Primary Schools - City East

Light2010

Hi everyone,

My oldest child will be starting primary school in September this year. However, although I've lived in Galway for almost 15 years, I don't know anything about the local primary schools and would appreciate any advice and/or feedback on schools on the east side of Galway city.

Could anyone give some personal feedback on Briarhill N.S., Scoil Caitriona or Scoil Dara National Schools in Renmore?

Thank you.

LadyMayBelle

I have some experience with all three, but first things first; they are all fairly busy and choc a block with lots of kids having their names down since they were 1/2 years, especially Gael Scoil Dara.

What sort of things are important for you in your child's education? Academic-focus being heavy, a good anti-bullying policy, extra curricular activities etc? I know your little one is only starting in Junior infants but theses things are good to figure out..Also remember Gael Scoil Dara is no uniforms and is an all-irish speaking school, and Briarhill has brand new classrooms and Scoil Cathriona is undergoing work too which should be done come September...

Light2010

Thank you for your reply, Ladypennyworth.

All of the things you mentioned, academic-focus, good anti-bullying policy and extra currricular activities (music, drama, sport, etc.), are important, together with good facilities, a happy/caring environment, good teachers and a great head person, not too big of class sizes, place to play outdoors, etc. I would prefer somewhere with a uniform but it wouldn't be a priority.

You mentioned Scoil Dara as being particularly popular. Why is this? Is it because it has the attributes above? I realise it is Irish speaking and my own level of Irish is not great but everyone tells me that won't matter. I wonder is that true.

What about Briarhill? I heard it was a great school but that is now has become overgrown. And Scoil Caitriona? What's is like?

unJustMary

From what I've heard, it's not about where YOU want your child to go, it's about where might actually have a place available. You're a long, long way behind in sorting out enrolment, so may not have many choices available to you.

Start contacting all of 'em, ASAP!

ErnieBert

Schools have a recruitment policy with stipulations regarding:
*you live in the parish/catchment area
*either parent is a past pupil
*the child already has a sibling in the school

The only rule that has changed is religion.

I'd go with whatever is nearest - you kids would have friends in their neighborhood.

unJustMary - did you get locked out of your old account?

LadyMayBelle

I agree with (un)justMary about the fact it's a bit late to pick and choose but I have PMed you if that's okay regarding Gael Scoil Dara and Scoil Cathriona

kraggy

Scoil Chaitriona has a good, positive learning atmosphere. It's Band 2 Deis which means its class sizes would be slightly smaller than mainstream schools. It's very well organised there and it also has a uniform.

Scoil Dara is a Gaeilscoil as you know. Don't worry about not having too much Gaeilge yourself. Children are sponges and your child will soak in both languages as he/she grows up.

Personally, if I had a child starting school in next couple of years, I would definitely send them to a Gaeilscoil as the immersion in Irish is hugely beneficial to the longterm education of a child in so many ways. Not just the fact that children in Gaelscoileanna will perform better in Gaeilge exams, but also the fact that students who sit their Leaving Cert exams as Gaeilge, they get extra marks. At least they did until recently anyway. Furthermore, it can be advantageous to be able to speak Gaeilge proficiently when applying for certain jobs. And last, but not least, it's very important and, well, nice, to be able to speak your native language.

But if you can't get your child in to Scoil Dara, you can take it from me that Scoil Chaitriona is a very good school also.

LadyMayBelle

Many parents think that by sending their child to a Gael Scoil they will increase their learning oportunities/more points in the LC etc, However there is currently only one Irish secondary school in the city. I know there were plans to expand but someone may have info on this. In my secondary school alone 4 girls came from an Irish primary but couldnt get into a secondary.

As I have mentioned before, be sure and check out anti-bullying policies and procedures as these things sometimes slip under the carpet, and bullying (particulary emotional and psychological) is rampant in many primary schools and goes unnoticed very often.

Coláiste na Coiribe has said it is holding back the number of new students it is accepting as its new building in not going ahead at the moment.

Also the new school would be on the opposite side of the city to the OP.

unJustMary

Deleted User wrote: »

unJustMary - did you get locked out of your old account?

No longer have access to the email account that I signed up with. Or possible just nfi what account I used, if it's not the one I think it was.

