Would you choose a rural small school over a gaelscoil 15 mins outside locale?

Bobbins

Just wondering what others would do? Would love to have kids schooled through Irish for all the benefits it brings e.g. Affinity with culture, bilingual etc

However we're not from the rural area in which we live so we will be passing up the opportunity to become part of the community and for kids to have local friends. We don't live in an estate and are quite isolated so no opportunities for random play meetings as such. I think there might be one or two from the area going to the gaelscoil too.

Which to choose? Preferred gaelscoil approach or local school I can almost see from the house!

Millem

100% local school.

cuculainn

Bobbins wrote: »

Just wondering what others would do? Would love to have kids schooled through Irish for all the benefits it brings e.g. Affinity with culture, bilingual etc

However we're not from the rural area in which we live so we will be passing up the opportunity to become part of the community and for kids to have local friends. We don't live in an estate and are quite isolated so no opportunities for random play meetings as such. I think there might be one or two from the area going to the gaelscoil too.

Which to choose? Preferred gaelscoil approach or local school I can almost see from the house!

we were in the same situation as yourselves and went with the gael scoil. never regretted it.
child loves it. great diversity and not as big a focus on GAA as (potentially) in a local rural school.



we have gotten someway involved with local community through doing activities in the local community and will start with the local GAA club this year.

i notice you right beside the local school. we were approx same distance from both with Gael scoil on rout to work. so not exactly like for like

Bobbins

cuculainn wrote: »

we were in the same situation as yourselves and went with the gael scoil. never regretted it.
child loves it. great diversity and not as big a focus on GAA as (potentially) in a local rural school.



we have gotten someway involved with local community through doing activities in the local community and will start with the local GAA club this year.

i notice you right beside the local school. we were approx same distance from both with Gael scoil on rout to work. so not exactly like for like

Thanks Cuculainn, I know we would love the school, it seems fantastic. I had always thought they would go through a gaelscoil but as we get closer I'm panicking that they won't have friends in the community.

Yes I'd literally be passing the local school everyday to go to the nearest town. I think that wouldn't really bother me, 15 mins isnt make or break. I'm just worried it would bother my kids!!

cuculainn

Bobbins wrote: »

Thanks Cuculainn, I know we would love the school, it seems fantastic. I had always thought they would go through a gaelscoil but as we get closer I'm panicking that they won't have friends in the community.

Yes I'd literally be passing the local school everyday to go to the nearest town. I think that wouldn't really bother me, 15 mins isnt make or break. I'm just worried it would bother my kids!!

Well for us, we are not walking distance to any neighbours so we have to drive to visit school friends anyway.

One disadvantage is there is a large catchment area for the gael scoil so the best friend currently lives about 20 minutes drive away!!!

Bobbins

cuculainn wrote: »

Well for us, we are not walking distance to any neighbours so we have to drive to visit school friends anyway.

One disadvantage is there is a large catchment area for the gael scoil so the best friend currently lives about 20 minutes drive away!!!

That is what I'm thinking too, we will be in the car no matter where! Wah, can't decide!!

ShamoBuc

If you want them to go to a Gaelscoil, then send them, it really is that simple. They will go to parties, playdates etc with their friends from the Gaelscoil. There will be people from the locality going to the Gaelscoil as well, I guarantee you, as it is only 15 mins away and they will also have friends from the local area. They will also meet children from the local school. Local sports clubs would probably be the best for that with the GAA club being the best of them realistically. They will probably end up having a wider variety of friends.

BonsaiKitten

I'd definitely go Gaelscoil. It's a great way to start off school and 15 mins is not too far. They will make friends in the local area through activities (and probably will find some local kids also attend the Gaelscoil).

Bobbins

ShamoBuc wrote: »

If you want them to go to a Gaelscoil, then send them, it really is that simple. They will go to parties, playdates etc with their friends from the Gaelscoil. There will be people from the locality going to the Gaelscoil as well, I guarantee you, as it is only 15 mins away and they will also have friends from the local area. They will also meet children from the local school. Local sports clubs would probably be the best for that with the GAA club being the best of them realistically. They will probably end up having a wider variety of friends.

