Early start

Our school day begins at 8.30am, when children arrive and play outdoors with their friends until 8.40am. This supervised outdoor playtime provides a calm, active, and social start to the day and is especially popular with parents.

Class instruction formally begins at 8.40am, ensuring pupils are settled, refreshed, and ready to engage positively in their learning.

 

Breaks and Playtime

• Morning Break: 10.20am – 10.30am
• Lunch Break: 12.00pm – 12.30pm

During the small morning break, pupils eat a light snack before going out to the yard. This ensures they have energy for active play while enjoying a short, supervised break.

At lunch time, pupils enjoy a hot lunch, which is funded by the Department of Education,  after returning from the yard. These lunches are nutritious, balanced, and designed to appeal to children, supporting healthy eating habits. Eating after play allows pupils to enjoy their meal in a relaxed, unhurried way. Teachers supervise lunchtime to encourage good manners, social interaction, and independent eating skills.

Our pupils have access to a variety of play equipment to encourage active, creative, and cooperative play, including skipping ropes, hoops, building blocks, balls, and monkey bars. In addition, children have occasional access to the local astro pitch, providing extra space for running games, team sports, and physical education activities. These opportunities support pupils’ physical development, social skills, and overall wellbeing.

 

 

Early finish

Infant classes finish school at 1.20pm, while all other classes finish at 2.20pm.

Our school has access to the local service Miggy Moos, based in Castleconnor Community Centre,  which collects and drops children to and from school. This service is available for both Breakfast Club and After-School Club, providing families with flexible and reliable childcare options.

At the close of each school day, our aim is to send children home happy, fulfilled, and proud of their learning and achievements

 

 

The Arts- Art, Craft, Music & Drama

At Stokane National School, we value, nurture, and promote the Arts as an essential part of school life. Pupils have many opportunities to develop creativity, confidence, and teamwork through:

• Drama productions and dance performances
• Participation in the Cross Border Peace Proms
• Local and national competitions
• Theatre trips to experience live performances 

Art and Craft

Creativity is visible throughout the school. Our entrance hallway is decorated with pupils’ work, and our windows display artwork to celebrate Christmas, Easter, St. Patrick’s Day, and other seasonal events.

Seasonal activities such as Hallowe’en dress-up, participation in a local scary woods walk, creating decorations, Christmas markets, Easter bonnet parades, and constructing sets for plays allow pupils to explore their imagination, work collaboratively, and develop a sense of pride in their achievements.

 

 

Music

At Stokane National School, music is a central part of school life, with weekly lessons for all pupils beginning in Junior Infants. From the start, pupils learn a traditional instrument, including fiddles, accordions, concertinas, harps, and tin whistles.

We recognise that practice is key to learning an instrument, so daily practice is supported at school to help pupils develop confidence and skill. All staff have musical expertise and actively support the work of our weekly music teacher, ensuring that every child receives guidance and encouragement.

Our school band, composed of all pupils, proudly participates in the Enniscrone St. Patrick’s Day Parade each year and competes in the Ballina Feis, giving children valuable performance experience and a strong sense of achievement. Highlights of the year also include our amazing Christmas Concert, which showcases the musical talents of all pupils. 

 

 

 

Dance

Dance is an integral part of school life at Stokane National School. Pupils participate in choreographed song and dance routines as part of whole-school pantomimes, which have included popular songs, Irish dancing, jiving, and waltzing.

Traditional Irish dance is also promoted through Sean Nós and Céilí dancing, and a whole-school Céilí takes place during Seachtain na Gaeilge and on Grandparents Day, giving children the opportunity to celebrate Irish culture and work together in a fun, social setting.

 

 

Drama

Drama begins in Junior Infants, and by Christmas, all pupils have a part in the Junior Room Nativity Play. Our staff are committed to ensuring every child has a speaking role in public performances, with roles becoming more challenging as pupils progress through the school.

Throughout the year, children develop confidence and presentation skills through Show and Tell, PowerPoint presentations, oral project delivery, debates, poetry recitals, and public speaking activities. These opportunities foster self-expression, teamwork, and a love of performing.

 

 

STEM- Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics

At Stokane National School, we place a strong emphasis on STEM learning, helping pupils develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity. Our success in this area has enabled participation in the Digital Schools Programme, with funding used to upgrade IT resources and provide subscriptions to online learning programmes such as Nessy Typing, Lexia Core 5, and Power Up, a proven literacy support programme.

We use interactive whiteboards and maintain a one-to-one ratio of iPads in the Junior Room and Chromebooks in the Senior Room, ensuring every child has access to technology to support learning. Pupils engage with Lego WeDo, Lego Mindstorms, Bee Bots, and Microbits, providing hands-on opportunities to explore engineering, coding, and problem-solving concepts.

Pupils from 3rd to 6th class have their own Google email addresses, which they use for school projects, collaboration, and digital learning activities. This helps them develop essential digital skills, online communication, and responsible use of technology.

Our pupils have achieved outstanding success in competitions:

• Chess League – Every year, pupils in our Senior Room participate in a chess league ran by Ficheall.ie and, this year, some of our pupils were interviewed live on Ireland AM during Féile Fichille that took place in the Diamond Coast Hotel, Enniscrone, creating great excitement among the school community.
• First Lego League: Our pupils have achieved outstanding success in the First Lego League, a prestigious international robotics and innovation competition. They worked collaboratively in teams to design, build, and program Lego robots to complete specific challenges, as well as develop innovative solutions to real-world problems. In 2026, our team were regional winners, earning the opportunity to represent their region at the All-Ireland Final. Participation in this competition develops skills in teamwork, problem-solving, creativity, and resilience, while also fostering confidence and pride in their achievements.

Pupils from 3rd to 6th class have their own Google email addresses, which they use for school projects, collaboration, and digital learning activities. This helps them develop essential digital skills, online communication, and responsible use of technology.

 

 

Physical Education:

At Stokane National School, we place a strong emphasis on physical activity and wellbeing.

Physical Education (PE) is taught by class teachers and is supplemented by specialist coaches, providing pupils with a wide range of sporting experiences. Activities include hurling, football, tennis, athletics, gymnastics, swimming, dancing, and basketball, giving children the opportunity to develop skills, teamwork, and confidence across multiple sports.

Our pupils also participate in Cumann na mBunscol competitions and FAI 5s football tournaments, gaining valuable experience in team sports and representing the school at local and regional levels. 

We also host an annual Sports Day, which is combined with a family picnic, encouraging community participation, fun, and a celebration of pupil achievement in sport.

 

 

Our School Rules

 

At Stokane National School, we encourage pupils to develop kindness, respect, and responsibility through a clear set of school rules that grow with them.

Infant Classes: “Kind Words,Kind Hands, Kind Feet”

  First to Fourth Classes:

• Be gentle – Don’t hurt anyone
• Be kind and helpful – Don’t hurt people’s feelings
• Be honest – Don’t cover up the truth
• Work hard – Don’t waste time
• Look after property – Don’t waste or damage things
• Listen to people – Don’t interrupt

Fifth and Sixth Classes: ” We lead, we model: Kindness, Respect and Responsibility.”

These rules help create a safe, caring, and respectful environment where all pupils can learn, play, and grow together.

School Uniform

 

Pupils at Stokane National School typically wear the school uniform on three days each week and a tracksuit on two days. The uniform and tracksuit days are the same for all pupils, making it easier for children and parents to remember.

Wearing the school uniform helps children feel part of the school community and encourages them to proudly represent the school. It also promotes compliance, as children like to be dressed the same as their classmates.