Information about over-subscription of Limerick secondary schools

stuckintipp · 03-11-2019 7:33pm

https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/new-limerick-secondary-school-to-install-gender-neutral-toilets-961522.html

Educate Together making their pitch for students.

Anyone know how they are doing in the old Salesian Building. Are they getting many R1 applications?

Lobsterlady · 04-11-2019 1:42am

stuckintipp wrote: »

https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/new-limerick-secondary-school-to-install-gender-neutral-toilets-961522.html

Educate Together making their pitch for students.

Anyone know how they are doing in the old Salesian Building. Are they getting many R1 applications?

I was a bit annoyed that their main 'pitch' and headline in the Limerick Leader for their new school is gender neutral toilets....I mean glad their going with the times...but isn't there so much more to education and what they can offer, than the loos that cover all bases?. Crikey at the end of the day, we all have to go to the loo, why oh why is it such a big deal if you have to go to the boys or girls. Why does this headline above all the other facilities it will offer?

What is an R1 by the way?

Mango Joe · 04-11-2019 12:27pm

Educate Together Secondary School had a car crash of an open night and failed to impress on every level (Last years was supposed to have been similar)

The Principal really annoyed me by announcing they were the best secondary school in Limerick and they firmly believe this....The reality is that they're only around for about 10 seconds in the historical timeline of education in Limerick and managed to get themselves set up in a completely different catchment area to the Educate Together Primary school which was nothing short of asinine.

The fact is its easy to be all talk and tell everyone you're progressive and keen to try new and innovative approaches.....But you need to support and direct that through intelligence, a proper approach, dedication and hard work....... This remains very much to be seen.

The Educate Together ethos needs to be supported and maintained.... In my experience the majority of Teachers interview for open positions based on whether they fancy a nice new job or not and really couldn't give a damn otherwise so this ethos can then go out the windows shortly after.

Lobsterlady I presume R1 = Round 1 of offers?

Eoinbmw · 04-11-2019 9:18pm

Lobsterlady wrote: »

I was a bit annoyed that their main 'pitch' and headline in the Limerick Leader for their new school is gender neutral toilets....I mean glad their going with the times...but isn't there so much more to education and what they can offer, than the loos that cover all bases?. Crikey at the end of the day, we all have to go to the loo, why oh why is it such a big deal if you have to go to the boys or girls. Why does this headline above all the other facilities it will offer?

What is an R1 by the way?

It would 100% rule out me sending my daughters to that school!

martyc5674 · 04-11-2019 11:53pm

Lobsterlady wrote: »

I was a bit annoyed that their main 'pitch' and headline in the Limerick Leader for their new school is gender neutral toilets....

In fairness that was more headline grabbing by the media than anything else.
I don’t think ET we’re using this as some kind of leverage, in fact given how conservative this country is I think it would likely have the opposite effect.

Lobsterlady · 05-11-2019 12:44am

martyc5674 wrote: »

In fairness that was more headline grabbing by the media than anything else.
I don’t think ET we’re using this as some kind of leverage, in fact given how conservative this country is I think it would likely have the opposite effect.

Yes very true Martyc, it was just headline grabbing and probably wouldn't have been ET's choice for a headline. I too think that a lot of parents would be put off by the idea of shared toilets, but I'm guessing there will also be just boys and girls toilets too? I'd have been mortified as a teen girl knowing there could be a lad in the toilet next to me:-)

I do wish them the best though as Castletroy badly needs another secondary school, Castletroy College is bursting at the seams. But like any school, it will take a while to get established and their ethos wouldn't be for everyone.

iguana · 05-11-2019 12:45am

Eoinbmw wrote: »

It would 100% rule out me sending my daughters to that school!

