'Learning together for Life's Journey'

St Joseph and St James’s Primary School is a Catholic, rural primary school situated on the north side of Poyntzpass Village. The school remains on its original site, housed in a building dating back to 1964. There is considerable growth in the local area and an upward trend in admission numbers is anticipated to continue for several years to come. At the moment we employ 5.2 teachers and 6 non-teaching staff. 

Everything we do in St Joseph and St James’s P.S is done with Christ’s guidance at its core. Dedication, mutual respect, understanding and forgiveness are expected of each and every member of our school community. The values of the Gospel permeate the life of our school and it is our aim to help all our children become aware of their dignity and value as children of God. Each child’s pathway through education stands firmly alongside their spiritual journey towards becoming a caring and committed member of our Catholic community.

We, in St Joseph and St James’s Primary School, along with our community, strive to create a nurturing educational pathway tailored for all children in our care. Barriers to learning are identified and removed where possible, enabling all children to achieve to the very best of their ability and develop the confidence to move forward to the next stage of learning. All children have their voices heard and are encouraged, when ready, to direct their own journey through education in a positive, caring environment.

Within our school there exists a culture of high expectation. We are committed to continuous reflection and rigorous evaluation of our practice to ensure positive outcomes for all our children. Every member of our school community is invited to contribute to the school’s journey forward. Staff and Governors are committed to guiding, shaping and bringing forward a school plan which has, at its centre, targets and strategies which will ensure continuous improvement.

It is our belief that ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ and it is with this in mind that we continually reach out to our community and bring it into our school to help and support us in our task of preparing our children to become active and productive members of their own community and communities beyond.

In St Joseph and St James’s Primary School we endeavour to ensure that every child’s journey with us is a happy, safe and fulfilling one.