East Glendalough School

1. Introduction

Sport is an integral part of student life at East Glendalough School. All students are encouraged to participate and support sports activity in the school, both curricular and extra-curricular.

The school aspires to compete in a range of sports where personnel and facilities permit. The organised team sports of the school are: Basketball, Hockey, Rugby and Soccer. The school endeavours to complete in regional and national school competitions in these sports.

East Glendalough School timetables sport at the following times:

Physical Education Classes
Physical Education is compulsory for students in forms 1,2,3,4 and 5. Students in form 6 are encouraged to participate regularly but the P.E. teacher will not impose sanctions should they choose not to do so. Pupils have one double period of P.E. per week. Pupils participate in a wide range of activities including gymnastics, field games, court games, athletics and orienteering. Health and fitness related theory and practical work is also incorporated into the schools’ P.E. curriculum.

Games Classes

Pupils in forms 1, 2 and 3 have one compulsory double period of games per week. Forms 2 and 3 are combined for games class. In form 4, pupils can choose to participate in a range of optional modules including dance, soccer, basketball, swimming, self-defence, salsa dancing and pilates. Form 4 students also travel to an outdoor pursuits centre for four days each year. In forms 1, 2 and 3, pupils will have the opportunity to participate in a range of sports including soccer, basketball, hockey, swimming, rugby and rounders. Pupils in forms 5 and 6 have the option of doing games or studying. They can review their choice at regular intervals throughout the year.


Clubs Classes
Clubs class provides students with the opportunity to participate in an additional single period of sport. Students choose from a list of available clubs each term. This may include tennis, soccer, basketball, athletics, table tennis, hockey and rugby.


Students have the option of participating in a range of lunchtime sports competitions. In addition, students may be chosen to play for a school team in a particular sport. Participation on a school team may involve matches at East Glendalough School or travelling to matches at other venues. Such matches will normally be organised between 9am and 4pm on weekdays.(see also Trips Policy)


2. Sports Facilities

East Glendalough School has use of the following facilities:

Indoor sports hall – approx. 20 x 10 m. (markings for basketball, volleyball, badminton) pitch – grass surfacebasketball courts:
1 x full size (also marked for tennis), 1 x smaller court Additional grass playing areas changing rooms x 2changing rooms x 2storage room


East Glendalough School also hires and makes use of:
The local public swimming poolall-weather Hockey Pitch at the Dominican College, Wicklow Townprivately owned sports facilities, which may be hired from time to timeGym, Wicklow TownLeisure CentreRoad Soccer PitchRover all-weather pitch


3. Equipment

East Glendalough School is furnished with all the equipment necessary to teach / coach a wide range of sporting activities. No use of this equipment may take place without the permission of the teacher in charge.

All such equipment is maintained by the sports and care-taking staff. Teachers, students or care-taking staff when they are noticed, must report faults or defects. An independent audit of the schools’ equipment will periodically take place.




4. Personnel

A qualified P.E. teacher conducts all Physical Education classes. When that teacher is absent, a member of staff (without a formal P.E. qualification) may conduct the lesson.

Other members of staff who may not have any formal P.E. qualification will be timetabled to supervise games and clubs lessons.

There are a variety of sports teams representing the school each year in hockey, rugby, soccer, basketball and athletics. The school relies on the voluntary efforts of a number of teachers to look after these teams. The selection of students for teams is at the discretion of the teacher in charge. When making his/her decision, the teacher may take into account the students attitude, ability and previous discipline record.

The school also enlists the services of various outside personnel to complement the work of school staff. All such individuals will be suitably qualified and/or experienced. Examples of where this might happen are: swimming, canoeing, self-defence, dance, hockey, soccer, basketball and rugby.

When individuals not normally considered part of the school staff are asked to coach/teach a sporting activity to students of the school such individuals will be requested to:

Furnish details of qualifications,permission to seek Garda clearance regarding previous convictions.

When outside agencies are employed to coach/teach sporting activities to students of the school such agencies will furnish the school with:

A copy of their Safety Statementof the qualifications of all instructors employed by the agency.


5. Supervision

East Glendalough School acknowledges its duty of care for students during Physical Education, Games, Clubs, and while on trips outside the school. Supervision of students in transit to and from sports activities, in corridors, changing rooms, PE Hall, viewing areas, pitches and courts will be in accordance with good practice and informed common sense.

To enable the greatest participation by students while at Games, one teacher may sometimes supervise matches taking place on each of two pitches in the school.

