Ballinteer Community School

Bigmambo

I'm considering sending my child to BCS because it is a mixed, non-fee paying school without a strong religious ethos. I've visted the school and am impressed by the facilities and also the small class sizes.

However, academically it doesn't rate well (very low progression to 3rd level) and from reading the boards here and elsewhere I get the impression that the school has a bad reputation (i.e. low expectations, behavioral issues, a 'rough element'). This is just what I've heard - not making any judgement.

Has anyone sent their kid/s there and can relate their experience / rating of the school ?

many thanks

Tabnabs

I grew up in the locality and in the 80s it had the same reputation...

Disappointing but not altogether surprising to hear this has not changed.

ayumi

I would like to ask about this school as my brothers application has been refused in another secondary school and most schools in the area are full and this is one of 2 options so could anyone provide information about it as we'll the experience in the school.

Fight_Night

I know of a friend who moved to Ireland from Spain and initially went to Ballinteer Community School and said it was very rough and he left to join a fee paying school.

It doesn't have a good reputation among the area, however you would be getting people coming from all kinds of backrounds, from middle class to very working class as well as all kinds of ethnicities, much more rounded student body, which is a benefit you wouldn't get in a fee paying school.

Up to you obviously but I personally would stay away from the school if I had the choice.

Definitely not a nightmare though as long as your kids are alright socially they should be fine.

ayumi

Fight_Night wrote: »

I know of a friend who moved to Ireland from Spain and initially went to Ballinteer Community School and said it was very rough and he left to join a fee paying school.

It doesn't have a good reputation among the area, however you would be getting people coming from all kinds of backrounds, from middle class to very working class as well as all kinds of ethnicities, much more rounded student body, which is a benefit you wouldn't get in a fee paying school.

Up to you obviously but I personally would stay away from the school if I had the choice.

Definitely not a nightmare though as long as your kids are alright socially they should be fine.

It would cost a lot to go to fee paying could anyone else recommend any other school

Fight_Night

ayumi wrote: »

It would cost a lot to go to fee paying could anyone else recommend any other school

Where abouts are you living? Loads of schools to choose from depending on the area. St. Benildus is a good school (relatively) near Ballinteer.

ayumi

We have called them ,oatlands,clonkeen college and some other schools but there full so if applied you would be in the waiting list.

WildRosie

Have you tried St Colmcille's Community School in Knocklyon? It may be too far away if you are looking at Oatlands and Clonkeen but my brother went there and was very happy. There is also De La Salle in Churchtown and St Tiernan's in Balally.

ayumi

WildRosie wrote: »

Have you tried St Colmcille's Community School in Knocklyon? It may be too far away if you are looking at Oatlands and Clonkeen but my brother went there and was very happy. There is also De La Salle in Churchtown and St Tiernan's in Balally.

We have applied to de la salle but were refused so now wondering if balinteer comunity school and st tierians are good academically and as a whole school?

WildRosie

I don't know anything really about St Tiernan's so can't comment there. I grew up not too far from BCS and it didn't have a great name to be honest. I only know one person that went there and she was very happy there. She did reasonably ok academically and is in further education now. It may have improved in recent years and it seems to have very good facilities now.

There's also Newpark Comprehensive in Blackrock. I think that has a pretty good reputation.

ayumi

WildRosie wrote: »

I don't know anything really about St Tiernan's so can't comment there. I grew up not too far from BCS and it didn't have a great name to be honest. I only know one person that went there and she was very happy there. She did reasonably ok academically and is in further education now. It may have improved in recent years and it seems to have very good facilities now.

There's also Newpark Comprehensive in Blackrock. I think that has a pretty good reputation.

New park are full as well

WildRosie

Where approximately do you live? And how far would your brother be able to travel? Is he going into first year?

Millem

ayumi wrote: »

We have applied to de la salle but were refused so now wondering if balinteer comunity school and st tierians are good academically and as a whole school?

I presume your brother isn't church of Ireland or else he would of been offered a place in Newpark. There is also cabinteely community school and st Laurence's and colaiste eoin (An excellent gaelscoil and extremely hard to get into) I don't know much about ballinteer, cabinteely or st tiernan's but I have heard (from teachers) they can be a bit rough? I think cabinteely, st Laurence's, st tiernan's and ballinteer are all deis schools. Whatever primary school he is in must be a feeder school to a secondary school?

ayumi

Millem wrote: »

I presume your brother isn't church of Ireland or else he would of been offered a place in Newpark. There is also cabinteely community school and st Laurence's. I don't know much about ballinteer, cabinteely or st tiernan's but I have heard (from teachers) they can be a bit rough? I think cabinteely, st Laurence's, st tiernan's and ballinteer are all deis schools. Whatever primary school he is in must be a feeder school to a secondary school?