Thanks! Yes I know you are right, when it comes down to brass tacks it probably is as simple as that. Just worrying that I'm missing the opportunity to assimilate the family into the community but as you say other opportunities will most likely present themselves. Thanks for your advice !

Bobbins

BonsaiKitten wrote: »

I'd definitely go Gaelscoil. It's a great way to start off school and 15 mins is not too far. They will make friends in the local area through activities (and probably will find some local kids also attend the Gaelscoil).

Thanks a mill BK, I appreciate your advice :-)

Ms2011

We had a similar decision to make only it was with the local rural school I can see from my front door or the Educate Together school 15 mins away. We chose the local rural school as the advice we got at the time was that if you want to integrate into a community (we are originally from Dublin) having your kids go to the local school is a great way to do that plus it means I spend less time driving and this year I've decided to let my 8 year walk home from school by himself the giving him some independence, which I couldn't have done if I'd chosen the Educate Together school.
That said though in my son's school the students tend to come from far and wide as they don't all live as close to the school as we do, my son's friend would be one of those so I would have to drive 10 mins and drop him off or vice versa if they want to see each other after school so even by going to the local school you are not guaranteed that the child/children your child makes friends with will necessarily live as close by to the school as you do.

Bobbins

Ms2011 wrote: »

We had a similar decision to make only it was with the local rural school I can see from my front door or the Educate Together school 15 mins away. We chose the local rural school as the advice we got at the time was that if you want to integrate into a community (we are originally from Dublin) having your kids go to the local school is a great way to do that plus it means I spend less time driving and this year I've decided to let my 8 year walk home from school by himself the giving him some independence, which I couldn't have done if I'd chosen the Educate Together school.
That said though in my son's school the students tend to come from far and wide as they don't all live as close to the school as we do, my son's friend would be one of those so I would have to drive 10 mins and drop him off or vice versa if they want to see each other after school so even by going to the local school you are not guaranteed that the child/children your child makes friends with will necessarily live as close by to the school as you do.

Thanks Ms2011, definitely food for thought :-) in our case the children attending will definitely be close by. I know there are about 13 starting and at least 5 live within a mile and the remaining within 3 miles, hence my difficulty making the decision. I think if they were further afield I would have no difficulty choosing the gaelscoil!

Thanks a mill for taking the time to reply

jlm29

We live rurally, the local school is about a 3 min drive. It’s obviously walkable, but there’s a busy busy main road, so we wouldn’t be walking it. The school bus passes our gate. The problem is that the school doesn’t start until 9.15 and has no breakfast or after school service.
So my kids (well one so far, another starting in sept) are in a Gaelscoil in a town 20 min away, because I work there (in the town, not the school).
It suits us because of circumstances, but I wouldn’t go that distance just for the sake of going to a Gaelscoil. My 8 yr old plays GAA locally, he’s always a bit on the fringes because everyone else knows each other from school, and he doesn’t. It might be his personality, and I suspect that if he was a budding GAA star, he’d find it easier to make friends in that group, but he definitely isn’t.

Saturday birthday parties are a pain in the bum- not worth coming home from the time, and a nuisance to be putting down time waiting for them to end. If you plan on having more kids, it would be far easier to be dropping to a local school (I have three kids younger than my school going child, so have spent every mat leave in my car).

That said, the school my kids are in is an ideal size- there’s 24 in his class. If he was in the local school the classes would always be split, which I feel could be a disadvantage. So there are pros and cons to every school, but I would take everything into account, don’t focus too much on sending to a Gaelscoil. I think there’s an idea that Gaelscoil’s in general are superior, that hasn’t been my experience.

Bobbins

jlm29 wrote: »

We live rurally, the local school is about a 3 min drive. It’s obviously walkable, but there’s a busy busy main road, so we wouldn’t be walking it. The school bus passes our gate. The problem is that the school doesn’t start until 9.15 and has no breakfast or after school service.
So my kids (well one so far, another starting in sept) are in a Gaelscoil in a town 20 min away, because I work there (in the town, not the school).
It suits us because of circumstances, but I wouldn’t go that distance just for the sake of going to a Gaelscoil. My 8 yr old plays GAA locally, he’s always a bit on the fringes because everyone else knows each other from school, and he doesn’t. It might be his personality, and I suspect that if he was a budding GAA star, he’d find it easier to make friends in that group, but he definitely isn’t.