The school appoints general supervisors at lunch and break times but there is no direct supervision of soccer/hockey/basketball matches/practice which students may organise in their own time. The school acknowledges the assistance given, on a voluntary basis, by staff who wish to encourage sporting activity at break, lunch and after school. The school also acknowledges the important contribution of prefects, senior students and the Student Sports Committee in maintaining adequate supervision of sporting activities particularly at these times.

The supervision of dressing rooms and shower areas will respect the rights of students as far as is practicable. This will not undermine the health and safety obligations of the school nor the importance of maintaining good discipline at all times. Male supervisors will not enter female dressing rooms and female supervisors will not enter male dressing rooms except in the case of emergency.

All students are expected to behave in a responsible manner at all times, during games and while changing. Students must listen to and obey all instructions at these times.

All students must respect the property of others.

The school does not accept liability for items of clothing which are lost or damaged either during sports activities or while in the changing rooms. Changing rooms are not supervised while a match/sporting activity is in progress. Valuables should never be left in changing rooms and should ideally be left at home. Should a student have a particular item of value s/he may ask a teacher/supervisor to look after it. Neither the teacher/supervisor nor the school can accept liability should any such item be lost or go missing.


6. Trips away from the School

Sports trips organised by teachers of East Glendalough School will follow normal guidelines as set down in the School Trips Policy.

Students will normally be part of a school team (or a supporter) or part of groups of students who have opted to do an activity, which takes place outside the school. Such students will normally be required to furnish written parental permission for the trip or a general permission slip for the activity for the year. The onus is on students to inform parents/guardians of the details, timing and destination of individual sports trips for teams as they are organised during the course of any academic year. If the school is not clear that parental permission has been given the student may not be permitted to travel.

All school rules and all school policies apply while on school trips.

All students selected for sports teams and who travel as part of a class group represent the school and the highest standards of behaviour and conduct are expected.

Students who travel as part of a team representing the school will normally contribute to the cost of bus hire.

The school notes that students may miss academic classes when trips/matches are organised. In this event it is the responsibility of students to make every effort to catch up on work missed.


7. Teams visiting the School

A teacher from the visiting school should always supervise students who visit East Glendalough School as part of a visiting team. Such students are responsible for their own belongings and East Glendalough School takes no responsibility for valuables belonging to visiting students.

Supervisors of students visiting the school may be given a key to East Glendalough School changing rooms.


8. Code of Practice and Ethics

East Glendalough School is fully committed to safeguarding the well being of its students. Every individual in the school should, at all times, show respect and understanding for the rights of others, and the safety and welfare of others and conduct themselves in a way that reflects the ethos of the school and the guidelines contained in the Code of Ethics and Good Practice for Children’s Sport in Ireland.

The Following principles should apply when students participate in sport:

Students will do suitable warm-up exercises.must be fit to participate.performance enhancing drugs will be tolerated.activity undertaken will be suitable for the age, ability and experience of the participants.safety and well being of the students will be the prime concern of members of staff responsible for providing sporting opportunities in the school.clothing/footwear should be worn at all times. Other items such as gum shields should be worn when requested.injuries must be reported to the teacher.


9. Medical

Parents must inform the school, in writing, if there is a medical condition, which affects, in any way, the ability of a student to participate in physical activity.

While it may be deemed appropriate to administer basic First Aid, the school does not employ medically qualified personnel. Pupils who become ill in school and who are unable to continue with PE, Games or a sports activity will be sent to the office and the parent/guardian will be contacted, if possible, to take the child home. In the event of an emergency or failing to make contact with a parent/guardian the school may take the student to a doctor where this is deemed necessary.

The school employs the services of Westmount Medical Centre and will refer students who have serious injuries to this centre.

If a serious accident occurs while on a sports trip outside the school, a student may be taken immediately to hospital/medical centre. The school will endeavour to contact parents/guardians as soon as possible. (See Trips Policy)

Students must report all injuries to the supervising teacher, immediately, or as soon as the student is aware that an injury has occurred.


10. Hire of School Facilities for Sport


The Board of Management must approve all applications for hire of facilities of East Glendalough School. The Board will only consider such applications if accompanied by written confirmation that insurance cover exists, and that such cover indemnifies the Board of Management and the Minister for Education and Science.

Bodies, which hire any facility of the school, do so on the understanding that no areas of health or safety can be compromised. All students who come onto school property to attend sports activities organised by outside bodies must be adequately supervised at all times.

Any accidents or injury to persons employed by or under the supervision of bodies that hire the facilities of the school are the sole responsibility of the hiring body.



Approved by School Health and Safety Committee 7/10/2003
Approved with amendments by the Parents’ Association 21/10/2003
Considered by the Board of Management 23/10/2003
Approved by Board of Management 28/11/2003
Amended 8/3/06