I'm not alone in this plight, and the Boards-Gods are apparently considering what can be done. But I don't hold out much hope, so I decided to be blatant about signing up with a new name to post some stuff that was clearly useful to the community ... never thought to try putting brackets in it!.

I've posted enough to get the thanks-button back,now I just need to get my count up to 25 so I can have a .sig too!

?Cee?view

LadyPennyworth wrote: »

MHowever there is currently only one Irish secondary school in the city. I know there were plans to expand but someone may have info on this.

Colaiste Iognáid still has an Irish stream, although granted it's on the West side of the City.

Light2010

Thanks for all your replies, especially Lady Pennyworth and Kraggy.

My husband would be happy to send our child to Gael Scoil Dara and believes I'm thinking about this too much but I have reservations, mainly ... my poor Irish, the absence of a uniform there, the school building itself, not knowing the advantages/disadvantages of going to a Gael Scoil, not knowing enough about the teachers, the school’s educational results, its anti-bullying policy, its extra-curricular activities, etc., etc.

I would have the same questions with regard to Scoil Caitriona and Briarhill N.S., (leaving out the uniform and Irish bit of course as they both have a uniform and don’t teach through Irish).

At this point, I’m not interested in sending my child to an Irish speaking secondary school. However, I wonder how does it impact on a child going from an Irish speaking primary school into an English speaking secondary school??

I would love to hear from anyone with children going to any of these schools with first-hand experience of the good and the bad.

Sponge Bob

Deleted User wrote: »

Coláiste na Coiribe has said it is holding back the number of new students it is accepting as its new building in not going ahead at the moment.

That policy only applies east of the Corrib. Colaiste na Coiribe is recruiting entirely to the west now and the only qualification required is a DNC. Ask anybody in Moycullen if they have stopped recruiting

kraggy

Sponge Bob wrote: »

That policy only applies east of the Corrib. Colaiste na Coiribe is recruiting entirely to the west now and the only qualification required is a DNC. Ask anybody in Moycullen if they have stopped recruiting

Are you sure? It was in the paper a while back that the school has filled all of its places right up until the year 2018 or 2020. They can't restrict enrollment from one particular side of the city. It's discrimination.

OP, my best friend went to Scoil Dara for primary and then with me to St Mary's for secondary. St Mary's teach through English but he was way ahead of most people when it came to Gaeilge as he had been immersed in it during Primary School. He was top of the class right up to Leaving Cert. It's undoubtedly a benefit. Like I said, I know tons of parents whose kids go to Scoil Dara but they don't have much Irish themselves.

It's definitely a good school. As is Scoil Chaitriona. Building-wise, they're very similar though Scoil Chaitriona is in the process of being rebuilt. Scoil Dara's play area is much better however as there is a proper playground, basketball court and playing fields right outside the back. Scoil Chaitriona just have a yard.

Whatever else, don't be put off by the fact you don't have much Irish yourself. It's almost an non-issue.

But if for some reason you really don't want Scoil Dara, then rest assured Scoil Chaitriona is a good school too.

Sponge Bob

kraggy wrote: »

Are you sure? It was in the paper a while back that the school has filled all of its places right up until the year 2018 or 2020. They can't restrict enrollment from one particular side of the city. It's discrimination.

They seemingly want to move west and need to 'prove' there is demand out west so a simple way to do that is tell scoil dara that they are full and to accept each and every application from out west including well outside the city vec area.

Scoil Dara and Scoil Chaitríona are good schools, always were. The one near Briarhill is Carnmore School which also has a good reputation. I am shocked at how late the OP is leaving it though.

Of course Colaiste na Coiribe was offered the site in Newcastle where Educate Together has since built ...certainly over 10 years ago...and they refused it outright so I have no sympathy for them.

Had they accepted the site when they were offered it in the 1990s they would have been the only secondary school in Newcastle and the thing would have been built years ago.

If the school is full and oversubscribed like they say then why were they handing out application forms to sixth class kids including my nephew, in Barna, since christmas ???

I even know a parent out Moycullen direction who signed their sprog up last year and now they are getting regular begging letters for money.

The child is under 3 years old

Light2010

Thanks very much for that, Kraggy. Re-assuring to know my own poor level of Irish wouldn't impact on my child's learning. By the sounds of it, both schools have their pros and cons. Just have to weigh them up. Wish me luck!! Thanks again.

