Secondary schools Megamerge

Snowdrop

Anyone got an opinion on St Killians school in Bray?

o1s1n

Snowdrop wrote: »

Anyone got an opinion on St Killians school in Bray?

I went there myself about 7 or 8 years ago. My younger sisters are currently going into 5th year. Thought it was grand at the time, but in retrospect it wasn't. There are some really great teachers and facilities, it's just the scumbag population ruins it for everyone. I knew a lot of bright kids who didn't really reach their full potential there for some reason or another.

Lil' Smiler

Yeah I'd have to agree with the above.

I was in Loreto an ha some friends in Kilians.. actually all the guys I know are from Kilians, a lovely bunch of las, not scumbags at all. They seem to have gotten on great with the teachers an apparently the staff are brilliant!

Hmmm.... thinking about schools, i must go try have a peek at the new sports hall in Loreto..which was meant to be built when I was in 1st year... 9 years ago!!

PBB

Just to confirm what other posters have said, St Patrick's take boy to end of 1st class, where they get to move up to Cronan's (much to the girls left in Patricks delight).

St Cronan's is an excellent school, with great staff (very involved) and parent's committee structure. In addition the new school has excellent facililities.

Presentation and Brendan's are both due refurbs in the near future (with I think Brendan's due to start sooner rather than later), but apart from ageing facilities they have a good rep. Wouldn't read to much into size as a larger student body means more teachers and maybe better infrastructure over time.

Junior schools and Boy's secondary are not a problem in Bray at the moment, but I've heard Loreto has gone down hill a bit - any comments ?

Lil' Smiler

Well I found in my last year in Loreto that when there was a change in Principal that it wasn't as good. many peoplw will agree and say that the duo of mr Denny & Ms Dempsey was great. ms D has now left and I've heard it's not great, many of the older teachers, who really were great have left now too

Pigwidgeon

PBB wrote: »

but I've heard Loreto has gone down hill a bit - any comments ?

totally true, i'm going into 6th year now. Had mr denny and ms dempsey as principal and vice in first year. Mr denny left and ms donagh took over, she is absolutly useless, ms dempsey was holding it all together and she left when i was in 3rd year and mrs hunt took over as vice principal.

They are ok but the school has gone terribly down hill, they focus on the wrong things ie mainly uniform rather than the important things. Basically nobody respects them.
Also, there are a lot of teachers who aren't up to scratch (i'm not just saying this because i don't work, i have to work extremely hard on my own to get the good grades because of these teachers not being able to control the class, i even got irish grinds throughout 5th year).

Although this there are some excellent teachers in the school and the facilities are getting better, we have finally gotten a sports hall over the last year and i think we'll be using it this year. There is a lot of sports and clubs in the school which are great and there isn't (in my year anyway) much bullying and i don't think there is in other years.

foxy06

o1s1n wrote: »

I went there myself about 7 or 8 years ago. My younger sisters are currently going into 5th year. Thought it was grand at the time, but in retrospect it wasn't. There are some really great teachers and facilities, it's just the scumbag population ruins it for everyone. I knew a lot of bright kids who didn't really reach their full potential there for some reason or another.

Must have been in your year o1s1n. Left there in 2000 myself. Have to say it was a great school with teachers that would spend hours after school doing leaving cert projects with students.....often didn't leave til midnight! Very dedicated staff but like you said the scumbags ruin it for everyone else.

brayblue24

foxy06 wrote: »

Must have been in your year o1s1n. Left there in 2000 myself. Have to say it was a great school with teachers that would spend hours after school doing leaving cert projects with students.....often didn't leave til midnight! Very dedicated staff but like you said the scumbags ruin it for everyone else.

Funny, when I saw your tag I had you down for a now retired footballer trying to be cryptic (but he was playing in 2000 when you left school). I'll presume that's where you got the name though!!

Lil' Smiler

kateos2 wrote: »

totally true, i'm going into 6th year now. Had mr denny and ms dempsey as principal and vice in first year. Mr denny left and ms donagh took over, she is absolutly useless, ms dempsey was holding it all together and she left when i was in 3rd year and mrs hunt took over as vice principal.

They are ok but the school has gone terribly down hill, they focus on the wrong things ie mainly uniform rather than the important things. Basically nobody respects them.
Also, there are a lot of teachers who aren't up to scratch (i'm not just saying this because i don't work, i have to work extremely hard on my own to get the good grades because of these teachers not being able to control the class, i even got irish grinds throughout 5th year).

