College. We have been granted £4m to enhance our current accommodation. This work will begin very soon. The two- storey building will ensure we can provide state of the art learning facilities Art, Drama and Music suites will be a major part of this new facility. Dominican College is an excellent school, my own children were very happy and successful here and went on to university. The friends they met in Year 8 are still their best friends all these years later. When you send your child to Dominican College you can be sure that they will become the best that they can be and go forward into the world as well-rounded young adults.”
Following the principal’s address Parents and pupils were then afforded the opportunity to tour the school and to see as many areas of the curriculum as possible.
We wish every success to P7 pupils as they embark on choosing their next school and thank all parents and guardians for visiting our school last week and for their very positive feedback on all aspects of the school.
We will organise a Year 8 Transfer Evening in June to welcome our new pupils and provide them with as much information as possible about the transition to their new school.