Sponge Bob

Your main problem then is that you cannot help your kids with their homework if they go to scoil dara.

LadyMayBelle

Just after reading the initial few posts and nowhere has the OP indicated that she hasn't got her child's name down in the schools she has mentioned, she seems to just want to find out info about them. I know in my house we had a family members name down in two different schools when she was 2years old and then made a decision the year she started.

The homework thing as gaeilge can be difficult if the child struggles with some aspects of work, that is for sure. Sometimes the school offers classes for parents but it isn't always practical to attend these.

Oh, just a note on SpongeBob's post; the school near Briarhill is Briarhill national school, the Carnmore national school is another ten minutes out the road..

Light2010

Just want to reassure all of those who have expressed concern that I've left it so late ... my child has been on the enrolment list for each of the schools for some time. However, I don't know enough about any of the schools and am trying to find out some more before making a final decision which of course totally depends on getting an offer of a place. But anyway, that's why I'm here looking for help!! All advice and feedback is and will be greatly appreciated.

unJustMary

Light2010 wrote: »

Just want to reassure all of those who have expressed concern that I've left it so late ... my child has been on the enrolment list for each of the schools for some time.

Very glad to hear it!

TBH, if I had a child in this country, whether in a gaelscoil or not, I'd be making it my business to learn as much Irish as they were learning. When they get to be a teenager, it's far too risky if they can have conversations (phone, email, etc) that you can't understand.

You might try the Galway section of rollercoaster and/or mykidstime, there may be more parents hanging out over there.

unJustMary

kraggy wrote: »

They can't restrict enrollment from one particular side of the city. It's discrimination.

It's perfectly legal to discriminate on the basis of address.

Might get murky if someone could prove that this was just a smokescreen for discrimination on the basis of something else like ethnicity or MOTC), but there are Eastern Europeans, Africans and Travellers living both east and west, so it's not that.

It's totally mad that any secondary school on the East of the city 1) enrols students from the other side of the Corrib, and 2) should even be allowed to consider moving to the west side itself.

Light2010

Okay unJustMary ... thanks for opinions and suggestions. Take care.

kraggy

unJustMary wrote: »

It's perfectly legal to discriminate on the basis of address.

Since when?

Edit: Just found the article that I was sure I had read last year.

Confirms that they (Colaist na Coiribe) are booked out for enrollment til 2017.

http://www.galwaynews.ie/10258-school-closes-applicants-until-2017

Light2010

Hi Kraggy, Spongebob & unJustMary, thanks for your messages about Colaiste na Coiribe. Could you perhaps start a new Forum on it where you could discuss it yourselves and perhaps get the information you want from others at the same time.

I was really hoping to just find out about Primary Schools on the east side of the city for now. Thanks again.

gaeilgegrinds1

As a secondary school teacher, no difficulties when students go to a Gaelscoil and then English secondary, obviously a huge advantage! Get onto the schools and see where there are openings, there may not be as much in the way of choice then.

Light2010

gaeilgegrinds1 wrote: »

As a secondary school teacher, no difficulties when students go to a Gaelscoil and then English secondary, obviously a huge advantage! Get onto the schools and see where there are openings, there may not be as much in the way of choice then.

Hi gaeilgegrinds1, thanks for that re. children going from Gaelscoil to English secondary. It's good to know.

As I said, my child's name is down on the various schools' lists but it doesn't guarantee a place in any of them. I'm not from Galway and don't know anything about the local schools. I'm just trying to find out more about them and the experiences people have to help with the decision when there is a place offer (normally around May).

Light2010

Hi a123, just found your message in my e-mail notifications. For some reason it doesn't show up on the boards or in Private Messages. I'm probably not au fait enough with all the workings of this yet! Thanks a million for your feedback.

bonzodog2

unJustMary wrote: »

Might get murky if someone could prove that this was just a smokescreen for discrimination on the basis of something else like ethnicity or MOTC), but there are Eastern Europeans, Africans and Travellers living both east and west, so it's not that.

MOTC ? Que ?

membership of the travelling community

I think this is the term used in equality laws.

bonzodog2

Ah of course. Google pointed me to a couple of acronym sites, but that's obviously a more local thing !