Although this there are some excellent teachers in the school and the facilities are getting better, we have finally gotten a sports hall over the last year and i think we'll be using it this year. There is a lot of sports and clubs in the school which are great and there isn't (in my year anyway) much bullying and i don't think there is in other years.

Ah , we posted within minutes of each other and agreed!

Don't talk to me about that bloody sports hall!! Wonder whats its like!

Yeah Ms D & Ms Hunt is not a good combo for Loreto. Problem is that they are very much focused on the sports aswell and because the years are so big.. we had 150 girls in ours, so many people don't get a look in and it's kinda sad.

In general the facilities in the schools are good. Like the rooms in the new APA are great, art room, business room, home ec & labs but by god do the prefabs and the cowshed need to be gotten rid of!

I have no major complaints from my time in Loreto, I made some brilliant friends and had some brilliant teachers but our year was so mixed aswell, in ability and personalities it wasa bit odd at times!

Pigwidgeon

yeah, well i think it's finished now so for my last year should get to use it...

there are some good teachers i'll agree but there are some bad ones who have been there for many years and i can't understand how when they have no respect. in my geography class about half the class is asleep and our teacher doesn't notice, the others are either talking or working by themselves doing there own notes. its ridiculous.
The amount of bad teachers i have out weighs the good ones.

The people in my year are great though, and i agree by how mixed they are. and i would say that one of the great things about loreto is all my friends, probably not what the best thing about a school should be.

and oh yeah Lil' Smiler, did you know they turned the locker room in the cowsheads into another class this year?! crazy!

foxy06

brayblue24 wrote: »

Funny, when I saw your tag I had you down for a now retired footballer trying to be cryptic (but he was playing in 2000 when you left school). I'll presume that's where you got the name though!!

If I was a fella I would probably know who your on about!

brayblue24

foxy06 wrote: »

If I was a fella I would probably know who your on about!

LOL Answers my question. Fair enough so.

Stephen Fox used to wear the no. 6 shirt for Bray Wanderers. Nickname Foxy. Nice coincidence though.

mikedragon32

brayblue24 wrote: »

LOL Answers my question. Fair enough so.

Stephen Fox used to wear the no. 6 shirt for Bray Wanderers. Nickname Foxy. Nice coincidence though.

... and totally off topic.

Take it to PM.

The Chessplayer

foxy06 wrote: »

No I won't be doing that Mike. I have a son in St. Kevins in Greystones now but was thinking of moving him now that we are living in Bray. St. Kevins is a great school though and I would love to leave him there but its awkward trying to organise childcare and I am going to have to do that in the coming months. So really what I was looking for was a recommmendation from parents in the area or even people that went to school in Bray.

Its primary schools I'm looking at at the moment.

I'm from Bray and I went to Kevin's. Plenty of Bray heads go there. I just got the bus like everyone else, none of this childcare codology.

foxy06

Didn't know anyone else from Bray that had a child there but you give excellent points and I will give them some very careful consideration.....my six year old loves the bus and it would be even more fun for him when he is on it alone while I'm at work:rolleyes:

The Chessplayer

Well there was a rake of us back in the day Foxy, a bus full of us. I hope Wog (Master Breen) is still teaching out there with his tin whistle, singing away.

Pigwidgeon

yeah there was a few people in my class who were from bray.
ah good old master breen making everbody sing!

Uncle Joe

I only finished secondary school a month ago and went colaiste raithin but did my last 2 years in pres,so i kinda have a insight into both....

I found pres to be a far better school.Col Raithin might have been the place back in the day but its pretty much decended into a farce..all the good teachers are leaving/left,the facilities are (and look set to remain) a shambles,NO ONE speaks Irish any more,and the atmosphere was turning abit sour when i left anyway...

Pres (while not ideal),has a very good standered of teachers,Great atmosphere,and its getting new facilities even tho its current ones are not that bad and is generally better in my opinion...

Any way thats just my experiance...

