Buying in an area with good schools & timing

Middleage Fanclub

Mr & Mrs Fanclub want to start the next generation. We may not move back to Ireland for a couple of years. We're originally from North Wicklow but may buy in SC Dublin on our return. The plan would be to return before our kid(s) are of school going age and kick that off in Ireland.

We're considering the location of good schools in relation to where we buy, but my questions.

If we return with say a 3 & 1 year old, have we missed the boat with regards to getting our children into the local school of choice ?

Will schools accept the fact that you couldn't put the child's 'name down' after birth when we were all living in a different country?

How important is living locally (either from birth or arriving a few years later) to getting into these schools?

Do I just turn up with a wad of cash (for fee paying schools) and the rest falls away?

Thanks

3DataModem

Middleage Fanclub wrote: »

Mr & Mrs Fanclub want to start the next generation. We may not move back to Ireland for a couple of years. We're originally from North Wicklow but may buy in SC Dublin on our return. The plan would be to return before our kid(s) are of school going age and kick that off in Ireland.

We're considering the location of good schools in relation to where we buy, but my questions.

If we return with say a 3 & 1 year old, have we missed the boat with regards to getting our children into the local school of choice ?

Will schools accept the fact that you couldn't put the child's 'name down' after birth when we were all living in a different country?

How important is living locally (either from birth or arriving a few years later) to getting into these schools?

Do I just turn up with a wad of cash (for fee paying schools) and the rest falls away?

Thanks

Most schools don't do that "apply at birth" nonsense anymore, with the exception of some 'educate together' schools.

Most (at least the ones in Baldoyle, Sutton, Howth, Malahide, Portmarnock) do not allow applications until year before starting.

For the Catholic schools Catholics get priority. For the Protestant schools Protestants get priority. Locals generally get priority for the local school.

Advice; when you get back, call the local schools and go and meet them. You'll get a feel for the school, and it'll be no harm once they start prioritising applications.

Moonbeam

You need to contact the schools of interest and get a copy of their enrolment policies , not all schools are 1st come 1st served .
We moved house when our 1st was 11 months old put her name down at 15 months and did not get a place as it is strictly siblings then 1st come 1st served .
I had to travel 50km a day heavily pregnant ,with a baby and a 2 year old ,it was Hell but a kid left and 2 got kept back so she has a local place this year .
The school she went to was a far nicer better school but I would not like to live in the area .
We have 4 local schools , all girls catholic ,all boys catholic and both always have places come September then an educate together and a Gaelscoil which you need to put their names down at birth for .
So there are always options if you are not fussy .

lazygal

Educate Together are the only ones you need to be proactive about. A lot of the fee paying primaries will bite your hand off to get the child as their business has really declined. Apart from ET all schools near us take enrolments the year before the child is due to start. I contacted our second choice (mixed catholic school) and they confirmed all local children, baptised or not, secure a place once they live in the catchment area and they've never enforced priority for catholics.

evolving_doors

lazygal wrote: »

Educate Together are the only ones you need to be proactive about. A lot of the fee paying primaries will bite your hand off to get the child as their business has really declined. Apart from ET all schools near us take enrolments the year before the child is due to start. I contacted our second choice (mixed catholic school) and they confirmed all local children, baptised or not, secure a place once they live in the catchment area and they've never enforced priority for catholics.

Ya educate together lists are usually very long.

Theres very few fee paying primary, and if you are going that route then chances are they are a feeder school for a fee paying secondary.

The example above might be fine if the numbers are low but if say 100 children in the local area are applying for 50 places then it'll resort back to the enrolment policy. The priority order can change depending on the school.

Siblings first, catchment area based on parish boundary (you could end up living on the wrong side of the traffic lights), children of parents who went to school, children od staff, catholic children from outside the area with no catholic school near them (substitute catholic for other religions), age of child etc....

So itll all boil down to that school's particular policy (most are online).

I'd always say look at secondary first... ideally you'ld prefer your kids to transition into secondary with a few friends from primary.

If the primary/secondary ends up being far from dwelling house then you're in line for parent-taxi service for all the birthdays/sleepovers. Will there be a bus route near for when they get older.

If money isn't an issue then don't be too sure about picking up a house in a short space of time. I know people trying to buy in a certain area but the housing stock is so low that its a crazy bidding war and that can often end up bidding for a house that needs renovation (only houses coming up are from elderly folk downsizing/moving on!). Thats mostly in certain parts of dublin though.

lazygal

lazygal wrote: »

Educate Together are the only ones you need to be proactive about. A lot of the fee paying primaries will bite your hand off to get the child as their business has really declined. Apart from ET all schools near us take enrolments the year before the child is due to start. I contacted our second choice (mixed catholic school) and they confirmed all local children, baptised or not, secure a place once they live in the catchment area and they've never enforced priority for catholics.

It all depends on the area. I live in Dublin 6 and there appears to be a severe demand on the local COI schools and the Gaelscoils. The COI schools, along with the Jewish and other Protestant schools give preference to members of their religion, and are very much over subscribed. The 2 Gaelscoils in the area also have very different enrollement policies, one giving preference to kids who attend the attached Naoinra, again both over subcribed.
The Gaelscoil my daughter attends received over 250 applications for the 62 places in the year 2013/2013.

lazygal

Deleted User wrote: »

It all depends on the area. I live in Dublin 6 and there appears to be a severe demand on the local COI schools and the Gaelscoils. The COI schools, along with the Jewish and other Protestant schools give preference to members of their religion, and are very much over subscribed. The 2 Gaelscoils in the area also have very different enrollement policies, one giving preference to kids who attend the attached Naoinra, again both over subcribed.
The Gaelscoil my daughter attends received over 250 applications for the 62 places in the year 2013/2013.

Absolutely, it depends on the area. That's why we contacted the schools when we were pregnant to check on enrolment. I also went to the local catholic school which ticks another box. Most of Dublin 6 seems to be a nightmare.