It depends on the toilet set up itself surely. If all of the toilets are separate small rooms, with full doors and walls and self-contained sinks in each room, accessed off a main corridor, then it makes sense for them to be for anyone. If it's a toilet block like a standard ladies toilet block, ie a large room with a row of sinks opposite a row of cubicles, then I think it potentially leads to a lot of discomfort and embarrassment for many students of both genders. As the gender neutral toilets are being mentioned in articles about the architectural plans for the school then hopefully it's the latter. If not, then yes I could see more students and their families, especially female students, seeing the toilets as a major negative aspect of the school rather than a positive.

iguana · 05-11-2019 12:49am

Lobsterlady wrote: »

I do wish them the best though as Castletroy badly needs another secondary school, Castletroy College is bursting at the seams.

Small point but the school is going to be in Ballysimon more so than Castletroy.

Lobsterlady · 05-11-2019 1:18am

iguana wrote: »

Small point but the school is going to be in Ballysimon more so than Castletroy.

True that is the Ballysimon area. It will be a majority of the Castletroy primary schools that will feed into it (Monaleen, Milford), and probably also Lisnagry, and Ahane. It'll probably at first get filled by 2nd and 3rd choices on the CAS forms. Not sure what other primary's are nearby- there are a few small ones on the Dublin Road up near the parkway.

iguana · 05-11-2019 9:19am

Lobsterlady wrote: »

True that is the Ballysimon area. It will be a majority of the Castletroy primary schools that will feed into it (Monaleen, Milford), and probably also Lisnagry, and Ahane. It'll probably at first get filled by 2nd and 3rd choices on the CAS forms. Not sure what other primary's are nearby- there are a few small ones on the Dublin Road up near the parkway.

In terms of geography, St Brigids is the nearest primary pretty much just on the other end of Bloodmill Rd from the site. It's hardly a small school with roughly 560 pupils. St Patricks Boys and Girls, are the two on the Dublin Rd. Le Cheile in Roxboro is probably as near if not nearer than the Castletroy schools. I was at the public meetings when the schools in Mungret and Castletroy were being planned and the demand for an ET was huge. Kids from the School Project and Mungret ET will overwhelmingly apply to the ET. The fact that the Ballysimon location is more accessible from the city, will make it easier for people who already commute from all over to take their kids to the ET primary schools.

It was also obvious as all hell from day one of the public meetings, that the department was going to give Mungret to the ETB and Castletroy to ET as Castletroy College was already under the patronage of the ETB. The location of the feeder primary schools was clearly an utter irrelevance to the Dept. They had two new schools and two groups applying to be patron of both. The easiest answer was going to be to give them one each but not have the two ETB schools be local to each other.

thesimpsons · 05-11-2019 5:38pm

I recently had to made a dropoff at UL for 8.30am and came back along Grody Road towards Northern Trust. Traffic was horrendous along Groody road, Ballysimon Road and the exit from the motorway. I'd imagine adding in 1000 pupils is only going to escalate the traffic problem.

Eire-Dearg · 05-11-2019 6:26pm

This is going to cause unimaginable problems to traffic in the mornings, adding another few hundred cards plus buses and pedestrian traffic to an already busy roundabout.

They've already had to create a slip road from the Groody Road onto the Ballysimon sliproad which relieved a lot of pressure in the evenings, but morning times have become very busy and traffic is often at a standstill heading from the traffic lights at the top of the hill towards the roundabout, between city traffic, UL traffic plus Northern Trust. Those lights are also a haven for incidents and bang-ups nearly once a week. Unless they can magically create some slip road or ramp for NT/school traffic, or divert traffic to UL elsewhere, it is going to be a massive problem during the school year.

iguana · 05-11-2019 10:03pm

thesimpsons wrote: »

I recently had to made a dropoff at UL for 8.30am and came back along Grody Road towards Northern Trust. Traffic was horrendous along Groody road, Ballysimon Road and the exit from the motorway. I'd imagine adding in 1000 pupils is only going to escalate the traffic problem.

There is a plan to make Bloodmill Rd the main school road and the move the Bloodmill Rd exit further up Groody Rd, to the second roundabout rather than the Ballysimon Roundabout it currently comes to. There is a housing development planned on Bloodmill Rd too.

