Scoil Etchen Naofa is a Catholic Primary School located in Kinnegad, Co. Westmeath. 

The school aims to promote the full and harmonious development of all aspects of the child; intellectual, physical, cultural, moral and spiritual.

The school is set in a large site, with plenty of space for recreation and physical activities. It incorporates two separate school buildings Scoil Etchen Naofa and The Cardinal Glennon Building. The children are presented with a wide variety of activities in the school, ranging from dancing, to music lessons, to the playing of Gaelic games and many other sports.

Fr. Tom Gilroy P.P. is Chairperson of the Board of Management, Ms. Deirdre Hannon is the Principal and Ms. Claire Corroon is Deputy Principal.

Scoil Etchen Naofa promotes Gospel values in a Christian learning community, where children can grow in knowledge and understanding and in the acquisition of skills, attitudes and values.

We are fully committed to offering excellence in education by:

• promoting the highest possible achievement for our pupils;

• encouraging children to grow within the Catholic faith;

• establishing the foundations for lifelong learning;

• welcoming input from parents to complement the skills and experience of our professional teaching staff;

• ensuring that our school is central to the parish, reaching out to embrace the wider community;

• uniting all staff, parents and B.O.M. in our aim to be a leading school in the Diocese of Meath.

Our aim is that all children should leave Scoil Etchen Naofa with the basic skills of reading, writing and numeracy, an enthusiasm for learning, a thirst for knowledge, an appreciation of their religion and the world they live and, above all, many happy memories.

St Etchen, the patron saint of this school, was born in 490 AD. He founded a monastery in Confad and is most famous for his ordination of St. Columcille to the Priesthood. St Etchen is honoured as a patron saint of ploughmen and farmers. Indeed the statue of St. Etchen in Clonard Church depicts him as a ploughman. He died on the 11th of February in 577 AD. St. Etchen is buried in Clonfad Cemetry.

The school was built in 1984 and officially opened on September 11th 1985 with a mass con-celebrated by Most Rev. Michael Smith, Auxiliary Bishop of Meath, Most Reverend John McCormack, Bishop of Meath and Patron of the school, Right Reverend Monsignor Eamonn Marron P.P. Chairman of the Board of Management and Fr. Patrick O’Connor C.C. The school opened with 242 pupils and eight teachers. The principal was Mrs. Rose Flynn. Mr. Tim Looney was principal from 1990 until 2002, Mr. Matt Melvin from 2002 until 2022 and Deirdre Hannon is the now the current principal.

Current facilities in the school include:

• Football pitch

• Four basketball courts

• Many play areas (preschool, infant, junior and senior play zones)

• School garden and sensory garden

• Two large halls

• Over twenty large classrooms, all fitted with interactive whiteboards (IWBs)

• Early intervention and school-age classes

• Sensory room

• An extensive suite of digital technologies, including chromebooks, tablets and iPads

It is our intention that every child attending Scoil Etchen Naofa benefits from the distinctive traditions and ethos of this village school. This ethos is guided by a desire to develop the academic potential and spiritual dimensions of all pupils. It involves the cultivation of artistic capabilities, sporting interests and creativity among the children. We hope that every child enjoys his/her time in Kinnegad and leaves with happy memories of friendship, personal achievements and an awareness of his/her social responsibilities. In aspiring to meet these objectives this school will be fulfilling the twin guiding principles of primary education as set out in the Primary School Curriculum(1999):

• Celebrating the uniqueness of the child

• Ensuring the development of the child’s full potential

Scoil Etchen has developed a tradition of academic excellence while simultaneously encouraging the holistic development of each pupils potential and talents. School teams enter competitions in gaelic football for boys and girls, soccer, athletics, chess and in various quiz events throughout the country.

The school also arranges swimming classes for children from First Class to Sixth Class. Our visiting music teacher Mrs. Karen McCormack teaches the tin whistle in classes from Second to Sixth. The school has an excellent choir, which enhances the liturgy for our Communion and Confirmation ceremonies each year. The Parents Association engages the services of a professional drama teacher, Mr. Harry Smith, to give children in senior classes the opportunity to develop their talents in this area.

We are proud of Scoil Etchen, and hope the information contained on this site will help inform you about our school and the community it serves.