Bunscoil na Toirbhirte, Mitchelstown, Co. Cork
To view our September 2026 enrolment details please click.........
The Primary School Survey – our school’s results and next steps
Dear community members,
We are writing to update you on the Department of Education and Youth’s Primary School Survey.
This survey was carried out to understand the types of schools that parents and guardians prefer. Over 200,000 parents and guardians took part nationwide.
We are now sharing our school’s survey results with you for your information and review. We would welcome any feedback you may have on the results.
About the survey
The attached survey results show:
We have attached guidance to help you understand the survey results. In simple terms:
The percentages in green and gold show what the parents/guardians who took part in the survey prefer.
The red line shows the margin of error. This gives a range around the survey result, showing how much the result might be higher or lower if all parents/guardians of children in our school had responded.
For example:
The Board of Management will now review the survey results and think about what they mean for our school.
As part of this, we want to make sure that parents/guardians, students, staff, and the wider school community can share their views with us. Once we have gathered all feedback, we will consider it carefully and then let you know about any decisions we make and next steps.
For example, if there is a clear preference for a change, the school may submit an ‘expression of interest form’ for change to the department. If this happens, the department will provide us with a dedicated contact person and other supports, to help our school in this process.
Next steps
Please read the attached survey results for our school and guidance document. You can send any comments or feedback to us at [email protected] by 30 September. [Include any other mechanism for feedback, meeting etc here. If the school plans to hold a meeting for the community (which is encouraged), it should take place early in September so that any feedback can be sent to the Board of Management by 30 September.
We have also included some additional information at the end of this email that you may find useful.
Thank you for your support with this survey and we look forward to receiving your feedback.
Yours sincerely,
Patrick Mullins- Chairperson
Michael McCarthy- Principal
Dear community members,
We are writing to update you on the Department of Education and Youth’s Primary School Survey.
This survey was carried out to understand the types of schools that parents and guardians prefer. Over 200,000 parents and guardians took part nationwide.
We are now sharing our school’s survey results with you for your information and review. We would welcome any feedback you may have on the results.
About the survey
The attached survey results show:
- The preferences of parents/guardians of children currently enrolled in our school; and
- The preferences of parents/guardians of children not yet enrolled who indicated an intention to enrol in our school.
- Co-educational or single-sex provision
- Patronage/ethos
- Language of instruction (English or Irish)
We have attached guidance to help you understand the survey results. In simple terms:
The percentages in green and gold show what the parents/guardians who took part in the survey prefer.
The red line shows the margin of error. This gives a range around the survey result, showing how much the result might be higher or lower if all parents/guardians of children in our school had responded.
For example:
- if the whole red line is above 50%, this means it is likely that more than half of all parents/guardians prefer that option, even allowing for the margin of error.
The Board of Management will now review the survey results and think about what they mean for our school.
As part of this, we want to make sure that parents/guardians, students, staff, and the wider school community can share their views with us. Once we have gathered all feedback, we will consider it carefully and then let you know about any decisions we make and next steps.
For example, if there is a clear preference for a change, the school may submit an ‘expression of interest form’ for change to the department. If this happens, the department will provide us with a dedicated contact person and other supports, to help our school in this process.
Next steps
Please read the attached survey results for our school and guidance document. You can send any comments or feedback to us at [email protected] by 30 September. [Include any other mechanism for feedback, meeting etc here. If the school plans to hold a meeting for the community (which is encouraged), it should take place early in September so that any feedback can be sent to the Board of Management by 30 September.
We have also included some additional information at the end of this email that you may find useful.
Thank you for your support with this survey and we look forward to receiving your feedback.
Yours sincerely,
Patrick Mullins- Chairperson
Michael McCarthy- Principal
First Holy Communion 2026
Huge congratulations to our wonderful 2nd Class girls on making their First Holy Communion on Saturday, 16th May. They all looked fantastic and were wonderful on their special day. Today is a very special milestone in their lives as they welcome Jesus in a special way for the first time. Thank you to all who supported these girls in anyway.
