Welcome!

Welcome to our College website. I am sure you will find it informative and helpful. We are very proud of our school and everyone in the school community connected to it. Our mission is to create an atmosphere where students are encouraged to be the best that they can be and where they have opportunities to develop their own unique talents and are supported to achieve their personal aspirations. Our aim is to develop a school environment where students are happy, confident to speak their mind and encouraged that they will be listened to. A Franciscan environment where every student can receive a holistic education, become successful learners and grow into responsible and confident young men and women equipped with the skills to take on the demands of the 21st century. Learning for our students is about acquiring new skills, knowledge and understanding as well as building positive attitudes and attributes.

Franciscan College Gormanston is a thriving school community built on hard work and respect where the students and staff play a significant part in an enthusiastic, positive and productive atmosphere. As well as providing excellent facilities for our day students, we also offer both 5 day and 7 day boarding alternatives. The 5 day boarding structure is from Monday to Friday and many of our Irish students avail of this option to concentrate on their studies and take full advantage of the many activities we have to offer. We have a vibrant boarding community that consists of 150 students from Ireland and many other countries including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, South Korea, USA, Holland and Russia. All our students have access to our excellent facilities which include a sports complex, swimming pool, athletics track, golf course and state of the art technology in our classrooms.

We have a team of residential staff who look after the boarding school and ensure that all of our student’s needs are well catered for in a caring and responsible manner. The staff at all times are constantly guiding, encouraging and supporting students in their care. There is supervised evening study for all along with organised and supervised afterschool activities. We provide our 5th and 6th year students with their own single rooms and the junior students share. We have a full afterschool supervised programme for all our students and weekend programmes organised for our 7 day boarders.

The boarding school way of life is a superb way for young men to learn independence and self-reliance in a supervised and safe environment while at the same time participating in team sports and activities. Many of our boarding students regularly comment that they really enjoy ‘spending more time with their friends’ and have time to concentrate on their studies while regarding Gormanston as a ‘home from home’. We strive to create and maintain a community spirit within our school where every student feels safe, secure and above all else able to achieve his/her true potential.

Come and visit us. You will receive a warm welcome!

Dermot Lavin
Principal