Anyone have experience with Castaheany Educate Together?

joanypony

Hi All,
I have to pick between Castleknock Educate Together and Castaheany Educate Together by next week. I have two kids, they are pre-enrolled in both schools.
Castleknock want to know by next week if we're picking them, Castaheany need to know by Christmas.
I know some parents and children going to Castleknock, and they've found it great.
Castaheany is a much more convenient commute for my family, but I don't know of anyone going there..

Does anyone have any good/bad experiences with the school/school administration?

Thanks!
Joan

Gaspode

Go with the one with the smallest commute if using the car - getting in & out of the Castleknock ETNS by car is a nightmare.

Ours were at Castleknock and we loved it at first, but with a change in principal and the big jump in school size, I feel it's lost a lot of it's educate together ethos. That's my experience anyway, but it's still a very good school.

Regardless of it's quality though, the traffic problem trumps everything else imo!

joanypony

Thank you - I feel a bit of a heel basing their education choice on the commute - but I don't want to go insane sitting in traffic every morning, or make my childminder go insane, or put a junior infant on a bus..

Justask

Depends where you are living.
Castleknock went seriously down hill when Dermot left (headmater) I wouldnt let parking put you off. If you do choose castlenock park the car at the 12th lock and walk over the bridge. 5 mins.

The school has got very big. Go talk to some of the parents down there and get a feel for it. Their are some fab teachers down ther but one or two that would stop me from sending a child there. my child is a past pupil.
AFAIK there is a new educate together in Blanchardstow? or did I dream that

Gaspode

The other advantage of local schooling is that their peers will more than likely live nearby, so it's easier for them to see each other after school. All of my daughter's school pals are a drive away, same for the older kids when they went there - it all adds up to a lot of time in a car.

joanypony

We live in Inglewood, so more in the Clonsilla/Hartstown side. The other Educate Together school is in Castaheany. So it's basically Ongar which is easypeasy to get to for us.. I just haven't met anyone who has a kid going there..

Justask

joanypony wrote: »

We live in Inglewood, so more in the Clonsilla/Hartstown side. The other Educate Together school is in Castaheany. So it's basically Ongar which is easypeasy to get to for us.. I just haven't met anyone who has a kid going there..

Go up and have a chat with some of th parents of Castaheeny at home time. Try get chatting to parents with older kids they will havemore of a feel for the place then junior infant parents.
That school is very close to you. but there is a good bus service in castleknock also.

Keva

Castaheany ETNS is a great school, my daughter goes there and really likes it. The teachers are very good and there's an active Parent Teacher Association too. You'd be very welcome to contact the PTA and ask to talk to some parents, eg some of this year's Junior Infants parents - about what they think of the school etc... Good luck!

joanypony

Great replies everyone, thanks! Next step for me is to visit the school and possibly gently harass some parents for information

rolion

What i can say about Castaheany ETNS...

-is a brand new school (well,few years old)
-has implemented very well the "Educate Together" ethos
-has a good,mixed pool of teachers that have passed from new welcomers to established,settled down spirit and experience,teacher-to-teacher,teacher-to-student
-young teachers that are willing to progress,that have no "hidden memory" or "past exposure" in education process
-constant reviews of the teacher performance
-very good catchment area,no pressure on teachers and/or schools to maintain same level of financial funding now or in the future
-a quite big waiting list,which means the people are interested in getting in to school.
-top of the range education equipment,books and ICT infrastructure
-has very good and open-minded Board of Management
-big outsides and permanent supervision of the kids
-good mixture of kids,from various cultural background,giving a good foundation for today's kids
-easy to reach,park and drive traffic-less hassle

What i found out related to a better child performance that is not so much on the school,teacher,class,but rather to child genetics...
You can ask 3 parents and get ...5 different opinions on same related matter !!
Go there an dfind out yourself...

So, to sum up...the best school is the one around the corner of "me" street !

PS
i do not teach or neither of my kids are in the school...

magrat

My three children went/are going to castleknock ET school, and I would not recommend it under its current management to anyone. It is - in my experience, and that is spanning almost 10 years - not the school it started out to be.

oblivious

rolion wrote: »

-big outsides and permanent supervision of the kids, good mixture of kids,from various cultural background,giving a good foundation for today's kids

Sorry but the first part is just not true, it was built with some just over a 1/3 of the recommended space per child ask Joan Burton, Ruth Coppinger who campaigned against is building

As for the second that just common sense and a legal requirement for any school of any ethos

rolion wrote: »

good mixture of kids,from various cultural background,giving a good foundation for today's kids

That's going to be interesting given St benedict's is right becide it