St Aidans Comprehensive School
Cavan
Key facts
- Mixed
- Pupils enrolled
- 654 larger than the median Irish post-primary school (585 pupils)
- Girls and boys
- 317 girls, 337 boys
- Ethos
- Inter Denominational
- Teaching through Irish
- No subjects taught through Irish
- Roll number
- 81005Q the Department of Education reference for this school
School details
Location
About
Cootehill, Co. Cavan is the setting for St Aidan's Comprehensive School, an inter-denominational post-primary school with a mixed enrolment of about 654 students. Pastoral care is organised through year heads, class tutors, a chaplaincy and a guidance service. A tutor is assigned to each class group and meets that group for 10 minutes each morning, handling registration, attendance and progress monitoring, while a year head oversees the welfare of a full year group and holds fortnightly assemblies. The special educational needs department supports students identified with learning difficulties, students with physical or sensory impairments, and students for whom English is an additional language. Literacy work is a stated focus, and the school has a library and holds a WellRead award. Programmes include Junior Cycle, Transition Year, Leaving Certificate Applied and LCVP, with work experience attached to the senior programmes. Sport covers Gaelic football, soccer and badminton. The school has an Active Flag, and students have taken part in the Irish Mathematical Olympiad and in a PEACE IV cross-border education project.
History
The school opened its doors for the first time in 1966. That year appears in Roman numerals on the school crest, which was designed around a circle representing continuation, a key standing for education as a means of unlocking the unknown, an open book as a symbol of learning, and the Greek letters Alpha and Omega. The design draws on the European classical tradition and on Irish scholarly learning. A fiftieth anniversary was marked with an ecumenical service, a memorial plaque, a time capsule, a commemorative magazine of past and present recollections, and a biodiversity garden.
Applying to St Aidans Comprehensive School
For a September 2027 place, a school's formal admissions process cannot begin before 1 October 2026. The school sets its own opening and closing dates in its annual admission notice.
National term dates 2026/27
Irish schools follow a standardised school year, so these nationwide post-primary school dates apply broadly to St Aidans Comprehensive School. Individual schools set their own discretionary closure days, confirm exact dates with the school.
- October Mid-Term Break: Mon 26 Oct – Fri 30 Oct 2026
- Christmas Holidays: Wed 23 Dec 2026 – Tue 5 Jan 2027
- February Mid-Term Break: Mon 15 Feb – Fri 19 Feb 2027 (primary schools: Thu 18 Feb – Fri 19 Feb 2027)
- Easter Holidays: Mon 22 Mar – Sun 4 Apr 2027
Primary schools close for the last two days of the February mid-term week and may use discretionary days to take the full week, so their break can be shorter than post-primary schools'.
Frequently asked questions about St Aidans Comprehensive School
How many pupils attend St Aidans Comprehensive School?
St Aidans Comprehensive School has 654 pupils enrolled, 317 girls and 337 boys. That makes it larger than the median Irish post-primary school, which has 585 pupils.
Is St Aidans Comprehensive School a DEIS school?
No. St Aidans Comprehensive School is not part of DEIS, the Department of Education programme of additional supports for schools serving communities at risk of educational disadvantage. Not holding DEIS status says nothing about how good a school is, only about the profile of the community it serves.
What is the ethos of St Aidans Comprehensive School?
St Aidans Comprehensive School has an Inter Denominational ethos. It is a mixed post-primary school.