Well he's in our lady grove we contacted several of the secondary schools that are in the local area as well as other areas but all said you would be in the waiting list if you applied now and these secondary schools still are accepting application forms until January but seeing from the comments on them I'm a bit hesitant as well as wanting to what to do. I have considered appealing but would there be a result and be placed in a secondary school?

Millem

ayumi wrote: »

Well he's in our lady grove we contacted several of the secondary schools that are in the local area as well as other areas but all said you would be in the waiting list if you applied now and these secondary schools still are accepting application forms until January but seeing from the comments on them I'm a bit hesitant as well as wanting to what to do. I have considered appealing but would there be a result and be placed in a secondary school?

Have you looked at each schools admissions policy? Where are the other boys in his class going? It is very late to be applying in in 6th class in these times. The numbers in fee paying schools are falling and these children are now going to "free" schools, this is why you are being told they are full. I am a teacher and in both schools I have worked in the admissions have been done 100% by the book so much so that a colleagues daughter was not offered a place. In this day and age they have to be as so many people will try and appeal it and in the 5 years i have been there no one has been successful!

narwhalthe

I knew people who went there 5 years ago and said it is rough. I highly doubt it has changed in five years.

ayumi

narwhalthe wrote: »

I knew people who went there 5 years ago and said it is rough. I highly doubt it has changed in five years.

Could you recommend any other schools ? I have mentioned the schools I have been in contact with

Millem

ayumi wrote: »

Could you recommend any other schools ? I have mentioned the schools I have been in contact with

I am nearly sure all free schools have been named and only fee paying schools left. Is fee paying an option?

ayumi

Millem wrote: »

I am nearly sure all free schools have been named and only fee paying schools left. Is fee paying an option?

It might be an option

WildRosie

ayumi wrote: »

Could you recommend any other schools ? I have mentioned the schools I have been in contact with

Have you tried Templeogue College? It would have good reputation round these parts.

ayumi

No ill try calling on Monday

Ihatecuddles-old

I left this school in 2010. There are some very rough pupils in it, always has been that way.

I'd highly recommend the school though. Great for sport, some of the older teachers are brilliant and its a lovely school now.

I lived closer to Tiernans at the time, but there was no way I was going there, its pupils are dog rough from what I've seen. You'll get it in every school but there seems to be more there, my geography teacher from BCS said she lasted a week teaching there....

Tabnabs

It's probably worth pointing out that in the very recent Irish Times supplement on Secondary Schools, BCS was the worst performing school in the area for pupils going on to third level education.

schemingbohemia

Have you tried Colaiste Éanna in Ballyroan? I went there, was a grand school for the most part. Not much of a cycle or the 16 would leave your kid with a bit of a stroll, or a hop on a 61 or 15b or perhaps the 75?

ayumi

schemingbohemia wrote: »

Have you tried Colaiste Éanna in Ballyroan? I went there, was a grand school for the most part. Not much of a cycle or the 16 would leave your kid with a bit of a stroll, or a hop on a 61 or 15b or perhaps the 75?

Wouldn't tht be an irish speaking school?
I have contacted some other schools but they all said they are no longer accepting applications for September 2013 and if you do you will be in the waiting list. Also if there are any other applications in the waiting list who applied before you they will get priority.
It's frustrating :mad:

schemingbohemia

No, not Irish speaking. It's a CBS but no brothers teaching there anymore (so I believe).

Have you just recently moved into the area?

ayumi

schemingbohemia wrote: »

No, not Irish speaking. It's a CBS but no brothers teaching there anymore (so I believe).

Have you just recently moved into the area?

No living here for a while,just that its the first son to go to secondary school

schemingbohemia

Ok, I know you know this now, but you really should have applied as soon as you moved to the area for a secondary school.

If getting to Colaiste Éanna is feasible, I'd recommend visiting the school and having a chat. I think they still do well in the dreaded league table for 3rd level. In my day (1980's) there would have been a skew towards the DIT colleges with relatively few going to Trinity or UCD, not sure what's happened since.

Seaswimmer

schemingbohemia wrote: »

Ok, I know you know this now, but you really should have applied as soon as you moved to the area for a secondary school.

If getting to Colaiste Éanna is feasible, I'd recommend visiting the school and having a chat. I think they still do well in the dreaded league table for 3rd level. In my day (1980's) there would have been a skew towards the DIT colleges with relatively few going to Trinity or UCD, not sure what's happened since.

