primary schools in waterford or galway

johniev

I am moving back to ireland with my family next summer, 2012 - can anyone recommend good primary schools in either waterford or galway (for ages 7 and 10) or for that matter an exceptional one anywhere in ireland. we can basically move to any catchment area. I am irish (away about 20 years) and wife is asia so this will be kids first irish/european living experience, thus the school environment is our main priority.

overmantle

Just wondering if your children are boys or girls? Some of the excellent city schools are single-sex schools so it would be important to know before offering advice.

johniev

one of each, my daughter is almost 6 and son almost is 10

byhookorbycrook

Do you want a fee paying schools?What religion,if any?A Gaelscoil would probably be out of the question, it really wouldn't be fair to a child to land them into an all-Irish school at that age when they have no Irish at all.Urban or rural?What do you consider makes a school "good?"

johniev

talked to the kids about Gaelscoil and yep too much to ask to send them into a new language. Good for us is about school environment, good bulling policy, child centered, good atmosphere, not overly competitive but focusing of the development of the child - somewhere they can settle into fairly well. Good after school activities is a bonus but then again we can organize that elsewhere.
We are looking for Urban or near enough to the centre. Religion - we are fairly undecided and open with kids having lived in muslim, christian and Buddhist countries already we would like to keep things balanced, so we are ok with religion in the classroom but on a balanced level. I guess it has changed since my experiences in the 70s and 80s? Fees - it does not matter as long as the school is not so snobbish, kids are coming out of the international system so we really want them earthed.