Jane98 · 12-01-2020 12:09am

Anyone got a child in 6th class waiting on news of a secondary school place?

Where did you apply to and why and are you hopeful?

topcat72 · 29-01-2020 9:09pm

Our eldest got into the Gaelcholaiste, thank feck . Delighted, it was a stressful enough time.
A general observation that we could use more co-ed schools in the city. Too many single sex schools.

stuckintipp · 30-01-2020 11:18am

topcat72 wrote: »

Our eldest got into the Gaelcholaiste, thank feck . Delighted, it was a stressful enough time.
A general observation that er could use more co-ed schools in the city. Too many single sex schools.

Off the top of my head, approx intake numbers;

Mixed
Crescent 200
Castletroy 200
Educate together 60
Thomond 120
Croom 140
Pallaskenry 80
GCL 160
Mungret 120

Single boys
ASR 160
St Munchins 120
St Clements 100
CBS 60

Single Girls
LH Irish 60
LH 100
Pres 70

If i've forgotten any school or the numbers are off feel free to contradict.

Burning Eclipse · 30-01-2020 12:47pm

stuckintipp wrote: »

Off the top of my head, approx intake numbers;

Mixed
Crescent 200
Castletroy 200
Educate together 60
Thomond 120
Croom 140
Pallaskenry 80
GCL 160
Mungret 120

Single boys
ASR 160
St Munchins 120
St Clements 100
CBC 60

Single Girls
LH Irish 60
LH 100
Pres 70

If i've forgotten any school or the numbers are off feel free to contradict.

Villiers, which is mixed and take approx 80-90.

banie01 · 30-01-2020 1:47pm

ASR is 125 split into 5 classes afaik.

OfTheMarsWongs · 30-01-2020 2:35pm

Ardscoil Mhuire took 60+ last year (I think). Don’t recall the exact number.

topcat72 · 30-01-2020 5:16pm

The following might be useful for anyone goung through this next year - of the two 6th classes in our primary school ( a class of 21 and a class of 26, boys and girls ) only 1 of them didnt get their first choice - ( which was Ardscoil Rís, he got offered Clements his no 2 choice instead) . This was a very good % - and came despite a lot of warnings from schools about oversubscription this year ( due somewhat of a bulge in numbers ) We even got an additional letter from the Gaelcholaiste warning us that applicants would not get in , etc, to allow us to change if we wanted ( which we didnt obviously, as its within walking distance of home) .
The system, while fair , is a bit daunting. But perhaps, like the CAO there is no better system currently.

topcat72 · 30-01-2020 5:21pm

stuckintipp wrote: »

Off the top of my head, approx intake numbers;

Mixed
Crescent 200
Castletroy 200
Educate together 60
Thomond 120
Croom 140
Pallaskenry 80
GCL 160
Mungret 120

Single boys
ASR 160
St Munchins 120
St Clements 100
CBS 60

Single Girls
LH Irish 60
LH 100
Pres 70

If i've forgotten any school or the numbers are off feel free to contradict.

Exclude Croom and Pallaskenry if you live in the city. Exclude others is you live on one side of the city or the other - i.e commute from Mungret to Castletroy ( & vice versa) or similar is not too do-able ( easily) in the morning before work. I live in Corbally, the two closest schools ( both good) are St Mary's Ardscoil Mhuire and Munchins - both single sex. No help if you have boys and girls in the family as we do.
Ardscoil Mhuire at their meeting told us approx 110 girls this year

stuckintipp · 31-01-2020 1:25pm

topcat72 wrote: »

Exclude Croom and Pallaskenry if you live in the city. Exclude others is you live on one side of the city or the other - i.e commute from Mungret to Castletroy ( & vice versa) or similar is not too do-able ( easily) in the morning before work. I live in Corbally, the two closest schools ( both good) are St Mary's Ardscoil Mhuire and Munchins - both single sex. No help if you have boys and girls in the family as we do.
Ardscoil Mhuire at their meeting told us approx 110 girls this year

I included Croom and Pallaskenry as both are on the Common Application System and city students attend these schools. There is a bus to Croom that picks up at Corbally and Parkway. The numbers going to Pallaskenry have dropped due to the opening of Mungret and Educate Together but never the less it is an option for children at that side of the city.