Rose 69

We have just moved to Bray and are looking for a Good Primary School for my little Girl. We have heard of Aravon and Gerards. The chances of getting into the latter....Very Difficult! Aravon is a possibility. Does anyone know of this School ? What are your views?

dreamingoak

which are good bad or indifferent for my daughter? she'll be starting in 2012

wicklaman83

in fairness 4 yrs away and asking now.a whole community could be built beside you by then with new schools in it

dreamingoak

well I've been told that i'll need to get her on the list for a secondary school now, hence the question. I had expected to send her to st. David's in greystones but they dont seem to have a great ratio of kids going to college.... I'm wondering how hard it is to get into loreto, or how the other schools are?

Lil' Smiler

Hi Dreamingoak,

There was a rather large thread on this forum about schools from Primary to Secondary but I can't seem to find it...hopefully someone else will.

If you want to get her into Loreto bray, you would probably want to do that now. Girls from St Patricks NS get priority, it acts as a feeder school. When in Patricks you are asked to apply in 4th class (correct me if i'm wrong anyone). In my days, Loreto was a decent school but in my last year the Principal changed and the majority of the people felt that the school wasn't the same. I am now gone 4 years and am still hearing this and worse.

Then there's Kilians a co-ed community school. Have had friends there who enjoyed it.

Gerards, I've just heard that it's a great school. I really don't know much about it.

I don't know much about David's in Greystones either.

In regards to Loreto Dalkey/ Foxrock, Rathdown and Holy Child. I've known people who have gone to each of the schools. They are great schools but I know that the girls find the commute tiring. Other than that I've heard nothing to knock them, like Gerards, I don't know what the fees are for these schools.

Hope that helps!

dreamingoak

I went to st davids myself as did my four brothers and t be honest we didnt really fulfill our potential there. my youngest brother was moved to the institute for his last couple of years, and has done resoundingly better than the rest of us!

I'm now considering moving her into st pats primary next year to get her into loreto. There are already 75 in our category on the list for 2012 at loreto, and they only take 50! (she's in third class now.) gerard's casts a bomb apparently, and obviously closer would be better. Are any other parents panicking about this?

Lil' Smiler

Actually, I just saw in the Bray People today that enrollment day for St P's is Monday and Tuesday next. I'm guessing that's mostly for new kids for 1st babies etc. Just thought I'd let you know anyway.

Loreto only take 50 from other schools? Yup there was 150 girls in my year, most of whom i grew up with in St P's

dreamingoak

rang them yesterday, there are 125 on the list for 2012. eek! they take 150 a year, first sisters, then st. pats, then 'others'. its up to 50 places for 'others' depending on how many places are left over from the first two categories. they definately have the best numbers of kids going on the college or university, as in most kids, maybe 80 out of 90 doing the leaving, as opposed to st davids, where less than a third go on. I'm hearing great things about davids, but the numbers speak for themselves.
I'm going to try to move her to st. pats, next year.

dreamingoak

st pats in the main street is very good, and is a feeder school into loreto which has a very good academic record.

dreamingoak

considering sending my daughter to loreto. i'd love to hear a current perspective from parents (or current students)

Pigwidgeon

i'm just in sixth year in loreto now.
there is 150 in the year, but people generally come and go over the years. back when we wanted to get in not having gone to st pat's our parents had to queue up all night to reigister us. i ended up being 18th on the waiting list and after having done the entrance exam for st. davids, got offered a place in loreto.

after first year mr denny left as principal, ms donagh took over. tbh she's a terrible principal, nobody respects her and she and the vice principal focus on the wrong things ie uniforms.
there are some good teachers in the school but a lot are very old fashioned and out dated, i have out of 7 teachers 3 who i feel are very good the rest are terrible.

however the school is still good. in comparison to others. the sports facilities are great, astro turf with floodlights and a brand new sports hall with if the rumours are true a gym, it's almost finished now i think. there is brilliant choices for extra curricular activities, a drama club, hockey, table tennis, basketball, soccer, gaelic, peace and justice, amnesty international and i'm sure there's much more i'm forgetting. there is great atmosphere in the school and in my year there has been some bitchiness but by fourth and fifth year we have all became close as a group.

if there's anything you want to know i'm sure i can help you out, having experienced a lot of the stuff that goes on in the school.

The Chessplayer

Rose 69 wrote: »

We have just moved to Bray and are looking for a Good Primary School for my little Girl. We have heard of Aravon and Gerards. The chances of getting into the latter....Very Difficult! Aravon is a possibility. Does anyone know of this School ? What are your views?

Chris de Burgh went to school there. It's a haven for West Brits. They even play cricket there. Gerrards would probably be a safer bet if you have to go private.