Best primary school south/west Dublin

nino1

We have a 4 month old and are looking to subscribe her to a good public primary school. We are currently living in an apartment in the city centre but are going to rent it and rent a house in an area with a good school. Neither of us are religious but we dont mind going to a religious school if its has a good acedemic reputation. We are first time parents so have a few questions
1) when putting your child's name down for a school a few years in advance do you have to pay a deposit? If so how much?
2) do you have to live in the catchment area at the time of subscribing or is it okay as long as you live there at the time they start?
3) any recommendations if good primary schools in west/south Dublin?

Thanks in advance for any help.

byhookorbycrook

1/2 depend on the individual school's policy, though booking deposits are rare in primary.

3-how do you define "good?",one person's idea of what "good" is is not always the same as another's.

nino1

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

3-how do you define "good?",one person's idea of what "good" is is not always the same as another's.

Thanks for the reply
I would be looking for a school with fairly small class sizes in a nice area and with a good reputation for acedemia.

byhookorbycrook

Class sizes tend to be 28+ in primary, unless the school has disadvantaged status ("DEIS")

lazygal

Small class sizes are no indication of how 'good' a school is. The school with the worst academic record near us has tiny classes because on one wants their children going there. Deposits would usually only be required by private schools. I don't think you'll get a definitive answer, every parent (and child) has a different view of what makes a 'good' school. For us the ethos is the first priority, we're not Catholic so have made sure to apply as early as possible to the Educate Together. The Catholic school was our second choice. Both have large classes, 28+, and a similar academic record.

emmakinghorne

St Kevin's in kilnamanagh is a great school , small-ish classes, great teachers . Really really recommend it , all my kids went there they are grown up now bar one and all say they loved going to school there

huskerdu

Its hard to give an answer to your question because South/West Dublin is a huge area and there are loads and loads of very good primary schools.

As has already been said, It is rare to find a national school in the Dublin suburbs with class sizes smaller than 28, unless it is disadvantaged. They all get the same allocation of teachers.

Each school has its own enrolment policies, which are often similar, but not always.
You would need to get guidance from an individual school on whether date of application or catchment area takes priority and what happens if you apply from outside the catchment area and then change your address.

I don't know what you consider a nice area, but my advice is to start thinking about where you want to live, check what rents are and if you can afford then, decide on a general area and then research schools in the area.

Serrano13

Most of the catholic schools in our area take admissions in the autumn of the year before entry. But the Educate together schools take names on a first come first served basis so now would be a good time for you to put your child's name down. You could research the ET schools in the areas you like and put your name down for a few of them to keep your options open.