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Map with catchment areas for primary schools?

  • 18-12-2009 11:09pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2


    Hi all,

    I live in Sorrel Park (Clonsilla, Dublin 15), which is 3 mins walk from St Mochta's school. Went there for information to register my son, and was told I am not in their catchment area.

    Searched all over the web for a kind of a map showing the schools and their catchment areas, but couldn't find even basics information (for instance, on the site of the school, what is their catchment area).

    I know that close to my house there is:
    - coolmine
    - st mochta's
    - castaheany educate together
    - diswellstown (? is that the name? one opened recently, on the roundabout at the end of diswellstown, on the way to coolmine station)

    It seems educate togethers take pre-enrollment years in advance (he's going to school only in 2012), but would be really interesting to know what is the "coverage" for each of the schools.

    Thanks.


«1

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 78,218 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    The catchments are down to the patron. For Catholic schools, that usually means the parish, although its more complicated when there are more than one school in a parish or no schools in a parish.

    Educate Together will have their own boundaries.

    You may need to check all the local schools.


  • Registered Users Posts: 25,005 ✭✭✭✭Toto Wolfcastle


    Hi renatomartins. I have moved this thread to the Dublin 15 forum as you will get more answers here. :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 76 ✭✭Gabsdot


    You should check with the schools. I think Sorrel is in the catchment area for St Philips school in Mountview.
    You can put your child's name down for the ET schools as soon as they are born and you should as there tends to be a high demand for places. My son goes to Tyrrelstown ET school and there are 200 children on the waiting list for 2010.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Music Moderators, Regional East Moderators, Regional Midlands Moderators, Regional Midwest Moderators, Regional Abroad Moderators, Regional North Mods, Regional West Moderators, Regional South East Moderators, Regional North East Moderators, Regional North West Moderators, Regional South Moderators Posts: 8,002 CMod ✭✭✭✭Gaspode


    Some of the schools have their catchment marked out on a local map, so ask for a copy whenever you're up at any school.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 805 ✭✭✭suey71


    Op I feel your pain.

    I live in Limelawn, which is the nearest school to St. Mochtas, and we are not entitled to send our kids there. It amazes me that the St.Mochtas catchment area extends to Castleknock on one side and down past Ongar in the other direction, taking in Mount Simon and Portersgate along the way.

    From the railings of my estate to the front wall of St.mochtas is at most 50 feet.

    We had a problem getting our son into St.Mochtas but we persisted over a period of 2 years and eventually we got him in.
    Most of the parents in Limelawn send their children to St. Mochtas.
    Just persist.

    The person you have to get around is the School Secretary, as she controls the request for school entrants before the principle sees them, just keep going over again and again.

    If you cant get your child in, send him to Laurel Lodge School, thats what some Limelawn residents did.

    If St.Mochtas was reserved for local children we wouldn't have the traffic congestion outside Limelawn in the mornings and afternoons.

    I believe that the parents that live near St.patricks in Carpenterstown have a similar problem getting their kids into that school.

    The Parish boundaries for this whole area where written up over a hundred years ago and they should be updated.

    Its terrible that local kids cant go to local schools.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 190 ✭✭Luttrell1975


    suey71 wrote: »
    Op I feel your pain.

    I live in Limelawn, which is the nearest school to St. Mochtas, and we are not entitled to send our kids there. It amazes me that the St.Mochtas catchment area extends to Castleknock on one side and down past Ongar in the other direction, taking in Mount Simon and Portersgate along the way.

    From the railings of my estate to the front wall of St.mochtas is at most 50 feet.

    We had a problem getting our son into St.Mochtas but we persisted over a period of 2 years and eventually we got him in.
    Most of the parents in Limelawn send their children to St. Mochtas.
    Just persist.

    The person you have to get around is the School Secretary, as she controls the request for school entrants before the principle sees them, just keep going over again and again.

    If you cant get your child in, send him to Laurel Lodge School, thats what some Limelawn residents did.

