S N MUIRE
School Details
Location
About
St Mary’s Junior National School in Blessington, Co. Wicklow, provides a Catholic‑based primary education for children from Junior Infants to Second Class. The school cultivates an atmosphere of fairness, respect and inclusion, encouraging independence, self‑confidence, honesty and resilience. Spiritual development is nurtured through a growing knowledge and love of God, while equality and diversity are celebrated to create a supportive community where pupils feel safe, loved and appreciated. The school operates a single‑stream, mixed‑ability model with three Junior Infant classes, two Senior Infant classes, and three First and Second Class classes. A dedicated team of special education teachers and special needs assistants supports inclusive learning, complemented by a secretary, caretaker and cleaning staff. Facilities include a modern classroom block opened in 1984, a refurbished protected building housing a computer laboratory, library and a first‑class room, as well as a GP room and kitchenette. Recent curricular innovations such as updated phonics schemes, Power‑Hour and station teaching have driven significant improvements in reading assessment outcomes.
History
St Mary’s Junior National School was founded in 1882 following a remarkable community demonstration in which 160 local farmers supplied stone for the original building. A new school was erected in 1936 on the former Royal Irish Constabulary barracks, featuring four classrooms, separate entrances for boys and girls, and coal‑fired heating. The building was consecrated as a church in 1946 by Archbishop John Charles McQuaid. After the parish opened a new church in 1982, the old school returned to educational use, and in 1984 a new extension added ten mainstream classrooms, a GP room and a kitchenette. The original structure was refurbished in 1997 to provide a computer lab, library and a classroom. In September 2007 the school split into separate Senior and Junior schools, with the Senior school situated across the road in a state‑of‑the‑art facility. Pupils from the Junior school automatically qualify for a place in the Senior school for third class.