Confirmation 2026
Congratulations to our Sixth Class girls who received the Sacrament of Confirmation on 27.06.2026. A sincere thank you to everyone who helped make this such a special and memorable occasion, especially Bishop Crean, Canon Leamy, Fr. Lane, class teachers Ms. Flynn and Ms. Bailey, SNAs Margaret Sheehan and Andrew Dineen, our wonderful musicians and choir, the girls themselves, and their parents and families. Well done girls. We are very proud of you all.
Open Morning at Bunscoil na Toirbhirte
All of us at Bunscoil na Toirbhirte are delighted to invite you and your child to our Open Morning, which will take place on Wednesday, 17th June from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
This is a special opportunity for your child to begin their journey with us. On the day, the girls and boys will meet their new teacher, spend time with classmates, both familiar and new, and explore their new school environment. Our aim is to help every child feel comfortable, confident, and excited as they prepare to start school with us on 27th August.
On arrival, we kindly ask parents/guardians to bring their child directly to their assigned classroom. Staff and pupils will be available to show you the way. Once the children are settled, parents/guardians are invited to the school hall, where you will have an opportunity to learn more about school life in Bunscoil na Toirbhirte, meet members of staff, and connect with other parents. We hope it will be an enjoyable and informative morning for everyone (and we may even have a cup of tea or coffee!).
As we continue planning for the upcoming school year, we would appreciate if you could forward or drop in any relevant reports or documentation relating to your child by 1st May. These can be emailed to [email protected] or delivered to the school office.
We very much look forward to welcoming you and your child to our school community.
Warm regards,
Michael McCarthy
Principal
This is a special opportunity for your child to begin their journey with us. On the day, the girls and boys will meet their new teacher, spend time with classmates, both familiar and new, and explore their new school environment. Our aim is to help every child feel comfortable, confident, and excited as they prepare to start school with us on 27th August.
On arrival, we kindly ask parents/guardians to bring their child directly to their assigned classroom. Staff and pupils will be available to show you the way. Once the children are settled, parents/guardians are invited to the school hall, where you will have an opportunity to learn more about school life in Bunscoil na Toirbhirte, meet members of staff, and connect with other parents. We hope it will be an enjoyable and informative morning for everyone (and we may even have a cup of tea or coffee!).
As we continue planning for the upcoming school year, we would appreciate if you could forward or drop in any relevant reports or documentation relating to your child by 1st May. These can be emailed to [email protected] or delivered to the school office.
We very much look forward to welcoming you and your child to our school community.
Warm regards,
Michael McCarthy
Principal
Our tremendous girls’ football team enjoyed a truly unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime trip to Croke Park on Wednesday, 15th April, where they had the incredible opportunity to play on the famous pitch. We were delighted to win both games. We were particularly delighted to have the wonderful Ms. O’Brien with us on this special day in Croke Park. Her presence made the occasion even more meaningful for everyone involved.
A sincere thank you also to Ms. Flynn for organising the bus, our team and the day and Ms. McGurk for accompanying and supporting the girls throughout the trip.
It was a fantastic celebration of teamwork, effort, and school spirit. The girls performed brilliantly, and who knows perhaps we’ll see some of them back on the pitch in Croke Park again in the future! For more picture look here.
A sincere thank you also to Ms. Flynn for organising the bus, our team and the day and Ms. McGurk for accompanying and supporting the girls throughout the trip.
It was a fantastic celebration of teamwork, effort, and school spirit. The girls performed brilliantly, and who knows perhaps we’ll see some of them back on the pitch in Croke Park again in the future! For more picture look here.
♻️ Bottle & Can Collection Continues! ♻️
We’re delighted to keep our recycling drive going here at Bunscoil na Toirbhirte! Every bottle and can you donate is not only helping the environment but also raising much-needed funds for our school and playground.
How you can help:
👉 Drop off your empty bottles and cans at our school collection point
👉 Spread the word to family and friends
Thank you so much for your continued support.
We’re delighted to keep our recycling drive going here at Bunscoil na Toirbhirte! Every bottle and can you donate is not only helping the environment but also raising much-needed funds for our school and playground.
How you can help:
👉 Drop off your empty bottles and cans at our school collection point
👉 Spread the word to family and friends
Thank you so much for your continued support.
