St Josephs Girls National School
School Details
Location
About
St. Joseph’s Girls National School is a Roman Catholic primary school in Mountmellick, County Laois, catering exclusively to girls from Junior Infants to Sixth Class. As a DEIS‑designated school it provides a supportive, inclusive environment for its 240 pupils, with a strong emphasis on Christian and moral values. The curriculum is complemented by a wide range of extracurricular activities, including Gaelic football, camogie, athletics, cycling, swimming, harp, choir and debating, fostering creativity, curiosity and teamwork. The school operates a healthy lunches policy under the national School Meals Scheme and follows a structured day that begins at 8:45 am, with two scheduled breaks and a finish time of 1:30 pm for Infants and 2:30 pm for older classes. The campus includes modern classrooms, a dedicated resource room and additional specialist spaces added during the 2013 extension, which introduced two new classrooms and enhanced learning facilities. St. Joseph’s is a proud Green School, having earned twelve Green Flags for its environmental initiatives. Its mission is to nurture each child’s dignity and potential, encouraging responsibility for self, society and the wider world while celebrating wonder and achievement in a caring, secure setting.
History
The school’s origins date back to 1854 when the first Presentation School opened in an old parochial house in Mountmellick. In 1856 it moved to a thatched cottage accommodating 250 children, and in 1886 a two‑roomed, two‑storey building was erected for 300 pupils per room. Two additional rooms were added in 1930. The current school, Scoil Iosaif Naofa, was constructed in 1971, and a significant extension in 2013 provided two extra classrooms and a resource room. The school continues to serve the community today.