Guardian Angels vs Holly Park vs Carysfort

In The Conversation

I am gathering info on these schools to help decide where (which parish) our home search should be focused on.

Any pros /cons people can identify with these schools. E.g. facilities, after school clubs, early morning drop off options etc.

Thanks

ted1

How old are the kids ? Just cause you are from the parish it doesn’t mean that you will get in

In The Conversation

They are still not school age. Eldest will be starting junior infants in 2019.

ted1

Enrol then now!! Plenty of schools have names down for kids starting in 2022. And those lists are full.

Larbre34

Contact all of them, today. If you get one offer you'll be blessed.

Millem

I think hollypark only enroll the year before.
I would say guardian angels is the easiest in terms of parking (drop offs etc).

In The Conversation

Thanks for the info so far.

All 3 of these schools tell me they only accept applications the September before the child starts school. And the primary criteria is whether you live in the parish. Therefore the old "get their names down early" doesn't apply.

So as I understand it, your best chance is just to make sure you are living in the appropriate parish for your preferred school on the September before they start school.

NutmegGirl

It can also depend on how close in the parish you are, if you're on the boundary with another parish and they have their quota filled you won't get offered a place. I have heard anecdotally that some oversubscribed national schools have redrawn their boundaries recently.
Also even though people say you're entitled to a place automatically once you live in the parish in pratice this isn't true. This may be true down the country where there is only one school available. In Dublin there are lots of schools close by but maybe not in the parish.
I recently had checked to see about a place for one of these schools, we live in the parish, my next door neighbours go to the school, and I was told the particular year was full and there were schools available in the next parish. Prob equidistant from my house to both schools. I susbsequently got offered a place about six months later which I didn't take as had got sorted earlier but telling them I lived in the parish got me nowhere.
It will also depend on the child's DOB
Most schools have a cutoff date, e.g. For my eldest two kids it was 4 before the end of March the year they were due to start, should check what their policy is on this

Millem

What month was your eldest born? The reason I ask is I know they had to offer places on birthdays. The last week in January was the cut off a couple of years ago. This was before the extra ecce year though so maybe this has changed things!

Carysfort is mixed as is guardian angels.

NutmegGirl

End of January
the youngest in her class had their birthday around paddys day and the eldest was April the previous year
The only exception was an Irish girl who came from Australia and was put in the academic year that matched where she came from but she was outside the date cutoff, think her birthday was June/July

NutmegGirl

Sorry meant to add not sure do all schools in an area coordinate their cutoffs
They may well do
A few years ago a school that my eldest moved to changed their cutoff date to match up with the other schools in the area, went from 4 by the end of march to the end of June and about 7/8 kids were subsequently offered place for junior infants that year later than everyone else.

bullpost

Thumbs up for Guardian Angels. Great school . No negatives that I can think of.