Saturday birthday parties are a pain in the bum- not worth coming home from the time, and a nuisance to be putting down time waiting for them to end. If you plan on having more kids, it would be far easier to be dropping to a local school (I have three kids younger than my school going child, so have spent every mat leave in my car).

That said, the school my kids are in is an ideal size- there’s 24 in his class. If he was in the local school the classes would always be split, which I feel could be a disadvantage. So there are pros and cons to every school, but I would take everything into account, don’t focus too much on sending to a Gaelscoil. I think there’s an idea that Gaelscoil’s in general are superior, that hasn’t been my experience.

Thanks JLM, yes have definitely thought about having no base while waiting either for parties or different school times. I like you have three more coming up behind. Lots to weigh up for sure!

jlm29

Bobbins wrote: »

Thanks JLM, yes have definitely thought about having no base while waiting either for parties or different school times. I like you have three more coming up behind. Lots to weigh up for sure!

Tbh, I think you’d be mad to consider a school further away If you’ve a number of children!. I’ll be back at work this sept after mat leave, so my childminder will be back on pick up duty. I’ll have three to Collect from sept at 12, 1.30 and 2.30. My mam lives near the school so I spent a lot of time hanging in her house putting down time. As I say, When I’m at work it’s grand for me, but if you’re not factoring in work I’d say 100% send to school locally unless it’s a bad school or something

hilarymcl

Have you visited both schools and got a sense of them? I know that´s difficult to do in these times. My instinct would always be to go for the one that´s nearer if you´re happy with both. Your children will have more independence, going to PT meetings, school performances etc. will be more simple and if there´s a bunch of kids from your immediate area starting at the same time you´ll naturally communicate with them and their families. It´s a tough decision but speaking as a non-sporty person who was sent to a school a longish distance from home I never managed to make friends in the local area and always ended up on buses or in cars going to play with my peers. I´d be going for the local one if you think that you children will be happy there.

Bobbins

hilarymcl wrote: »

Have you visited both schools and got a sense of them? I know that´s difficult to do in these times. My instinct would always be to go for the one that´s nearer if you´re happy with both. Your children will have more independence, going to PT meetings, school performances etc. will be more simple and if there´s a bunch of kids from your immediate area starting at the same time you´ll naturally communicate with them and their families. It´s a tough decision but speaking as a non-sporty person who was sent to a school a longish distance from home I never managed to make friends in the local area and always ended up on buses or in cars going to play with my peers. I´d be going for the local one if you think that you children will be happy there.

Thanks! Yes I have visited, whilst I definitely preferred the gaelscoil the rural one seems ok. They both have things going for them that the other lacks. You make some good points, thanks for taking the time to reply to my post.

shesty

Ours do not go to the school that others on the road go to.Our nearest school is a 5 min walk.They go to one that is a 5 min drive away, but attracts kids from around the area.There are 2 other schools in the mix, one in the main town, and one Gaelscoil that we ruled out as the road to it is very bad.

Another point.Do you know anyone going to the Gaelscoil.We are working parents, our minder does not drive.We have have had to sort out our own pick ups and drop offs.Walking is not possible, it would be a good 40 mins walk on an extremely busy road.Thankfully ours also went to a playschool that feeds into the school, so we have a bit of a support network for lifts, and we can wriggle our own hours to be able to return the favour. We have one JI, one ECCE (up near the school) and a toddler who will also go there.It has made our lives more difficult but when I think that, I also think it's their education - I have to do what is best for them, and that school is the one we were happiest with.They do activities around the town, but as there are 4 schools, none of the kids "all" know one another, and we are used to driving everywhere anyway.

My only other thought would be how is your Irish - mine is ok, but I would not be confident of helping them out as the classes get higher up the school!