    If St.Mochtas was reserved for local children we wouldn't have the traffic congestion outside Limelawn in the mornings and afternoons.

    I believe that the parents that live near St.patricks in Carpenterstown have a similar problem getting their kids into that school.

    The Parish boundaries for this whole area where written up over a hundred years ago and they should be updated.

    Its terrible that local kids cant go to local schools.

    I have to say I agree with you. We have cousins in England and two are teachers. There is a much better system. The school allocates places to a geographic area. No cherry picking by parents and trumped up teachers or secretaries. Its fairer in the end of the day.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,381 ✭✭✭oblivious


    No cherry picking by parents and trumped up teachers or secretaries. Its fairer in the end of the day.

    Really, house prices have risen beside good schools because people want to move into the area.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 805 ✭✭✭suey71


    I have neighbours on my road in these "good schools" and when asked how they where accepted they said " My Husband is a heart surgeon".

    Why is there a section on the application form for the school that asks for the parents occupation?

    Surely it doesn't matter what job the parents have, at least it shouldn't matter.

    Not only where these kids accepted into a good school in the area but the were accepted into a school 2 miles away from their estate, and in a different parish.

    Its the schools that are cherry picking.:confused:.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,475 ✭✭✭daymobrew


    Victor wrote: »
    The catchments are down to the patron. For Catholic schools, that usually means the parish, although its more complicated when there are more than one school in a parish or no schools in a parish.
    The joint enrolment policy for St. Patrick's/St Mochta's is quite a read - it runs 8 pages!!
    Victor wrote: »
    Educate Together will have their own boundaries.
    ET schools are first come, first served. As the Pre-Enrolment Officer for Carpenterstown ET, we accept pre-enrolment forms regardless of location. There aren't enough ET schools to have catchment areas.
    I encourage you to pre-enrol for your nearest ET school. You don't have to accept a place if you are offered one.

    The catchments should be radially with the school at the centre.
    I won't make any more comments because the whole situation annoys me.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,454 ✭✭✭mink_man


    id like to know this too...


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  • Registered Users Posts: 190 ✭✭Luttrell1975


    oblivious wrote: »
    Really, house prices have risen beside good schools because people want to move into the area.

    Thats true. It does happen. But house prices here were stupidly high for 15 years across the board. Now that they are all falling what relevance is that? Surely you would like to know that:

    (a) once you live somewhere there is a list of designated schools for that area
    (b) there's no nonsense with who may apply, no time wasted and no hard feelings


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9,082 ✭✭✭lostexpectation


    the dept of ed have fancy new gis mapping system, for schools/population/area etc, if you asked them about your house..?, they should map some of the info public, it would allow citizen to start up new schools quiker rather then the dept going to the church all the time., is there a parish map, best one i think maybe the irishtimes genealogy site


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,381 ✭✭✭oblivious


    Thats true. It does happen. But house prices here were stupidly high for 15 years across the board. Now that they are all falling what relevance is that? Surely you would like to know that:

    (a) once you live somewhere there is a list of designated schools for that area
    (b) there's no nonsense with who may apply, no time wasted and no hard feelings

    it was in reference to the English system where a good post code usually but not always had better schools, not the Irish situation


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 18,056 ✭✭✭✭BostonB


    suey71 wrote: »
    ...

    If St.Mochtas was reserved for local children we wouldn't have the traffic congestion outside Limelawn in the mornings and afternoons.

    I believe that the parents that live near St.patricks in Carpenterstown have a similar problem getting their kids into that school.

    The Parish boundaries for this whole area where written up over a hundred years ago and they should be updated.

    Its terrible that local kids cant go to local schools.

    Its not really a parish boundary as St patricks and Mochtas are in the same parish no? The problem is they've made catchment area's with the school at one end not the middle. Daft really because it means theres loads of people beside a school they can't go to, but people a mile away can, and will thus drive to it.

