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Help- D18 primary schools suggestions

  • 25-09-2017 2:29pm
    #1
    cangirl86
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20 ✭


    Hello! We are currently looking for a primary school for our daughter. She will be attending in 2021- but from what I've been told, we need to get her name down ASAP to as many schools as possible.
    Does anyone have any recent experience with schools around the Sandyford/ Stepaside/ Leopardstown area?
    Any help would be amazing!


Comments

  • #2
    Moonbeam
    Moderators, Education Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 18,986 Mod ✭✭✭✭Moonbeam


    What are your requirements?
    Single sex? mixed?
    religion?
    English/irish?


  • #3
    cangirl86
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20 ✭cangirl86


    Moonbeam wrote: »
    What are your requirements?
    Single sex? mixed?
    religion?
    English/irish?

    We are not very religious- but very much open to everything else.


  • #4
    Toots
    Administrators, Business & Finance Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,957 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Toots


    My son is in Holy Trinity and we've found it really good. The building is new and the facilities are great, they've also got a very active parents association, an after school program and a breakfast club.


  • #5
    cangirl86
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20 ✭cangirl86


    I have been told that there is an educate together and an Irish school nearby- does anyone know anything about them?


  • #6
    byhookorbycrook
    Moderators, Education Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 12,514 Mod ✭✭✭✭byhookorbycrook


    The Educate Together school doesn't seem to have an whole school evaluation reports done, it's a relatively new school- which can be good or bad. They don't seem to have a permanent building either, though one is in the process of being built, so check that the new location will suit you.
    http://www.stepasideetns.ie/

    This Gaelscoil seems to be longer established and has a permanent building already. Again, no WSE reports done.
    http://www.taobhnacoille.ie/?lang=en

    And this one seems to be in a permanent building too. And another without WSE reports as far as I can see.
    http://gaelscoilshliabhrua.ie/en/

    My best advice is to make an appointment to meet with the principal of any schools you are interested in (but give it until next week , September is always mad in schools!) School buildings/facilities/websites etc. only tell a tiny bit of the story, you will get a good "feel" for each school from the principal.


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  • #7
    cangirl86
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20 ✭cangirl86


    byhookorbycrook wrote: »
    The Educate Together school doesn't seem to have an whole school evaluation reports done, it's a relatively new school- which can be good or bad. They don't seem to have a permanent building either, though one is in the process of being built, so check that the new location will suit you.
    http://www.stepasideetns.ie/

    This Gaelscoil seems to be longer established and has a permanent building already. Again, no WSE reports done.
    http://www.taobhnacoille.ie/?lang=en

    And this one seems to be in a permanent building too. And another without WSE reports as far as I can see.
    http://gaelscoilshliabhrua.ie/en/

    My best advice is to make an appointment to meet with the principal of any schools you are interested in (but give it until next week , September is always mad in schools!) School buildings/facilities/websites etc. only tell a tiny bit of the story, you will get a good "feel" for each school from the principal.

    Thanks for tips! Didn't realise that you could make appointments to view schools like that! Really like the ethos of Educate Together but haven't heard anything really about it from anyone who has a child there.


  • #8
    beechwood55
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 532 ✭✭✭beechwood55


    Don't think school principals have time to be showing prospective parents around.


  • #9
    ElectraX
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 399 ✭✭ElectraX


    We are looking in this area also so have done quite a bit of research so this is what I have found out( obviously my opinions may be different to others!)

    Have only heard good feedback about Taobh Na Coille but have also heard it is difficult to get into. Obviously families raising kids through Irish or with a fluent Irish speaker at home get preference. You also need to be committed to the gaelscoil route!

    Have heard very good things about the teaching and resources in Holy Trinity but with the proximity to Ballyogan there is definitely a mixed demographic. Know one person who’s child was seriously bullied there and felt the school did not take it seriously enough due to the other family involved.

    Olafs in Balally has a good reputation but is very oversubscribed and from what I have heard for 2018 over 40 places will go to siblings so only 20 to offer to oldest children in catchment.

    For a girl there is St Raphaelas which by all accounts has a very good primary but not so good secondary. Any one I know who has sent kids there has moved them after sixth class.

    Mount Anville Primary is very good also and feeds straight into Mount Anville Secondary. Kilmacud catchment.

    Stepaside Educate Together is moving up beside Taobh NaCoille in Dec and Secondary going in there also. They take names from birth though and get very oversubscribed.

    There is the Secondary Rosemont in Sandyford as well for girls which is run by weird ass Opus Dei types so prob best to steer clear of that one!

    Good luck! Cannot get over the craziness of trying to get a child into a South Dublin primary!!!


  • #10
    AndrewJRenko
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 30,297 ✭✭✭✭AndrewJRenko


    ElectraX wrote: »
    Good luck! Cannot get over the craziness of trying to get a child into a South Dublin primary!!!
    Is it really that hard at primary level? We're in D16, and it is generally fairly straightforward. ET have long waiting lists, Gaelscoil have their own criteria, but the other schools are generally very accessible.


  • #11
    ElectraX
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 399 ✭✭ElectraX


    AndrewJRenko wrote: »
    Is it really that hard at primary level? We're in D16, and it is generally fairly straightforward. ET have long waiting lists, Gaelscoil have their own criteria, but the other schools are generally very accessible.

    Must just be unlucky cause we are currently applying for 2018 and a lot of the Kilmacud/ Stepaside/ Foxrock / Balally schools get very oversubscribed. One of the schools we applied to has received over 250 applications for 60 places.
    Are Holy Cross and St Attractas in your catchment? Do they not have the same issues?


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  • #12
    buyer2017
    Closed Accounts Posts: 33 ✭buyer2017


    Do anyone have opinions good or bad on taobh na coille or st attractas


  • #13
    ElectraX
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 399 ✭✭ElectraX


    buyer2017 wrote: »
    Do anyone have opinions good or bad on taobh na coille or st attractas

    Taobh na Coille has a very good reputation. Don’t know anything about St Attractas but have heard good things of Scoil Naithi next door to it


  • #14
    AndrewJRenko
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 30,297 ✭✭✭✭AndrewJRenko


    ElectraX wrote: »
    Must just be unlucky cause we are currently applying for 2018 and a lot of the Kilmacud/ Stepaside/ Foxrock / Balally schools get very oversubscribed. One of the schools we applied to has received over 250 applications for 60 places.
    Are Holy Cross and St Attractas in your catchment? Do they not have the same issues?

    I may be a few years out of touch, but in the not so distant past, Attractas, Our Ladys, Holy Cross, Divine Word were not difficult to get into at all.
    buyer2017 wrote: »
    Do anyone have opinions good or bad on taobh na coille or st attractas

    I know some families that have been through Attractas that speak highly of it.


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