Iodine1

Your kid is out of the circle and will remain so, and also during the holidays, for the next 8 years until 2nd level. Unless you have a good reason, go local. Irish is not a good reason. All schools teach Irish. Isolation with a little better Irish? I would not inflict that on any child.

jlm29

Iodine1 wrote: »

Your kid is out of the circle and will remain so, and also during the holidays, for the next 8 years until 2nd level. Unless you have a good reason, go local. Irish is not a good reason. All schools teach Irish. Isolation with a little better Irish? I would not inflict that on any child.

I don’t think it’s fair to say they’re inflicting isolation on their children. They’re inflicting hassle on themselves. Their kids will still have play dates and birthday parties and all the rest of it. The parents will just have to spend more time in the car and be a bit inconvenienced to facilitate it

heldel00

I could bring my children to my own school and it would make my life so much easier but i wouldn't do it to them.
We have had to find a new minder and my husband has had to rearrange his start time for work but i would still prefer all this to taking them away from the local school.
Your decision now will impact the next 8+ years of their life but you do seem to be mindful of this.
Best of luck.

Spring33

We had the same dilemma. After much deliberation we choose the local school and I can honestly say we do not regret it. It has been lovely feeling part of the community. It is a smaller class and they are all great friends...so far! Some of my family attend the Gaelscoil which was also influencing my decision and made it more difficult also the gaelscoil was handier for childcare but the idea of staying in the locality won out. Best of luck with whatever you decide.

byhookorbycrook

Iodine1 wrote: »

Your kid is out of the circle and will remain so, and also during the holidays, for the next 8 years until 2nd level. Unless you have a good reason, go local. Irish is not a good reason. All schools teach Irish. Isolation with a little better Irish? I would not inflict that on any child.

Technically, all schools do teach Irish , but the standard in some is , frankly , dreadful . Learning through a second language and becoming fluent at an early age has knock on benefits for children .
“ Out of the circle ?” For what , exactly ? And you use of the term “ inflict “ is somewhat melodramatic.

Bobbins

Thanks for all the replies. There is obviously arguements for both sides. They are not going to be kept in a tower in the middle of a desert so certainly saying they will be in isolation is a bit of a stretch !!

My thought is if I forego our preferred school (GS) I'm not sure what I'm expecting will happen by going to the local school given that it will be quite a small group of friends anyway.

As Hook or by crook says there are distinct educational benefits by learning in a bilingual setting so I'm wondering if that outweighs the local aspect. I suppose it's a personal thing at the end of the day. Just have to make a decision and stick with it....proving difficult!! :eek:

Millem

Bobbins wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies. There is obviously arguements for both sides. They are not going to be kept in a tower in the middle of a desert so certainly saying they will be in isolation is a bit of a stretch !!

My thought is if I forego our preferred school (GS) I'm not sure what I'm expecting will happen by going to the local school given that it will be quite a small group of friends anyway.

As Hook or by crook says there are distinct educational benefits by learning in a bilingual setting so I'm wondering if that outweighs the local aspect. I suppose it's a personal thing at the end of the day. Just have to make a decision and stick with it....proving difficult!! :eek:

Have you thought about secondary school? Maybe that might help you?

Bobbins

Thanks Millem, the local school feeds into a rural secondary school or an urban secondary. The GS into the same urban school plus another and a Gael cholaiste. They are all equi-distant from our home. The local school kids tend to split and go to both the rural and urban so it doesn't really help!! At the moment I'm veering towards GS, the local aspect plus some inconveniences re drop offs causing hesitation. Maybe I'll just flip a coin :-D

Mossie1975

In a similar position here. Living in the country and slap bang in the middle of two country schools. Since my daughter was born 5 years ago, both schools have been trying to get her enrolled (one school even sent the local PP around). We've decided on the parish school.

Bobbins

Mossie1975 wrote: »

In a similar position here. Living in the country and slap bang in the middle of two country schools. Since my daughter was born 5 years ago, both schools have been trying to get her enrolled (one school even sent the local PP around). We've decided on the parish school.

What swung it for you Mossie?

Mossie1975

Chose the school in the parish in the end. There was little between them. Both small country schools like the one I went to.

