St Gerard's School, Bray

St Gerard's School is a lay Catholic co-educational independent day school in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland. A fee-charging school,^[6] it is administered by a Board of Governors as a charitable trust. As of 2019, the student population was about 770 including its Senior School, Junior School, and the Montessori.

St Gerard's School
Location
Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland
Coordinates	53.20391°N 6.134937°W / 53.20391; -6.134937
Information
Funding type	Independent
Motto	Memor (Be mindful)
Founded	1918
Founder	John James
Headmistress	Deirdre Farrell, Junior school[1]
Headmaster	Tom Geraghty, Senior school[2]
Gender	Co-educational
Age range	2-18
Number of students	520 Senior School 230 Junior School 20 Montessori[3][4][5]
Average class size	24 Senior School, 26 Junior School
Campus size	60 acres
Colour(s)	Green & Blue
Song	Our Shining Alma Mater
School fees	€8,169.00 (2023/2024)
Website	stgerards.ie

In 2019, St. Gerard's School was named top school in County Wicklow, and 29th in Ireland.^[7]

History

John James founded the school in 1918. After completing his university degree in 1904 he converted to the Roman Catholic faith. His vision of education emphasized "the dignity of each individual and the development of the whole person". The school is named after Gerard Majella, patron saint of the school.^[8]

Controversy

In March 2021 in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, twenty teachers from the St. Gerard's Primary and Secondary School received vaccinations from the Beacon Hospital. At that time, less than 20% of the Irish population had been vaccinated, with many vulnerable and elderly people waiting to be vaccinated. The head of the Irish Health Service and the Minister for Justice expressed "frustration" at the actions of the Beacon Hospital which violated policies regarding the use of surplus vaccines.^[9] Micheál Martin, Ireland's Taoiseach, labelled the hospital's actions "repugnant".^[10] The Irish Times noted that the children of the chief executive of the Beacon Hospital attend St. Gerard's.^[9]

Notable alumni

See also: Category:People educated at St Gerard's School, Bray

• Charley Boorman, actor^[11]
• Jack Conan, Ireland rugby union international^[12]
• Emma Hannigan, author and blogger^[13]
• John Harbison, first State Pathologist of Ireland^[14]
• Andrew Hozier-Byrne, musician^[15]
• Louis le Brocquy, artist^[16]
• Frank O'Reilly, Irish banker, businessman^[17]
• Tony Smurfit, CEO of Smurfit Kappa^[18]
• Elena Tice, dual Ireland women's cricket and field hockey international^[19]

See also

• Education in the Republic of Ireland