YOUTH ENCOUNTER PROJECT
School Details
Location
About
St Paul’s Youth Encounter Project (YEP) provides an alternative, less‑formal educational setting for young people aged 10‑16 who are at risk of early school leaving due to truancy, behavioural challenges, family difficulties or potential involvement in crime. The school adopts a student‑centred approach, using an Individual Student Profiling system that combines teacher observations, in‑house assessments and standardised testing to identify each learner’s strengths, difficulties and priorities. Programme planning incorporates class teaching, learning support and paired reading, delivering a curriculum that can include the Primary Curriculum, Junior Cycle, Junior Cycle School Programme (JCSP) and Level 2 Learning Programmes, either singly or in combination, in partnership with parents. The learning environment is designed to be positive, inclusive and flexible, with a strong emphasis on social and life‑skills development and outdoor activities. Staff are trained in the Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) model, and a Family Therapist is available to supervise students and families, reinforcing a caring and safe atmosphere. Housed in the former Patrician College on Deanstown Avenue, Finglas West, the premises offer dedicated spaces for classroom instruction, support work and extracurricular programmes.
History
St Paul’s YEP was established in the late 1970s to serve children at risk. It originally operated from the sacristy of St Oliver Plunkett’s Church in Rivermount Parish, later moving to the corner of Main Street and Ballygall Road in Finglas Village. Since September 2014 the school has been based in the former Patrician College on Deanstown Avenue, Finglas West, Dublin 11.