Contact and Support

The person within the school with final responsibility for all matters is the Headmaster, who is assisted in academic matters by the Assistant Headmaster. For each year, there are two very significant people: the Academic Year Head and the Year Prefect. 

Academic Year Head
For academic matters, each Year has a designated Academic Year Head, who is responsible for your boy throughout the six years at school. The Year Head exercises direct responsibility for the academic well-being and progress of the boys in their year and is the first person to contact if you have concerns about academic matters. Every year starts with a new Academic Year Head, who is notified to you in the documents sent out prior to arrival at the school.

Year Prefect
The Year Prefect is the adult who has the most regular contact with and concern for, your son. The Year Prefect cares directly for the boy’s personal and social development and overall well-being and is the first person to contact should you be concerned in relation to these matters.
Each Line also has a Prefect, who has overall responsibility for the Line. In Third Line he has two assistants (also called Prefects), each of whom has responsibility for one of the years within that Line.  In the Lower and Higher Lines, the Line Prefect takes direct responsibility for the senior year, his assistant (prefect) taking responsibility for the junior year.  Over the next few years it is envisaged that the successful structure in third Line will be replicated in the other levels.The Year Prefect is someone you need to have a lot of contact with.  They are responsible for important items such as leave from school, the year bank for safekeeping of money, discipline outside the classroom and generally being the person whom the boy will look to for guidance in times of stress. You will be advised in your initial package from the school who the Year Prefect for your boy is. The staff at Reception can also advise you of their name and contact details.

Contacting the School
When parents wish to contact the school about routine academic matters, they would normally contact their son’s Academic Year Head.
For enquiries about matters of social and personal development, the normal contact would be the Year Prefect.

There is, of course, a close relationship between both aspects of a boy’s life in Clongowes and constant contact between the Year Prefect and Academic Year Head during the school year. You can contact either through Reception. Experience has shown that the best first contact for parents lies with these.

The Higher Line Prefect who is Head of Boarding, the Deputy Headmaster and the Headmaster are also available if parents feel the need to discuss matters requiring their involvement.

It is really important that any significant change which affects the wellbeing of the boy - changes in the family situation, worrying illnesses, for example - should be made known to the school as soon as possible. The pastoral care of a pupil can suffer by default if the school hear of such changes indirectly and tardily. Such matters should be brought directly to the attention of the Headmaster at the earliest opportunity.  Where appropriate, they should also be communicated to both the Year Prefect and Academic Year Head.

An unofficial list of parent’s names and phone numbers for your year will become available . This is a great help for networking and contacting other parents. Feel free to contact any member of the Parent’s Association if you have a worry or query. We will be only too glad to help.

Members of staff have an e-mail address consisting of the Christian name initial followed by surname@clongowes.net e.g. John Murphy would have the e-mail address jmurphy@clongowes.net.

The Infirmary
The school has an infirmary, with a number of trained nurses and access to doctors.  Any boy reporting ill is sent there for initial checks and can be kept overnight for observation. If the condition persists, they are normally sent home to their own doctor.  The Infirmary should be contacted for matters relating to health. It is wise to contact the Infirmary if your son is on any medication or has any ongoing health problems.

Support within the school for boys
As mentioned your boy’s Year Prefect is responsible for all aspects of his welfare.  He is backed by a Line prefect who is in charge of the two years that form each of the Third, Lower and Higher line.  Every boy will be introduced to his line prefect and has access to him in the event of a problem between the boy and the Year Prefect.

The House system also allows older boys to get to know your son and to be on hand to help with any problems, particularly those that occur between boys themselves.  Year council members can provide advice and each Line has a Spiritual Father who is on hand to offer pastoral and spiritual support.  Chez Nous nights provide a welcome break from the routine. The Guidance Counsellor offers advice and guidance to boys on what steps to take as they move on to the next stage of their lives. 

Your support
“You do put in the extra effort when you know your parents are there”(Senior cup player ’03)
Every boy has an e-mail address and access to a public phone for home contact.  In addition, you can write the odd letter, which is delivered during break time and can be a real boost to morale. Your attendance at as many events as possible will be a big help.