Secondary Schools

Ph3n0m

Dont suppose there is anywhere that lists the activities/curriculum and resources of secondary schools in Dublin?

My little one is turning into a not-so-little-one and I am looking around at different schools

Is it a case of just ringing around and asking the schools directly?

Ruu_Old

You might get some answers from Scoilnet.

Trotter

To get the whole picture on any school, I'd advise talking to one or two of the teachers, parents and above all, the students if you can.

There is no better way to pick a school than talk to someone with a similar personality as your child, and ask do they like it there. If they do, thats the main thing.

There is nothing worse than sending a child to a school that may have academically brilliant results and resources, but the child does not feel happy there.

If you can find a place that suits your child's personality, and has a good reputation, then you're onto a winner.

Rule 1 though, they've got to be happy going in the gate every morning.

Ph3n0m

Trotter wrote:

To get the whole picture on any school, I'd advise talking to one or two of the teachers, parents and above all, the students if you can.

There is no better way to pick a school than talk to someone with a similar personality as your child, and ask do they like it there. If they do, thats the main thing.

There is nothing worse than sending a child to a school that may have academically brilliant results and resources, but the child does not feel happy there.

If you can find a place that suits your child's personality, and has a good reputation, then you're onto a winner.

Rule 1 though, they've got to be happy going in the gate every morning.

Also there is the issue of travel, etc. If the school provides a school bus, or is the child reliant on public transport. Loads of questions to be asked

Trotter

Ah very true yeah, but I just mean that the main one to keep in mind is whether the child will be comfortable and content. If thats the case, and the teaching staff and resources are anyway good, the child will do very well.

Having to trek 10 miles to school might cause uproar with the not so little one, or her friends could all be going to a school 15 miles away and she might love the idea.

Ph3n0m

That is my main aim - to make sure she is going to a school she wants to - everything else is, for use of a better word, secondary to that

toomevara

just been through this with my own boy, starting secondary in september. Actually turned out to be quite a stressful affair. Most schools do an open evening...go to those, make sure you talk to teachers at the school, one school I was considering had a great reputation but after speaking to some staff we found out that the principal was regarded as a tyrant and there was a huge turnover of staff, not good for exam students who need a rapport with their teacher....or the atmosphere in the school. Also parents of kids who are in a partciular school are a great resource.

Check out travel allowances, book rental schemes (can be a big money saver) and also transition year programmes (which is a big deal these days, especially for the kids). Also I know its early days but try to check out science facilities/technology stuff if your kid is leaning that way....

Ph3n0m

toomevara wrote:

just been through this with my own boy, starting secondary in september. Actually turned out to be quite a stressful affair. Most schools do an open evening...go to those, make sure you talk to teachers at the school, one school I was considering had a great reputation but after speaking to some staff we found out that the principal was regarded as a tyrant and there was a huge turnover of staff, not good for exam students who need a rapport with their teacher....or the atmosphere in the school. Also parents of kids who are in a partciular school are a great resource.

Check out travel allowances, book rental schemes (can be a big money saver) and also transition year programmes (which is a big deal these days, especially for the kids). Also I know its early days but try to check out science facilities/technology stuff if your kid is leaning that way....

aye, I am waiting for the open evenings, when schools starts back in September

Can I ask - when did you start looking at secondary schools - start of the school year or after Christmas?

toomevara

Ph3n0m wrote:

aye, I am waiting for the open evenings, when schools starts back in September

Can I ask - when did you start looking at secondary schools - start of the school year or after Christmas?

It was after Christmas when I seriously started looking round at the options, but to be honest would have preferred to have been a little more organised and together about the whole thing...I reckon there's no need to panic but if I was doing it again would definitely start considering my options earlier...plus I'm not in Dublin so realistically i was looking at 5 maybe 6 schools whereas some of my mates from the Dublin area really did have a bewildering array to choose from...

another thing which I found impacted on the decision was how many of my boy's schoolmates were going to a particular school. He really didn't want to be trotting off to one entirely on his own and that was a factor in the final choice...