Homework Journal 2026-2027 Cover Winners - Ava-Lily & Kamilla
We are delighted to reveal this year’s winning designs for the Bunscoil Na Toirbhirte Homework Journal!
A huge thank you to everyone who took part in the competition. We received so many creative, colourful, and thoughtful entries that choosing a winner was no easy task. We will be using much of this art in other projects
Congratulations to our talented winners, Ava-Lily and Kamila. Their fantastic designs will be proudly featured on our school journal for the year ahead, a wonderful achievement!
A huge thank you to everyone who took part in the competition. We received so many creative, colourful, and thoughtful entries that choosing a winner was no easy task. We will be using much of this art in other projects
Congratulations to our talented winners, Ava-Lily and Kamila. Their fantastic designs will be proudly featured on our school journal for the year ahead, a wonderful achievement!
Bunscoil na Toirbhirte –
A Smartphone Free Childhood School
A Smartphone Free Childhood School
Following our recent survey of parents guardians, an incredible 99% of returned surveys indicated that primary school children should not own a smartphone. This overwhelming result shows that our parent community strongly feels that children are better without smartphone access during their primary school years.
In response, Bunscoil na Toirbhirte is delighted to announce that we are becoming a Smartphone Free Childhood School. As part of this initiative, we are inviting parents to sign our Smartphone Free Childhood Pledge, committing to not purchasing a smartphone for their child until they finish primary school.
The link to the pledge has been sent to all families via our Aladdin messaging system.
We encourage all of our parents to join us in supporting a childhood filled with imagination, friendships, play, and real-world experiences. Thank you to all those who have already signed the pledge.
In response, Bunscoil na Toirbhirte is delighted to announce that we are becoming a Smartphone Free Childhood School. As part of this initiative, we are inviting parents to sign our Smartphone Free Childhood Pledge, committing to not purchasing a smartphone for their child until they finish primary school.
The link to the pledge has been sent to all families via our Aladdin messaging system.
We encourage all of our parents to join us in supporting a childhood filled with imagination, friendships, play, and real-world experiences. Thank you to all those who have already signed the pledge.
Green School Initiative -
you are welcome to borrow donated
First Holy Communion Dresses!
you are welcome to borrow donated
First Holy Communion Dresses!
Some beautiful First Holy Communion dresses have been generously donated to Bunscoil na Toirbhirte by our families. As a proud Green School, we are thrilled to offer these dresses for loan to families for their daughter’s special day. Families with daughters attending Bunscoil or other schools are warmly invited to borrow a dress. If you’re interested, please feel free to message us here, send an email to the school, or visit the office.
Our Homework Journal 2025-2026 looks amazing! 📚✨
A huge thank you to our tremendously talented past pupil Orla and our equally tremendously talented pupil Ava Lily for designing such a fabulous journal. They were absolutely thrilled to see how beautifully it turned out, and we couldn’t be prouder! 💫
With such a colourful and creative design, we’re sure homework is now officially a delight! 😉 Well done girls 👍
With such a colourful and creative design, we’re sure homework is now officially a delight! 😉 Well done girls 👍
Bunscoil Wins Gold in STEM education!
We are thrilled to share that Bunscoil na Toirbhirte has been awarded the Research Ireland Curious Minds Gold Award in recognition of our school’s outstanding work in STEM education! Read more here.
Bunscoil Goes Solar – 14 Panels Installed
We’re excited to share that 14 solar panels have just been installed at our school! This is a big step forward in making our school more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
With these panels, we will:
• Generate clean, renewable energy from the sun.
• Reduce our electricity bills, saving money that can be reinvested in learning and student activities.
• Cut down on our carbon footprint, helping protect the environment.
• Provide real-life learning opportunities for our girls and boys about science, energy, and sustainability.
With these panels, we will:
• Generate clean, renewable energy from the sun.
• Reduce our electricity bills, saving money that can be reinvested in learning and student activities.
• Cut down on our carbon footprint, helping protect the environment.
• Provide real-life learning opportunities for our girls and boys about science, energy, and sustainability.
