Our school is a co-educational primary school with 339 pupils. We were founded in 1956 and have proudly served the people of Ardee and surrounds since then. We offer classes from Junior Infants to Sixth Class. We are proud of our high standards of teaching and learning, our happy and caring school ethos and the wide variety of extra-curricular activities available to our pupils. We have very high standards in literacy and numeracy and our pupils receive a broad and balanced education with an emphasis on sport, music, art, drama and wellbeing.
We were an all-girls’ school until September 2022 when we commenced the coeducation of boys and girls in Junior Infants. In September 2025 we have girls and boys in Junior Infants, Senior Infants, 1st class and 2nd class. In September 2026 we will have boys and girls in all classes up to 3rd Class and we will grow year on year to be fully co-educational by 2029.
Our Staff: We have an administrative principal, Mrs Sweeney, 14 class teachers, 4 learning support teachers, an EAL teacher and 7 Special Needs Assistants. We have 2 school secretaries, a caretaker and a cleaning team. Our school staff work as one big team to make our school a happy, successful and caring place for all our pupils.
Our Ethos: Scoil Mhuire na Trócaire is a Catholic primary school. We also welcome children from all other religious beliefs and none. We are proud of our Mercy ethos which is committed to holistic development and to the achievement of the full potential of each pupil.
Our ethos is centred on educating in an atmosphere of care, respect and joy. Our school is a welcoming place, respectful and accommodating in race, culture, religion, gender and ability.
We strive to create a well-ordered, caring and happy school where the intellectual, spiritual, moral, physical, emotional, imaginative, cultural and social needs of our pupils are nurtured. We value our very positive relationships with parents and the local community, and we work in partnership with parents to ensure the best outcomes for our pupils.
We have pupils from all over the world, from a variety of cultural, religious and linguistic backgrounds and this brings wonderful richness to our school community.
Location:
Located on Hale Street in the mid-Louth town of Ardee, we enjoy a beautiful setting stretching back towards the beautiful convent building and grounds.
Our school facilities:
We have 14 mainstream classrooms, four Special Education rooms, an EAL room and a fabulous new sensory room, “The Zen Den”. All our classrooms are equipped with the most modern interactive panels, high speed Wi-Fi, PCs, laptops and pupils use our class sets of iPads (48 iPads in total) and we have a wide variety of educational software to support teaching and learning.
Playgrounds and sports field: We are very fortunate to have 3 separate, enclosed playgrounds for our pupils to play and explore, a Junior Infants’ playground, middle playground for Senior Infants and 1st Classes and our Senior Playground. We have a new school field, with goal posts and a walking track and this is a fantastic resource for play, school sports and training. Our playgrounds were resurfaced in 2024 and we have a basketball court and a tennis court area.
We have a Biodiversity area with a traditional Irish orchard, fruit bushes and a herb garden. We also have raised vegetable plots where pupils learn how to grow and harvest vegetables. In 2025 we also developed “An Choill Bheag”, a new biodiverse woodland and seating area. All visitors comment on our attractive landscaping at the front of our school with our Fairy Garden and attractive shrub areas. We love our school grounds!
Our activities: It’s a long list! Our school is a very busy place and we offer a wide variety of activities to cater for our pupils’ interests, needs , hobbies and talents.
Here is a list of some of our activities: GAA teams, basketball training, soccer training, swimming, Peace Proms choir, chess club, coding club, Lego club, Irish dancing with Carol Leavy, quiz club, Christmas concerts, charity work, Amber Flag awards, Junior Entrepreneur projects, gardening club, Active Schools, Excellence in Science award, Grandparents’ Day, World Book Day, Halloween Dress Up, St. Patrick’s Day parade entrants……and many more activities each year.
Pupils’ Committees: Pupils may join our Green-Schools Committee, our Student Council, our Active Committee or our Well-being Committee. Their voices are heard and their ideas valued. Student Voice is encouraged in all aspects of school life so that they can build a sustainable set of skills and values and the resilience that they need to thrive in today’s world.
Parents: Our school welcomes and encourages the co-operation and involvement of parents and guardians in the education of their children. We enjoy excellent relationships with parents, working in partnership to ensure the best outcomes for our pupils. We have a fantastic Parents' Committee, who work in partnership with the school.
A final word…… Our school is a place of learning, growth, inclusion and wellness. Every pupil is valued, cared for and respected. We are privileged to be part of each child’s primary school journey and we are committed to preparing our girls and boys to be the best they can be as they move on to secondary school.