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Primary schools in Cork City (maybe Blackrock?)

Miss Pollys Dolly

Hello,

We are moving back to Cork from abroad but need to sell our house and buy a new one so realistically won't have an address in Cork until June 2015. We hope to live in Blackrock. Our son will be due to start in Junior Infants in September 2015. We both work so would rather not add a long commute to school to busy mornings.

A couple of questions please:

1. Am I right to assume that all good primary schools are over-subscribed and our chances of getting a place that late in the year will be extremely slim?

2. In that case, I think we will have to go private. Does anyone have any views on or experience of Rockboro? It seems very convenient and we could just about manage the fees but is it a good, nurturing school and which secondary schools does it typically feed into?

3. The other option is CBC Prep School but the city centre location is very off-putting as it will mean a commute through the city by car and all the hassle that entails. Anyone with experience?

Many thanks!

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lostinsuperfunk

1. Am I right to assume that all good primary schools are over-subscribed and our chances of getting a place that late in the year will be extremely slim?

In general, no. Most schools in Cork are of a similar standard, and many, especially within the city boundaries, are undersubscribed due to the ageing population. Having said that, I don't know about the Blackrock area, apart from Crab Lane school in Ballintemple probably being oversubscribed.

2. In that case, I think we will have to go private. Does anyone have any views on or experience of Rockboro? It seems very convenient and we could just about manage the fees but is it a good, nurturing school and which secondary schools does it typically feed into?

No direct experience, but have heard good things. It would be convenient for Blackrock.

3. The other option is CBC Prep School but the city centre location is very off-putting as it will mean a commute through the city by car and all the hassle that entails. Anyone with experience?

It probably wouldn't be too bad coming from Blackrock via the South Link Road, depending on the time you need to get there.

There are other schools in the Blackrock area: Beaumont national schools, St. Michael's, Mahon Gaelscoil etc. I'd advise you to ring around.

Miss Pollys Dolly

Thank you for your reply which is really helpful and makes me feel a little less stressed about our move!

pwurple

Hey. I'm in blackrock as well, starting my little girl in junior infants Sep 2015.

Most of the applications are in process at the moment, you need to get them in before end of october. Phone each school and ask for the form to be posted. Most of them go by their critera (siblings, proximity to school etc) rather than a place on list. We were told we would be told about next years place by november.

I've gone for a scatter-bomb approach and applied to 5 schools. Here is the list of what's around the area.

Crab Lane (Ballintemple National School) Small school, mixed boys and girls, catholic.
Beaumont National School - Separate girls and boys school on one campus. Catholic.
Eglantine National School (girls) / The Boys school there is St Anthonys national school, and is generally regarded highly. Catholic. Feeder for PBS in the city. Past pupils children are given some preference here.
St Michaels National School . Very small, two teacher school on Church Road. Protestant.
Steiner Waldorf Primary School - Bessboro Mahon. Don't know if that is still running. Found it hard to get through to them.
Scoil Ursula - blackrock . Think this is girls only. catholic.
Rochestown Educate Together runs from douglas hall, which is nearby.
Rockwell you've mentioned.
St Columbus school in douglas

Miss Pollys Dolly

Thanks for the list. It sounds like there is a great choice of schools if you are in the right place at the right time which I suspect we won't. I'll ring around though as I am a terrible pessimist and there may be more options for latecomers like us than I expect!

pwurple

Miss Pollys Dolly wrote: »

Thanks for the list. It sounds like there is a great choice of schools if you are in the right place at the right time which I suspect we won't. I'll ring around though as I am a terrible pessimist and there may be more options for latecomers like us than I expect!

Have you any family/friends in blackrock who can accept post for you?

We only moved here last year, had applied using other peoples addresses. Just changed that address then when we got settled.

Miss Pollys Dolly

Thanks - that's a useful bit of advice. I have a good friend living there who might be able to help.

kooga

rockboro is an excellent school with small classes.

It has a huge geopgraphic catchment area way beyond the city.

historically many of the local children who went to rockboro go onto ashton for secondary

in addition there is our lady of lourdes (girls) and st antonys (boys) in ballinlough

Miss Pollys Dolly

Thanks Kooga. That's very reassuring as I had also posted this in Education but didn't get any replies save a PM from someone who told me that Rockboro and CBC Prep were terrible schools - unqualified teachers and no adherence to a proper curriculum. I was really disappointed as I thought that Rockboro would be a good fallback if we didn't get into a good national school (our preference).

I think I would prefer a single sex school for secondary so not really keen on Ashton but hopefully I'll have worked the system out by then!

lostinsuperfunk

The smaller schools are more likely to accept your son as they will be looking to maintain their student numbers to prevent cuts to their teaching staff.

Also if you mention you are moving to the area from abroad, I think some principals may offer a little leeway on the "locals first" policies, which don't facilitate geographic mobility. Definitely try to speak to the principals.

Miss Pollys Dolly

I will do - thanks very much.

pwurple

lostinsuperfunk wrote: »

The smaller schools are more likely to accept your son as they will be looking to maintain their student numbers to prevent cuts to their teaching staff.

Also if you mention you are moving to the area from abroad, I think some principals may offer a little leeway on the "locals first" policies, which don't facilitate geographic mobility. Definitely try to speak to the principals.

Think you're off the ball on both of those tbh. Crab lane and st michaels are the smallest, and are both way oversubscribed.

And I don't see why the principal would bend the rules for locality? They have a policy in place that they have to follow. Why would they kick out a local child who has lived nearby all their lives for someone who doesn't live there yet?

