Philosophy & Objectives
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St. Andrew's College was founded by the Presbyterian community of Dublin in 1894 to provide a good, broadly based, liberal education in the Christian tradition for the sons of its members and those of other parents who wished their children to attend. From its inception, the College attracted students from a variety of backgrounds and strove to unite them through a shared experience of working, learning and playing together. St. Andrew's has, in effect, always been an 'integrated' school and it remains so today.
Over the years the College has evolved in many ways, and is now a flourishing international, interdenominational, co-educational school of approximately 1,200 pupils and just over 100 teachers. It offers a very wide range of academic subjects, sports, cultural and other extra-curricular activities. Major student events include the annual Arts Festival, Intercultural Week, the Model European Parliament and the Model United Nations (SAIMUN) which attracts participants from Ireland and abroad. The high quality of the education offered by the College and its commitment to continuous improvement are reflected in the fact that since 1984 St Andrew's has been fully accredited by the European Council of International Schools and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
The philosophy on which the College was founded and from which it draws its inspiration today is that a good, rounded education is essential to the moral, social, cultural and academic development of the individual student and, by extension, to the health and prosperity of society as a whole. It is the belief of the College authorities that the principles of the Judaeo-Christian tradition offer a sound basis for the cultivation of such universally valued qualities as honesty, integrity and concern for the welfare of others. They also believe that active participation in all aspects of College life promotes the socialization of children and prepares them to play their full part as citizens in a democratic society. Similarly, we believe that access to a wide range of cultural and academic pursuits stimulates and nourishes the artistic and intellectual capabilities of our students, thereby enabling them to achieve a high degree of personal fulfilment. Over the years, many aspects of school life are affected by social change or technological innovation. Such developments are seen as posing no challenge to this philosophy, but do require us to find creative ways of adapting it to contemporary conditions. Its basic tenets, however, remain as relevant to the personal and social development of our students as they were when the College was founded.
The objectives of St. Andrew's College are threefold:
- To provide a high-quality, broadly-based, liberal education inspired by Christian principles for children between the ages of four and eighteen, from Ireland and around the world.
- To create an atmosphere within the College in which all children can feel respected and valued, in which their talents, aptitudes and skills are given every opportunity to emerge and develop, and in which they can mature into happy, well-adjusted, self-confident young adults.
- To promote an awareness among the St Andrew's community of the rights and needs of others, of our obligations to the disadvantaged in our society and our responsibilities to the underprivileged worldwide, so that students will learn to appreciate the vital contribution such awareness can make both to their own character formation and the promotion of human rights around the world.
These objectives are implemented by a variety of measures, decisions, rules and regulations which are enacted from time to time, communicated to parents and students via notices and letters from the Headmaster, and published on the College web site.