John Paul Ii National School
School Details
Location
About
John Paul II National School is a co‑educational primary school situated on Sea Road in Malahide, County Dublin. The school provides a warm, friendly and nourishing environment for children from junior infants to sixth class, with a strong emphasis on wellbeing, fitness and inclusive learning. Daily routines follow Department of Education guidelines, offering ten‑minute snack breaks and thirty‑minute recreational periods, including a DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) session that encourages a love of reading and outdoor fresh‑air time. The campus comprises a single‑storey building originally constructed in a quadrangular layout, expanded in 2004 and again in 2015 to deliver 26 bright, spacious mainstream classrooms, each equipped with its own toilet, tiled art area and drinking water supply. Specialist provision includes eight SEN rooms, a purpose‑built hall for physical education, mass and extracurricular activities, a sensory room and corridor, and a fully equipped kitchen that supports cooking experiences and community events. Technology is integrated throughout, with interactive touch‑screens in every classroom, school‑wide iPad use, and laptops for senior classes, ensuring pupils develop digital literacy alongside traditional academic skills.
History
The earliest recorded school in Malahide dates to 1704. In 1831 Father Carey of Swords opened a school in a derelict mill at Barrack Bridge, which closed in 1841; he re‑established a school behind St Sylvester’s Church in 1846. Malahide Girls School opened in 1863 on Yellow Walls Road, a name derived from historic vegetable‑dyed woollen fabrics. The infant and girls schools operated separately but under one roof, with a new infant school built in 1956 and renamed St Sylvester’s Infant School. In 1959 the girls’ school became St Sylvester’s Girls National School and turned co‑educational in 1976. The school moved to its present site in September 1980, occupying a brand‑new 16‑classroom building and was renamed Pope John Paul II School to commemorate the papal visit of September 1979. Extensions added in 2004 and 2015 increased the capacity to 26 mainstream classrooms, providing modern facilities for the school community.