Villiers School, NCR, Limerick - Your experiences/opinions?

TheFortField

I am on the lookout for a good secondary for my daughter for the term commencing September 2019. My preference is for a co-educational school which offers a wide variety of extracurricular activities (with particular emphasis on music and drama, debating, volunteering).

Villiers has been mentioned to me by a number of people but I have no experience of the place myself. I would be very grateful for some honest feedback on this school from students, teachers, parents of current/past students. How are the facilities? I know there are excellent and poorly performing teachers in most schools, how would you rate the standard of teaching? Is the school environment, friendly and inclusive?

The fee for a day pupil is just shy of €5,000 per annum when the building levy, insurance and other charges are added. This doesn't include books or uniform. The Day Boarder rate which includes evening study until 8:15pm is another €600 - €1,600 depending on the year (1st to 3rd year). Do many students avail of the evening study option? Is it worth the extra fee?

The fees over six years would be a significant outlay for me so I want to do as much research as possible. Many thanks

spurious

Department Inspection reports here: https://www.education.ie/en/find-a-school/School-Detail/?roll=64310B

**edit**
To read these, concentrate on 'recommendations' - that generally means something isn't being done that the Department thinks should be.
Also check the follow up reports for action taken.

TheFortField

Thank you very much Spurious, this is very helpful. I'll have a read through the reports later tonight.

Sal Butamol

Overpriced for what you get. Some awful carry on in there too.

mitresize5

My sister thought there for a while and couldn't believe some of the stuff the kids were let get away with.

frosty123

OP, if you're concerned about your child being bullied or isolated in a mainstream school...because of being a different religion, sexuality or eccentric behavior etc...then Villiers is the school for you, they cater for children of all backgrounds...its very inclusive

my nieces & nephews went there and they got on fine no problems

Brian Lighthouse

Ah lads, using the logic of the statements below I can say "It's the best school ever."
Any qualifying facts or even anecdotes to go along with "...awful carry on..." or on the disbelief of what "...the kids were let get away with."?


Sorry, Mitresize5, - but humourously - Was your sister thinking there for long? ;-)

Sal Butamol wrote: »

Overpriced for what you get. Some awful carry on in there too.

mitresize5 wrote: »

My sister thought there for a while and couldn't believe some of the stuff the kids were let get away with.

Jane98

Where in Limerick are you living TheFortField?

Mc Love

Maybe Raheen

5k a year - no thanks!

Mockba

My 2 daughters went to Villers and I think it is a good school.
It is the same as any school good and bad teachers good and bad pupils.
The emphasis is on the student rather than the academics. So if you want to focus on just academics the its not the school for you.

Because it is a boarding school there are

1) A lot of after school activities
2) There are never half days because the boarders have to stay there so it is pointless sending half the kids home and looking after the rest.
3) There are many international students there coming to learn english so your daughter will meet many different nationalities.

For me the fees were worth it as I live near the school and I didnt have to pay for buses everyday and also i didnt want my daughters in the city centre every evening. So when I took no buses , after school activities, no half days, no kids hanging around town and no voluntary contribution into account the fees were easily justified.

They do let your daughter go there for a day to see if the like it. They let them go in and sit in the classroom with another student, have lunch in the canteen and see what goes on for a day.

Sal Butamol

Brian Lighthouse wrote: »

Ah lads, using the logic of the statements below I can say "It's the best school ever."
Any qualifying facts or even anecdotes to go along with "...awful carry on..." or on the disbelief of what "...the kids were let get away with."?


Sorry, Mitresize5, - but humourously - Was your sister thinking there for long? ;-)

Google is your friend

Brian Lighthouse

Sal Butamol wrote: »

Google is your friend

Thank you. Right, I've written that down:



Never ask Sal Butamol for directions!


Forgive me if I have the incorrect image of you here, but all I can visualise from both your responses is someone that talks in nods and winks; alluding to but never implying, while throwing your eyes up to the heavens.


The contributions to this post from you have not addressed any of the OP's original queries. In my opinion you have been of no help whatsoever while you do succeed in providing vague comments that will splash mud across a clear view.


Regards
Brian

mitresize5

Brian Lighthouse wrote: »

Sorry, Mitresize5, - but humourously - Was your sister thinking there for long? ;-)

Very good ðŸ˜

I obviously didn't go to a great school myself.

I think the person who sent their daughter there said it best.

The school is student led with academia coming in second place.

While it might suit some parents it went against my sister's teaching beliefs as she felt the soft boundaries didn't give students the skills to survive in the real world.

A great example she used was a pupil who regularly decided that she didn't fancy the class and could leave to go for a walk whenever she wanted.

Sal Butamol

Brian Lighthouse wrote: »

Thank you. Right, I've written that down:



Never ask Sal Butamol for directions!


Forgive me if I have the incorrect image of you here, but all I can visualise from both your responses is someone that talks in nods and winks; alluding to but never implying, while throwing your eyes up to the heavens.


The contributions to this post from you have not addressed any of the OP's original queries. In my opinion you have been of no help whatsoever while you do succeed in providing vague comments that will splash mud across a clear view.


Regards
Brian

Dear Brian,

Stop being so dramatic.

Here, let me hold your hand and lead you straight to the goods seen as you are so incapable.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Villiers+Limerick+Bullying

Yours sincerely,

Sal Butamol

Brian Lighthouse

Thank you Sal,
I find it interesting that you call the results of the search you suggest "the goods".

Thanks for the auld nod on that. Wink Wink!

I carried out the same search and substituted 'bullying' with 'sport' and 'academic' - "the goods" I received were the following links and are the first in the list of results:

http://www.villiers-school.com/Sport.html

http://villiers-school.com/Academic.html

All the best.

Sal Butamol

:rolleyes: Some people...

Skuxx

mitresize5 wrote: »

A great example she used was a pupil who regularly decided that she didn't fancy the class and could leave to go for a walk whenever she wanted.

I was a pupil in Villiers. I couldn't recommend the place highly enough. When the time comes, I fully intend to send my children there.
The above example would seem to me like quite an exaggeration! Certainly in the time I spent there that would never ever have happened, although I am gone a couple of years now.

OP feel free to ask any questions you wish and I will try my best to answer for you!

I was a boarder there for 6 years. Now I left there 16 years ago, so my experiences may not still be relevant, but I would hold the school in a very hard regard.

As Skuxx said, if there are any specific questions you want to ask, feel free to ask on here or via personal message.

Lobsterlady

Villiers open day is this coming Saturday the 22nd Sept, at 11am. If you go along with your daughter you'll get to meet teachers/current pupils and be shown around the school with a talk given by the headmistress too.

I'm a past pupil myself, my son currently attends there, and my daughter will be starting in 2019 so please private message me if you have any questions.

PS you mentioned your daughter likes debating - they have a 'MUNS' team - 'model united nations' debating team, plus Villiers offers the International Baccalaureate.

TheFortField

Many thanks to everyone who took the time to post on the thread or private messaged me with advice or offers of help - your assistance is much appreciated.