Staff in #MitchelstownLibrary telling Bunscoil na Toirbhirte 5th class to get lost…….. in a book for Ireland Reads Day! #IrelandReads #GetLost #EireAgLeam
Who said too many cooks spoil the broth??!
Did you ever see such joy? A sample of photos from our Bunscoil Bites Photo shoot! This was messy…. but lots of fun . See more here
BUNSCOIL
Scaith na Scoil Winners 2024
Scaith na Scoil Winners 2024
Congratulations to our fantastic football team on their historic achievement- winning our first ever Sciath Na Scol Final in Mallow recently. The 13 a side saw Bunnscoil play St Anne's, Charleville in a very competitive game with wonderful skills on display. A huge well done to Ms. O’Brien for leading the girls to success, and a special shout-out to the girls who gave their all today. We cannot forget their dedicated supporters who cheered our team from start to finish,their respect for the opposition was very evident, we were very proud of all our girls. It’s truly heartwarming to see such school spirit and camaraderie in Bunscoil today. Here’s to many more victories in the future, we certainly could get used to it!
Bunscoil Bottle & Can Recycle Drive
❤️♻️ Please support the Bunscoil Bottle & Can Recycle Drive and help us raise funds for our new Astroturf Pitch. All support from households and businesses is greatly appreciated.👍 Please help us get the word out there. We "CAN" do it together! ❤️♻️
❤️♻️ Please support the Bunscoil Bottle & Can Recycle Drive and help us raise funds for our new Astroturf Pitch. All support from households and businesses is greatly appreciated.👍 Please help us get the word out there. We "CAN" do it together! ❤️♻️
A picture speaks a thousand words! Thank you Kate.
Thank you Kate (Kate Klimchuk our school photographer) for taking such fantastic photographs of our pupils. Kate has managed to capture the innocence of youth in our pupils, showing their concentration while learning but overall the fun in their faces as the form friendship some of which may last a lifetime! For more look here.
Recent 50/50 winner
Thank you for your continued support!
Thank you for your continued support!
Congratulations to a recent winner of our 50/50 Draw, our very own Mary Walsh. 5Thank you so much to everyone that entered. Draw takes place every Friday. For other 50.50 winners see here.
BUNSCOIL OUTDOOR MURALS
Building together piece by piece
Building together piece by piece
To follow the story of our fantstic outdoor murals completed by students and staff please see here.
POSITIVE MESSAGE!
We love the colourful positive messages that were installed on the steps at the main reception. Thank you to Ms Cahill, Paula and Ms Young for installing them. They look fab and spread great messages for all see when they enter our school.
FAI promotional video
shot in Bunscoil ......
shot in Bunscoil ......
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Céad míle fáilte go laithreáin greasáin Bunscoil na Toirbhirte i mBaile Mhistéala.
Welcome to our Award Winning Scoilnet School Website!
Bunscoil na Toirbhirte is a vertical mainstream school with a special class, in Mitchelstown at the foot of the Galtee mountains. We enrol girls to 6th class and boys in Junior Infants and Senior Infants. Our school motto is 'Mol an óige ages tiocfaidh sí' and in Bunscoil na Toirbhirte we strongly believe in the meaning behind this old Irish saying- Praise the youth and it will flourish! Bunscoil na Toirbhirte has a dedicated special educational needs team of staff, co-ordinated by the Deputy Principal, and also a special class for children with Autism.
School hours: 9.00am - 1.40pm for Junior & Senior Infants
9.00am - 2.40pm for all pupils from 1st - 6th Class
Bunscoil na Toirbhirte is a vertical mainstream school with a special class, in Mitchelstown at the foot of the Galtee mountains. We enrol girls to 6th class and boys in Junior Infants and Senior Infants. Our school motto is 'Mol an óige ages tiocfaidh sí' and in Bunscoil na Toirbhirte we strongly believe in the meaning behind this old Irish saying- Praise the youth and it will flourish! Bunscoil na Toirbhirte has a dedicated special educational needs team of staff, co-ordinated by the Deputy Principal, and also a special class for children with Autism.
School hours: 9.00am - 1.40pm for Junior & Senior Infants
9.00am - 2.40pm for all pupils from 1st - 6th Class
