Welcome to the City Connects Programme in Dublin's North East Inner City (NEIC). Our brand is committed to ensuring that every student in the NEIC receives the necessary support and resources to succeed and thrive in school. We collaborate with 10 primary schools in the NEIC to offer a comprehensive system of student support through our City Connects pilot project.

As part of this initiative, our City Connects Coordinator reviews the strengths and needs of each student in collaboration with school staff, and then links them to a tailored set of supports and enrichment opportunities. These supports, which can be offered in school or within the community, aim to build upon their strengths, address specific needs, and connect them with areas of interest.

City Connects is an initiative of Boston College and has been successfully implemented in the US for over 20 years. Research from Boston College shows that students who attend City Connects primary schools perform better academically compared to their peers, not only during primary school but also in secondary school.

Our City Connects Coordinator follows a three-step student support process: review, plan, and follow-up. They engage in comprehensive discussions about each child's needs, make recommendations for tailored services and activities, and regularly communicate with parents, school staff, and service providers to evaluate effectiveness.

We are proud of the progress we have made with 1,760 pupils across the 10 primary schools in the NEIC, and we continue to evaluate and improve our pilot programme. We currently have 89 community partners offering 129 programmes to children and families, ranging from enrichment to crisis intervention.

We encourage parents to reach out to their school staff for more information about our NEIC City Connects Pilot Project. We value parental input and queries as we strive to provide the best support for our students.