    Maybe its coincidence but all it really has achieved is to pull more of the more expensive areas into St.Patricks catchment. Otherwise they'd have to go elsewhere as there wouldn't be room. Perhaps that unfair, and the way they done it is more fair if you look at the bigger picture. We got a cancellation to get into our nearest school. Places in a few schools are held by parent as backups for other schools which are their first choice. So a few places free up last minute. Sometimes.

    If you've lived in the area a good few years and its always been your parish, perhaps you've grown up in the area yourself. Its seems strange that you can lose your place to someone whos just moved into the catchment, lives further way, and might not even be of the same belief. What it also means is the kids on a road end up going to a whole variety of different schools which isn't ideal. They won't live near their school friends etc.

    The problem really is the Govt complete failure to provide enough schools places of whatever belief (or none) as required.


  • Registered Users Posts: 125 ✭✭Renno


    Back to the OP's question, and to re-iterate the answer already given - you're definitely in the catchment area for St Philips, Mountview.

    Yes it's a longer walk from Limelawn - 15 minutes rather than 20 seconds, but it's a great school with a young motivated teaching staff, small class sizes and great facilities. Why not consider the school rather than just blindly assuming Mochta's is better?

    The parish boundaries are ridiculous, a relic of a different era. It didn't really matter to the horses inhabiting Limelawn 10 years ago which parish they were in. When schools are situated on parish perimeters, someone is always going to be living on the far side - unfortunately for Limelawn it happens to be us.

    Finally to BostonB's point. I never have been convinced that there is a large shortage of primary places. We entered the system at the peak of the problem (2007), mucked up the application process and still had no real problem. I still fail to hear of any children stuck at home waiting for school places.

    However there may not be enough places at certain schools that happen to be oversubscribed because parents assume the school kids to be of a better "type" - but that's a different story!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 18,056 ✭✭✭✭BostonB


    People can't get into their local schools, and have to go elseware or they have to wait a year. I've heard of lots like this. Most people near me had to go outside the Parish.


  • Registered Users Posts: 125 ✭✭Renno


    Surely the system is such that everyone is guaranteed a school place in their parish. Everyone in the parish of St Mochta's is guaranteed a place in a school in the parish. Everyone in the parish of St Philip's is guaranteed a place in a school in the parish.

    When there weren't enough places in the parish of St Mochta's, a new school was opened to alleviate the problem. You may not agree with the system (and I don't either), but the government has provided enough primary school places in the area.

    The problem is that more parents want to send their children to certain schools rather than others (and not neccessarily for location or educational reasons). A solution may have been to have built a mega school somewhere in Diswellstown/Luttrellstown comprising all three schools in St Mochta's. I'm not sure that that would have recieved too much support either


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 18,056 ✭✭✭✭BostonB


    Renno wrote: »
    Surely the system is such that everyone is guaranteed a school place in their parish. ...

    Theres a cut off. Which is only expected. Theres a finite capacity each year. I think its Siblings, non catholics quota, then the rest based age up to capacity.

    I don't know the reason why but a lot of local kids didn't get in, went elsewhere. We did the same but moved back into the parish when a place came free.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 805 ✭✭✭suey71


    Renno wrote: »
    Yes it's a longer walk from Limelawn - 15 minutes rather than 20 seconds, but it's a great school with a young motivated teaching staff, small class sizes and great facilities. Why not consider the school rather than just blindly assuming Mochta's is better?

    I went to St.Philips, my brothers and sisters went to St.Philips, my neice goes to St.Philips, so I know exactly how good the school is. A lot of the teachers are still there that taught my family and I are still there.
    The Principle Mick Downes is one of my role models in life, still.

    BUT, I don't want to pass by my local school to walk 20 mins to St.Philips while kids that live 2 miles away are being driven to St.Mochtas, with their parents using the estate where I live as a car park.