I know its not ideal but I would put your name on waiting lists in as many schools as possible. Then if nothing comes up go to BCS. However places often become available in other schools as people leave or move away. if you were willing to move during a school year at short notice you could probably get out of BCS if things were not going well..

lechiennoir

Ballinteer Community School and St Tiernan's are terrible schools and are extremely rough. In fact, BCS is so rough that one of the students burned the previous building down and they had to invest a lot of money in rebuilding what is there now.

St.Benildus and Colaiste Eanna are good public schools in the area.

RainyDay

lechiennoir wrote: »

In fact, BCS is so rough that one of the students burned the previous building down and they had to invest a lot of money in rebuilding what is there now.

Just a slight exaggeration there - one wing was damaged by the fire in 2000. The decision to rebuild the school had already been made before the fire happened, and had nothing to do with the fire. The old school continued to operate for years after the fire, after a brief closure of a few days .

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/teenager-who-set-fire-to-school-gets-6-years-316290.html

lechiennoir

Ok, well one of their students still set fire to the place.

I wouldn't send a dog there, I'd deserve to be locked up for animal cruelty if I did.

Ihatecuddles-old

lechiennoir wrote: »

Ok, well one of their students still set fire to the place.

I wouldn't send a dog there, I'd deserve to be locked up for animal cruelty if I did.

Well that's just crazy. It has some amazing teachers, while it was for years a rough place, the new principal has cracked down so much since he's been there. The school is just like any other now. Good students and bad students.

I'd have no problem sending my child there.

lechiennoir

Ihatecuddles wrote: »

Well that's just crazy. It has some amazing teachers, while it was for years a rough place, the new principal has cracked down so much since he's been there. The school is just like any other now. Good students and bad students.

I'd have no problem sending my child there.

Well of course you're biased.

The school has horrendous results, and that is what is important. It's not just like other schools either, the caliber of the rough students is far, far worse than many/most other schools and most especially in the area.

If you're happy to send your child there, that's your prerogative, however the facts speak for themselves and if someone wants their kid to do well and have a good chance at getting into a good third level course then they're statistically better off not sending them to BCS.

schemingbohemia

lechiennoir wrote: »

Well of course you're biased.

The school has horrendous results, and that is what is important. It's not just like other schools either, the caliber of the rough students is far, far worse than many/most other schools and most especially in the area.

If you're happy to send your child there, that's your prerogative, however the facts speak for themselves and if someone wants their kid to do well and have a good chance at getting into a good third level course then they're statistically better off not sending them to BCS.

Without dragging this way off topic, the league tables are rubbish as they don't measure ability on entering the school. All they state is that someone went to third-level and even then it's mostly geared towards DCU/Trinity/UCD (in dublin anyway). The tables also don't differentiate between types of third-level courses - medicine vs arts for example (I'm an arts graduate).

My school Colaiste Eanna had a huge number of pupils going onto engineering and other scientific courses in DIT that wouldn't have counted towards this fixation with "Universities".

If someone isn't particularly gifted on entering the school and ends up getting a decent leaving cert without going to third level this doesn't count yet the school has improved the student.

WildRosie

lechiennoir wrote: »

If you're happy to send your child there, that's your prerogative, however the facts speak for themselves and if someone wants their kid to do well and have a good chance at getting into a good third level course then they're statistically better off not sending them to BCS.

Statistically speaking maybe, but if the child has the ability and inclination to go on to third level they will. Poor progession to third level has a lot to do with what is going on at home, or not going on as the case may be. If there is an expectation of progression to third level at home then "league tables" are less relevant. They also only count the "main universities". What about the ones that still got decent Leaving Cert results but third level just wasn't for them and went into jobs, further education, trades etc. Counting the number of young people sent off to universities isn't the only measure of success for schools, its just the only one we hear about.

Look for example at CBS Synge Street. It too has a rough repuation and only 22/53 students went onto the "main" colleges in 2012 (15/49 in BCS so its comparable). Yet how many prizes at the Young Scientist Exhibition have their students won over the last decade or so? Good kids with good family support will still do well in schools that may seem less "desirable". Also BCS is a DEIS school which may allow the OP's brother access to the HEAR scheme if he is hoping to continue studying.

IMO BCS is stuck with a reputation that was deserved a few years ago but less so now. The school has good facilities and it seems changes for the better are happening. The new uniforms they brought in a few years ago are much smarter and while its only small thing it does improve the impression of the school.