Miss Pollys Dolly

In fairness, I think pwuprle is right. It would seem unfair to give us a place when we haven't even moved there yet albeit that it does leave su in a sort of limbo. I guess I need to hope that 2010 was a quiet year in the maternity wards in Cork!

the beer revolu

I have a friend who's kids go to Rockboro and he has nothing but good things to say about it.
Regarding the fees: the fees, as far as I understand, includes everything - books, school trips, all equipment etc. So no "voluntary" contributions, no paying €100s for books, trips, art materials etc. When you factor these things in, the costs are cheaper than they seem.

Thepikapi

Trust me, rockboro isn't a good school... I went there when I was a kid and though I made good friends that was really it. Teachers were horrible, spoilt kids everywhere, it was too sheltered and there was complete voyeurism and chatter about other parents heard from the mums and dads. Even though it's a bit of a distance from blackrock there are some really good primary schools in town I.e. Educate together which gives children more freedom. Trust me, your child won't flourish or gain any good experiences from rockboro, it's really a terrible school. And the primary years are important for development and social growth which just doesn't happen in rockboro, where archaic teaching methods are still used and self expression isn't a thing that exists. Also one thing that really bugged me was that they kept calling themselves multi-denominational even though they did prayers every morning and communion/confirmation through school, they probably said it to bring in more people as they're desperate for students.

Ludo

Thepikapi wrote: »

Trust me, rockboro isn't a good school... I went there when I was a kid....

How long ago was that just so we get some idea how much weight to give your opinion?

For example, I went to Scoil Chriost Ri in Turners cross 30 years ago...fantastic school then...no bloody idea what it is like now.

54kroc

Thepikapi wrote: »

Trust me, rockboro isn't a good school... I went there when I was a kid and though I made good friends that was really it. Teachers were horrible, spoilt kids everywhere, it was too sheltered and there was complete voyeurism and chatter about other parents heard from the mums and dads. Even though it's a bit of a distance from blackrock there are some really good primary schools in town I.e. Educate together which gives children more freedom. Trust me, your child won't flourish or gain any good experiences from rockboro, it's really a terrible school. And the primary years are important for development and social growth which just doesn't happen in rockboro, where archaic teaching methods are still used and self expression isn't a thing that exists. Also one thing that really bugged me was that they kept calling themselves multi-denominational even though they did prayers every morning and communion/confirmation through school, they probably said it to bring in more people as they're desperate for students.

Have to say this is the first time I've heard or read a bad word about the school, very unusual.
I know several people who went there and have sent their own children there.
If I was nasty I'd say your full of shi*e, but I'm not, so I won't.

curly from cork

"Also one thing that really bugged me was that they kept calling themselves multi-denominational even though they did prayers every morning and communion/confirmation through school, they probably said it to bring in more people as they're desperate for students."

That's because it's multi denominational not non denominational .. My children went there and we were very happy with it , that being said it was 10 years ago .

overmantle

I would recommend contacting the schools you are interested in by email or telephone, immediately. Crab Lane & St. Anthony are the ones I would recommend in the locality you seem to prefer. I would not recommend some of the other schools mentioned here but would rather not get involved in a slating match. There are some other particularly good schools in other suburbs of Cork but if you're definite about Blackrock, then I'd try the two above. Feel free to pm me, if you wish. Best of luck with your plans.

Thepikapi

This was 6 years ago, but my brother recently finished there and I have friends who's siblings are still there. All the people who went there talk about how much we all hated it. And apparently it's still fairly shoddy. But sure it's your choice at the end of the day, just giving a view on the school from a student perspective and giving the negatives that many students felt there.

SusieBlue

My sisters kids go to the Gaelscoil in Mahon and the kids love it. Small numbers, modern facilities and close to where you plan to live. I'm a huge advocate of Gaelscoil education for primary school (secondary school is a different matter) because it teaches the language in a very natural manner in comparison to the rote learning subscribed by many English speaking primary schools. Naturally adapting to the language from a young age will make state exams much easier when they hit secondary school. Good luck with the move

WHL

Don't underestimate Cork traffic when making your decision. It can be very bad in the mornings. Somebody mentioned St Columbas in Douglas earlier in this thread. My guys go there and it is fine but I wouldn't fancy the drive there from Blackrock every morning. Stick to schools close by or on your way to work. St Anthony's is a very large school (close to a thousand pupils as far as I know) so they might be easy enough to get into

pwurple

St Anthony's drop off would melt your head too, unless you live close enough to walk/cycle! All the boys in my family went there too though, and they all enjoyed it, made lifelong friends, and did well afterwards.

Maybe try to rent/buy up near there if you want to attend that school. Ballinlough road would be handy for it.

Miss Pollys Dolly

I'd also love my kids to go to a Gaelscoil but I assume they are very popular and that they wouldn't have places if I was only applying next May / June. White Roses, are your kids' classes full or do you think they have space?

I think I need to take a morning off work and ring all these schools and find out whether they are inundated / have any room for people who are not in the catchment.

Thepikapi, your experience sounds dreadful. Thanks for being so candid.

Miss Pollys Dolly

St Anthony's sounds lovely pwurple. It seems quite a big school so maybe they will have space. I have called them but they haven't called back.

Missyelliot2

Just saw this thread and thought I'd give my (very humble) opinions and thoughts.
I'd rule out Douglas, if you're going to live in Blackrock - Douglas can be a nightmare at any time, but is especially so in the mornings.
My kids went to St. Anthonys and even though it's big - the children themselves don't feel 'lost' - the principal is very hands-on and gets to know every child by name in Junior Infants.
Good Luck with your move!

Miss Pollys Dolly

Thank you - trying to plan an international move with two kids is crazy stressful. I really hope we are doing the right thing as there will be no rowing back from this one!

Thanks for reassurance on size of St Anthony's. That was worrying me a little. Fingers crossed they will consider us even though we don't have an address in the parish.