  • Registered Users Posts: 125 ✭✭Renno


    Apologies. Yes, it drives me crazy as well, but I've grown to love the walk and it gets me out of the house. As far as I can see, Mochta's aren't accepting any "first borns" in Limelawn any more. Over a matter of time most of Limelawn will end up in Philip's - unless of course the boundaries are ever changed.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 18,056 ✭✭✭✭BostonB


    Same problem in st patricks with cars.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Music Moderators, Regional East Moderators, Regional Midlands Moderators, Regional Midwest Moderators, Regional Abroad Moderators, Regional North Mods, Regional West Moderators, Regional South East Moderators, Regional North East Moderators, Regional North West Moderators, Regional South Moderators Posts: 8,002 CMod ✭✭✭✭Gaspode


    This document outlines all of the addresses in the Parish of St. Mochtas, and who is entitled to be enroled in the parish schools (St. Pats & St. Mochtas). It might be of help to you OP.

    I suppose the problem is that the church boundaries no longer bear a close relationship to the new boundaries that exist as a result of the development of the area. Years ago I got bothered by the whole notion of parish boundaries determining where my children went to school, but since I'm neither catholic nor christian, and the government has failed to take on the partronage of schools, I just had to put up with it until the eductate together school came along.


  • Registered Users Posts: 697 ✭✭✭mambo


    Gabsdot wrote: »
    You should check with the schools. I think Sorrel is in the catchment area for St Philips school in Mountview.
    You can put your child's name down for the ET schools as soon as they are born and you should as there tends to be a high demand for places. My son goes to Tyrrelstown ET school and there are 200 children on the waiting list for 2010.

    If you don't send your child to primary school until they are 6 (which some experts recommend), does this mean you'll have a greater chance of getting them into an ET school than if you want them to start at 4 or 5, since they'll have spent an extra year or two on the waiting list (assuming you put them down right after birth)?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 18,056 ✭✭✭✭BostonB


    My only experience of Eductate Together was that list is based on when you put a child on the list. It doesn't go by age. So you can register them years ahead of time.

    Thats entirely different to most other schools. Where age of the child does move you up the list. Thats not entirely fair either, as someone could move beside a school for 6 months, and take the place of a child whos family has lived in the area for years, simply because their child is one day older. It also means that there can be no places for siblings of kids already in a school. Of course you can't ignore the age of a child either, they should have priority of place thats just logical.


  • Registered Users Posts: 697 ✭✭✭mambo


    BostonB wrote: »
    My only experience of Eductate Together was that list is based on when you put a child on the list. It doesn't go by age. So you can register them years ahead of time.

    I'm not talking about them having an increased chance of getting in simply because they are older, but rather that since they are older they will have spent more time on the waiting list and therefore will be likely to be higher up the list.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 18,056 ✭✭✭✭BostonB


    Not with you. Whats the age of a child got to do with how long they are on a list?

    Child could be 7yrs old, but you might have only put them on the list a week ago. Child might be 4yrs old but you could have on them on the list since they were born. The 4yr old would be far higher on the list.


  • Registered Users Posts: 697 ✭✭✭mambo


    I'm assuming you put the child on the waiting list as early as possible (once you have birth cert, or whatever the prerequisite is).


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 18,056 ✭✭✭✭BostonB


    So thats back to what I said earlier that age is irrelevent if its done by date applied on the waiting list.


  • Registered Users Posts: 83 ✭✭Missy Moo


    mambo wrote: »
    I'm assuming you put the child on the waiting list as early as possible (once you have birth cert, or whatever the prerequisite is).



    Not always the case. In three of are local primarys, you cant but a childs name down, till a year before they are due to start . My child is starting in Junior infants in Sept, but we couldnt put his name down till Jan just gone. All schools beside us, have enrollment days and evenings, but the child must be going the following sept, for names to be taken .


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 18,056 ✭✭✭✭BostonB


    Missy Moo wrote: »
    Not always the case. In three of are local primarys, you cant but a childs name down, till a year before they are due to start . My child is starting in Junior infants in Sept, but we couldnt put his name down till Jan just gone. All schools beside us, have enrollment days and evenings, but the child must be going the following sept, for names to be taken .

    I think most do it by age and catchment. Only the ET (which mambo asked about) and a handful of others do it by place on a waiting list.


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