Initiatives & Services
Class & After School Programmes
Class & after school programme at Barefield NS
Initiatives & Services
The school has put in place a wide variety of programmes to complement the teaching of the curriculum subjects. Those programmes consolidate and widen the pupils’ learning through active participation. We also offer a wide range of after-school activities and services for families.
Lunch Delivery
Parents and Guardians can order a lunch to be delivered to the school for their child. The service is totally flexible – it can be used from one day a year to every day!
Download ‘The Lunch Bag’ app from the play store or app store.
Accelerated Reader Programme
The Accelerated Reader is a curriculum-based assessment tool that primarily determines whether or not a child has read and comprehends a book. A student who uses the program selects a book from the more than 25,000 titles on the AR list. Each book is assigned a point value based on the number of words it contains and its reading difficulty. After reading, the student goes to the computer and takes a multiple-choice comprehension test on the book’s content. Tests may have 5, 10, or 20 items, depending on the length and difficulty of the book. The computer scores the test, awards the students points based on the results and keeps a complete record. Passing the quiz is an indication that the student understood what was read.
Active School Flag
We have been awarded an ‘Active School Flag’ in recognition of all the physical activity that takes place in our school.
- We have great facilities. We have a large sports hall, an astroturf pitch, a running track, a basketball court, a ball wall with an astroturf area, two playing pitches, spacious yards and a playground with a see-saw, carousel, basket swing and a large play centre with a slide and climbing areas.
- All classes have weekly PE lessons.
- On Mondays, the club coach from St. Joseph’s Doora/Barefield GAA club comes for a full day of hurling, camogie and football coaching.
- Each class receives four weeks of yoga, gymnastics and modern dance from specialist coaches. All children from 1st Class up get six weeks of swimming lessons.
- After-school basketball training for boys and girls typically takes place after Easter and we have a proud tradition of participation in the Marion Keane Basketball tournament.
- After-school football coaching is for boys and girls from 1st class up and typically runs for September and October.
- After-school camogie and hurling training is for boys and girls from 1st class up and typically runs after Easter.
- We have an annual sports day in June.
- Cycle training takes place for 6th class annually.
Féile na hÍnse
Féile na hÍnse is a county event the school partakes in dedicated to promote the Irish language and Irish culture in general. It takes place every year in the Auburn Lodge Hotel and Barefield National School has been a huge supporter of this event for many years.
Teachers let pupils choose a poem, drama or song in Gaeilge and get them ready for their performance. Traditional music is also on the programme and the school Ceili band and Grúpa Cheoil have played in Féile Na hÍnse every year over the past twenty years.
Swimming
Children from first to sixth classes in Barefield National School avail of six swimming lessons annually. 1st and 2nd Classes attend swimming classes at Ennis Leisure Complex and children from 3rd to 6th Classes attend lessons in Shannon Pool.
Children from third to sixth classes also get the opportunity to take part in an end of year Swimming Gala. Barefield School has captured the best large school swimming trophy at this gala on numerous occasions.
Cuman na mBunscol
We have a proud history of participation in the Cuman na mBunscol camogie, hurling and football competition. Staff offer after-school training.
St.Josephs Doora/Barefield GAA Club also provide a coach who trains all classes in the school in fundamental movement skills for hurling, camogie and football.
Basketball
We have a proud history of participation in the Marion Keane Basketball tournament. Staff offer after-school training.
Mathletics
Mathletics is an engaging math program where children have fun practising their maths skills. Log in: https://login.mathletics.com/
Choir
Ms Corrigan and Claire run an after-school choir every Thursday evening. The school choir has won numerous national awards and sings at school events.
Before and After School Childcare
Gymnastics
All children in the school receive four weeks of gymnastics classes from a professional gymnastics instructor.
Yoga
All children in the school receive four weeks of yoga classes from Eimer McCarthy during the school day.
Eimer also offers yoga classes after school.
Modern Dance
All children in the school receive four weeks of modern dance lessons from a professional dance instructor.
Traditional Music
The Denis Liddy Music School offer traditional Irish lessons immediately after school each day.
Modern Foreign Languages
We have a long tradition of teaching & learning Modern Foreign Languages in Barefield National School since Ireland has been part of the European Union.
This year, Barefield National School has joined the Say Yes to Languages programme, French & German classes have been given for 8 weeks (September & October) to 5th and 6th class pupils as a sampler module.
French and German are also offered as extracurricular activities to pupils from 3rd to 6th class during the entire academic year. We are fortunate to count Rachel Frawley and Martina Merz as our language teachers. They both have many years of experience.
- Martina (mobile number 086 785 1399, email address martina.merz.learngerman@gmail.com) is a native German speaker from Southern Germany. She started teaching German in Primary School in 2013 and has been living in Ennis since 2009. Before her move to Ireland, she lived in the UK for 14 years and worked for an international German company as a Purchasing Manager. She has a degree as a Nursery School Teacher/Social Work and in Economics.
- Rachel (mobile number 086 025 4476, email address rachelfrawley.frenchteacher@gmail.com) is a French native from Paris. She started teaching French in 2009 as part of the MLPSI (Modern Languages in Primary School Initiative) and as an extra-curricular activity since 2012. Her qualifications are in ICT (Master), FFL teaching (Alliance Française FFL and Montessori) and Post Primary Education (Professional Master of Education, NUIG). She is now involved in the Languages Connect programme for Primary Schools and is currently preparing an HDip in Spanish for post-primary teachers in UCC.
