Welcome to the website of St Fanahans College

At St Fanahan's we believe that pupils entering our school in First Year should be allowed to experience the full bredth and range of the second level curriculum that we offer here.

Therefore we operate a 'trial period' for the Optional Examination Subjects (listed below) during the first semester of First Year, which runs from September until the end of December (the Christmas holidays).

During this trial period, the pupils are split into 2 groups, and each group attends one half the optional subjects that are opposite each other on the timetable for about 8 weeks from September until the end of October (the Halloween Mid-Term Break).

When they return to school in early November, the groups then swap subjects and attend the other half of the optional subjects for approximately another 8 weeks until the Christmas Break.

Once this trial period has finished and the pupils return in January, they choose which of the opposing subjects they wish to complete to Junior Cert level.

For example, if Business Studies and Metalwork are opposite each other in the timetable, then a first year pupil would do Metalwork from the start of the year for 8 weeks, then Business Studies for 8 weeks after the Halloween mid-term, and then choose between them in Janury and complete that subject for the rest of the the 3 year Junior Cert programme.

We believe that this system is the fairest and most balanced way that pupils entering second level can make an informed and well judged choice about the type of curriculum they wish to complete.