Good schools in and near Limerick

13-12-2018 11:55am #1

Hi,

I am moving to the area of Limerick with husband and 2 children - we haven’t decided which town/village to move to, as our primary priority is for the kids to go to the best possible school (I’m starting uni in Limerick in September and feel super guilty dragging the kids away from their home in London, so keen to at least give them the best option for schooling). My daughter is primary aged and my son is going to be 3 by then- so for him it’s provably nursery for a year and then school.

Best school for me would be one that provides a good selection of after school clubs, ideally wrap around care, strong pastoral care, nurturing environment and academically outstanding. I know it’s a lot to ask for but hopefully we can find one that ticks most of the boxes.
My kids don’t speak Gaelic so it would probably be best for them to go to a school with English as the main language of education- although I wouldn’t mind them being exposed to and learning some Gaelic.

As I have no friends, family or acquaintances in the area, I have very little knowledge of the schools. I would be very grateful for any recommendations.

Thank you!

Moonbeam · 13-12-2018 1:15pm

Have a look in Monaleen,the area is nice,lots of nice houses and it is very near the university. There is also a good primary school there and you are near good secondary schools.

byhookorbycrook · 14-12-2018 12:44am

Irish schools don't generally do "wrap around care." You'd probably need to find a creche for more extended care before and after school.

15-12-2018 10:47am

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

Irish schools don't generally do "wrap around care." You'd probably need to find a creche for more extended care before and after school.

Thank you!
Is a crèche specifically for school aged children? Would I be able to find a crèche in every town/village where there’s a primary school? And is it easy/competitive to get a space?

Ideally what I would like is for my son who will be 3 by the time we move to go to the same nursery/pre-school that provides before/after school care for my daughter. Are there childcare places that would offer this? Also, would they do drop off to and pick up from school?

Apologies for the loads of questions- I just have very limited idea about options in Ireland and specially around Limerick.

15-12-2018 10:51am

Moonbeam wrote: »

Have a look in Monaleen,the area is nice,lots of nice houses and it is very near the university. There is also a good primary school there and you are near good secondary schools.

Thank you for the info. I’ve looked up Monaleen and it does look nice, although ideally I was hopping for a location that’s a bit bigger and offers more options for going out, etc. Someone suggested Castletroy- what’s your experience with it?
Also, regarding the primary schools in Monaleen and Castletroy- is it very competitive to get a space? We will not be moving until August and as we won’t have an Irish address to provide until that point, we can’t apply to the school sooner. Do you think this might be a problem?

osarusan · 15-12-2018 10:57am

As somebody else posted, Irish schools don't really do 'wrap around care'.

Scoil Ide in Corbally is a good school with some afterschool stuff, plenty of creches in the area, and convenient to UL, if you are willing to cycle.

Not that convenient for the city centre because of the traffic though, so it depends on where your husband will need to be.

Also bear in mind that some of the better schools here are oversubscribed and that your lack of history with a particular school (none of your family ever went to that school) means you'd be a bit lower down the list.

Depending on how long you plan to stay in Ireland, you can consider which location would get you automatic entry to the better secondary schools.

15-12-2018 11:35am

osarusan wrote: »

As somebody else posted, Irish schools don't really do 'wrap around care'.

Scoil Ide in Corbally is a good school with some afterschool stuff, plenty of creches in the area, and convenient to UL, if you are willing to cycle.

Not that convenient for the city centre because of the traffic though, so it depends on where your husband will need to be.

Also bear in mind that some of the better schools here are oversubscribed and that your lack of history with a particular school (none of your family ever went to that school) means you'd be a bit lower down the list.

Depending on how long you plan to stay in Ireland, you can consider which location would get you automatic entry to the better secondary schools.

Thanks a lot for the info! I’ll look into the school. I will need to inquire about the application in more detail as we will only be able to apply in August and the deadline for higher classes seems to be June.
What is the class called that my daughter would enter if she has turned 6 years old? In the UK it’s year 2, but not sure in Ireland.
Regarding difficulty getting a space- do you think it’s the same if the child is trying to enter the upper classes?
Is Corbally a nice area to live?

We are only planning to live in Ireland for 4 years, so secondary school is not a consideration according to our plan. Although of course we might fall in love with the area and then one never knows.

osarusan · 16-12-2018 11:11am

Mummyoftwo2 wrote: »

Thanks a lot for the info! I’ll look into the school. I will need to inquire about the application in more detail as we will only be able to apply in August and the deadline for higher classes seems to be June.
What is the class called that my daughter would enter if she has turned 6 years old? In the UK it’s year 2, but not sure in Ireland.
Regarding difficulty getting a space- do you think it’s the same if the child is trying to enter the upper classes?
Is Corbally a nice area to live?

We are only planning to live in Ireland for 4 years, so secondary school is not a consideration according to our plan. Although of course we might fall in love with the area and then one never knows.

I think that age would be called 'senior infants' - the first year of school being called junior infants.

Trying to put a child into the school after junior infants is different alright. Even if it is oversubscribed at junior infant level, those who don't get in obviously go to other schools, and if any children leave the school, places might become available.

Corbally is a nice area to live, but so is Monaleen, Castletroy, and other places, even places outside that side of the city, like Annacotty or Castleconnell. Don't settle on a place yet, do a bit of research. I would get in contact with the principals of potential schools as soon as possible, to enquire about available spaces.

Check out a website like daft.ie for houses and flats, if you haven't already, to get some idea of different areas.

Moonbeam · 17-12-2018 11:19pm

Monaleen and Castletroy are beside each other,there are alot of students in Castletroy and some badly build student estates.
You need to ring the schools and ask for enrollment forms,you can apply to any number of schools .
All schools have separate enrollment criteria and some use catchment area ,some do not.
Check out the schools websites too.

Broadly speaking kids start school here after 4.5/5,so a 6 year old would be in senior infants.

Good schools in and near Limerick

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