Anne_cordelia

Definitely local school. Similar choice here but after doing a couple of years in school, there is great comfort in being close to the school for lots of reasons - in case of forgetting lunches, sick kids needing to be collected etc. During lockdown we got to see school friends on walks from a social distance unlike any friends living further away. While hopefully this will never happen again, it made us realise how great it was to integrated into the local community when we were so isolated from everyone else.

dara10

For your child to be fluent in another language at no extra effort to them is priceless. You can not compare the Irish they would learn in a non-gaelscoil to the Irish they would have attending a gaelscoil. There is a huge amount of research on the benefits of immersion education for children. Your child could still have local friends from school as people travel for gaelscoils but also there is nothing to stop them joining a local club too. I wouldn't chose a school solely on location. 15 minutes away is not that far.
You can always move your child to the local school but you'd can't move them to a gaelscoil after junior infants.

Caryatnid

dara10 wrote: »

You can always move your child to the local school but you'd can't move them to a gaelscoil after junior infants.

Agree with rest of your post except this last sentence. Know loads of people who did so successfully, especially from primary to secondary. I the transition is equally as difficult, obviously you need the child's cooperation as either move involves more effort.

Bobbins

Thanks to all for your input. Decided on gaelscoil, said we'd take a chance. Seems as others suggested there are a few more children in the area going there.

Blazer

dara10 wrote: »

For your child to be fluent in another language at no extra effort to them is priceless. You can not compare the Irish they would learn in a non-gaelscoil to the Irish they would have attending a gaelscoil. There is a huge amount of research on the benefits of immersion education for children. Your child could still have local friends from school as people travel for gaelscoils but also there is nothing to stop them joining a local club too. I wouldn't chose a school solely on location. 15 minutes away is not that far.
You can always move your child to the local school but you'd can't move them to a gaelscoil after junior infants.

Except it’s Irish and a complete waste of time.
Much better learning French/German/Mandarin at that age than wasting it on an obsolete language.
Kids at primary level would soak up languages.
Every primary should be teaching one of those languages now than wasting it on Irish.

dara10

Caryatnid wrote: »

Agree with rest of your post except this last sentence. Know loads of people who did so successfully, especially from primary to secondary. I the transition is equally as difficult, obviously you need the child's cooperation as either move involves more effort.

Fair point. I haven't come across it in primaries. Some gaelscoil admissions policies state that you can only transfer if you have attended another gaelscoil.
I am aware of it occurring for secondary which has supports in place for the transition.

Bobbins best of luck to your child starting school. Delighted to hear you chose the gaelscoil.

big_drive

Local better in my opinion. Easier too possibly interms of dropping off, etc. If stuck some day easier to organise a left to/from school without putting others out.

Bear in mind too Gaelscoil doesn't suit everyone and can sometimes have negative consequnces when child reaches secondary. Would they continue to a second level Gaelscoil and complete state exams through Irish?

Slime Princess

Blazer wrote: »

Except it’s Irish and a complete waste of time.
Much better learning French/German/Mandarin at that age than wasting it on an obsolete language.
Kids at primary level would soak up languages.
Every primary should be teaching one of those languages now than wasting it on Irish.

Except its not useless, many jobs in European public institutions will count Irish as a second language when applying for jobs and will qualify candidates for opportunities that they may not have otherwise had.

I wonder what opportunity there are for irish speakers in Europe?

Sunnyspot

Sunnyspot wrote: »

I wonder what opportunity there are for irish speakers in Europe?

lots of jobs for Irish language translators


https://ec.europa.eu/ireland/news/new-jobs-for-translators-with-irish-announced-by-european-commission-in%E2%80%93ireland-and-brussels_en

Lots of jobs?

There's probably half a dozen. Translating documents no one ever reads.

ax530

in my view if there is a school in walking distance would not go any further its gets even better when child that bit older and can walk to\from school alone.
there was a change to schools in gealtacht being gealscoil few years ago so you may find that the local school has a high level of Irish and does a lot of Irish based teaching ect but is no longer classified as a gealscoil.
Over the years 4 children have moved from gaelscoil to my daughers class. I'm not sure the reasons why. See one of them walking to school now which they could not have done as the gealscoil about 6 km away.