RainyDay

WildRosie wrote: »

Statistically speaking maybe, but if the child has the ability and inclination to go on to third level they will. Poor progession to third level has a lot to do with what is going on at home, or not going on as the case may be.

The league tables count the ability of the parents to pay for 3rd level, and surprise surprise, the private schools of south Dublin come out on top.

Shane-KornSpace

lechiennoir wrote: »

Ballinteer Community School and St Tiernan's are terrible schools and are extremely rough. In fact, BCS is so rough that one of the students burned the previous building down and they had to invest a lot of money in rebuilding what is there now.

That was 12 years ago.
I left BCS in 2007.
With the exception of a few bad apples, I found the school to be quite a good place to go.
The teachers I had offered alot of time to re-cover anything I didn't understand. Alot of them were very patient.

Edit.

Oh and I went on to college to study Computer Science.

homer911

RainyDay wrote: »

The league tables count the ability of the parents to pay for 3rd level, and surprise surprise, the private schools of south Dublin come out on top.

Thats a bit of a generalisation..

Its more likely that if children come from an academic/professional parental background, education in general will be more highly valued and they will have better support structures at home..

Deech086

Some of the comments on here are a joke. BCS does have a bad reputation, but Tiernans is way worse. I went to BCS for 6 years finishing in 2000. I am still freinds with people i went with. ! friend is a guard, another a solicitor and another a computer scientist!
You get out what you put in. If you want to go there and not learn, you wont. And the local "scum" are nothing but wannabee hardmen that normally drop out/kicked out by 3rd year.

For a free school its excellent and brand new too.

Bigmambo

lechiennoir wrote: »

Ok, well one of their students still set fire to the place.

I wouldn't send a dog there, I'd deserve to be locked up for animal cruelty if I did.

I was the original poster on this thread. You clearly have no knowledge of the school nowadays with a remark like that. Times change. The school was completely rebuilt and it's facilities are now second to none (rebuilt duing the celtic tiger days).

I am pleased to say that my son really likes it in BCS. The kids are proud of the facilities, there's a low pupil to teacher ratio and progression to third level is increasing year on year. I think the current principal has had a large part of play in turning the school around. But unfortunately it's difficult to change peoples perceptions or an old reputation which is no longer justified (as shown by the stupidity of the remark above)

Santa Cruz

A good Principal in a school is very important and a code of discipline that is enforced. The snobbery on this site against some community schools is appalling. Having checked out BCS on line it certainly has all the facilities of a good school. After that it is up to teachers, parents and pupils to progress the school. If pupils are being drawn from a working class background it will take extra encouragement to get them and their parents to consider progressing to third level rather than leave to join the workforce. Snide remarks about it not being a private school etc. won't help. The lads involved in the manslaughter/assault at the Burlington came from Blackrock College not a community school.

Streetwalker

Bigmambo wrote: »

I was the original poster on this thread. You clearly have no knowledge of the school nowadays with a remark like that. Times change. The school was completely rebuilt and it's facilities are now second to none (rebuilt duing the celtic tiger days).

I am pleased to say that my son really likes it in BCS. The kids are proud of the facilities, there's a low pupil to teacher ratio and progression to third level is increasing year on year. I think the current principal has had a large part of play in turning the school around. But unfortunately it's difficult to change peoples perceptions or an old reputation which is no longer justified (as shown by the stupidity of the remark above)

Glad to hear it has changed. Went to the school finishing in 1990 and I hadn't a good word to say about it. The rough element set me back years imo and when reported to teachers at the time I was told to man up and get on with it.

Maybe it's changed for the better but tbh it couldn't get any worse. I suppose it helped they built a fence around it to keep the Hillview mob out

RebelButtMunch

The bcs principle is standing at the school gates nearly every morning keeping an eye on the kids coming in. That's someone that give a sh!t.

McCrack

I attended in the late 90's and had five happy years there. I progressed to third level & then went onto gain a professional qualification. I'm not in any way exceptional & most of my old classmates are now working in various careers & some are self employed.

There were some great teachers when I was there (admittedly there were a small number of terrible ones too which is inevitable in any school) but overall I'd recommend it. There was a broad range of students of different backgrounds and that's a good thing in my view. Students with the right attitude will do well and that starts in the home.

Gracieh

My kid is there at the moment, and I can say we love the school. It's got a mixed bag of kids - hasn't every school - but a great head, and good teachers. The place always seems well organised and the school has good communications with parents at all times. Its supportive, practical and forward thinking with both its pupils and their parents, giving all students concerned a chance to fulfill their own potential, whatever that may be.