The Catherine McAuley Centre

Opened in September 2011, the McAuley Centre in Our Lady’s has two designated rooms, qualified and experienced staff catering for the needs of students with ASD and Moderate General Learning Difficulties . Our Lady’s emphasises developing each student to their full potential, mindful of the need to assist them in developing their communication, social, behavioural and independent life skills.

Students have access to the mainstream curriculum and an effective programme is tailor-made for each student to meet their needs. Inclusion with mainstream peers is a key feature of the success of the Mc Auley Centre. We promote and facilitate close links with parents/guardians and outside agencies in order to compliment the learning environment and encourage independence and inclusion. We also work with outside agencies to help support the students in the transition from secondary school to their chosen future career/placement. We are proud to say we are the only Secondary School in the Erris area to provide this valuable service.

SENSORY ROOM

In August 2022, Our Lady’s opened the doors to their first ever sensory room. This sensory space is designed to support a student's sensory preferences and needs. It is a space which aims to provide students with the individualised sensory input they need to self-regulate, so they can be better prepared for learning and interacting with others. This room is a calm space devoted to relaxing and developing the senses. There is also a therapeutic space provided for facilitating other types of interventions such as Lego therapy.

Materials in the sensory room include a sensory wall which provides tactile(touch) sensory input to children's fingers and hands, two sensory water tube columns, water effect projector, sensory liquid floor tiles, a ball pool, weighted blankets and other resources to aid the sensory space. 

Time in a sensory room helps children improve their visual, auditory and tactile processing, as well as fine and gross motor skills. By providing a sense of calm and comfort, sensory rooms help children learn to self-regulate their behaviors, which ultimately improves focus. We are delighted to be able to provide this additional support for our students in Our Lady’s.