ABlur · 10-02-2021 1:03am

Has anyone successfully appealed to the schools where they didnt receive their first choice? Son got fifth choice here very disappointed.. Would have been nice to be notified by the No. 1 choice school that he had no chance as the No. 2 would have accepted him if he changed his application.

banie01 · 10-02-2021 1:17pm

ABlur wrote: »

Has anyone successfully appealed to the schools where they didnt receive their first choice? Son got fifth choice here very disappointed.. Would have been nice to be notified by the No. 1 choice school that he had no chance as the No. 2 would have accepted him if he changed his application.

An appeal will only be successful if the 1st choice school didn't fairly apply their selection procedures.
The selection for each school are lain out and if you can determine that they were not applied fairly, then yes you have a grounds to appeal.

Otherwise, no there is nothing for you to appeal other than being disappointed with the outcome.

I am sorry your son didn't get his 1st choice.
The system tries to balance supply and demand and every year there are children left disappointed.
It is the reason why when matching your application to any school as 1st choice is vital to take into account the schools admission policy and any right of entry a student may be able to take advantage of.

tweek84 · 10-02-2021 1:51pm

ABlur wrote: »

Has anyone successfully appealed to the schools where they didnt receive their first choice? Son got fifth choice here very disappointed.. Would have been nice to be notified by the No. 1 choice school that he had no chance as the No. 2 would have accepted him if he changed his application.

You must be devastated with the news of 5th choice, hopefully there is some appeals process that can be followed.

Pallaskenry has an intake of 120 students afaik

Bicyclette · 10-02-2021 1:58pm

Contact both schools and ask to be put on a waiting list immediately. Tell them how much your son would like to attend and give evidence of how good a student he is.

Things change. Some people apply to private schools as well (e.g Glenstal etc) which are not on the Common Application Form and others may move house etc.

stuckintipp · 10-02-2021 4:55pm

ABlur wrote: »

Has anyone successfully appealed to the schools where they didnt receive their first choice? Son got fifth choice here very disappointed.. Would have been nice to be notified by the No. 1 choice school that he had no chance as the No. 2 would have accepted him if he changed his application.

This is tough, sorry to hear. The appeal system does work, most times however it is from students from Disadvantaged areas who manage to get free Legal aid and know the loopholes in system. If you pay a good enough Solicitor with the knowledge you're chances get better....

Is your 5th choice school really that unsuitable, kids are very adaptable and most settle into new surroundings?

ABlur · 10-02-2021 10:22pm

Thanks to all who commented lots of food for thought there. As someone who works in a part of the civil service where we have an appeals system. I wondered if having a system for the sake of having it occurs in the Dept of Education as well. As regards right of entry, despite the fact that I've lived in Limerick for 26 years my son has no immediate right to a school as both of us are 'blow ins'. He has to compete for whatever is left over, there were 50 such places available in the school, our neighbour's children were getting into this school in the last 2 years so we chanced it. There is nothing wrong with his fifth choice but it would be first choice if we wanted it but we don't. We wanted him relatively local and as an only child maybe in a school with a few friends. A co - ed school would be nice too. We will try the formal appeal route but I'd imagine the school solicitors have passed the entrance requirements as water tight so I don't hold out much hope there. We will try to get him on a few waiting lists locally and if all fails he can look for a transfer next year. Theres probably a system for that too that's watertight!

banie01 · 10-02-2021 10:46pm

@Ablur there is an appeals system, I have engaged with it in support of a few people previously.

Appeals to the system are so far as I know (it's been over 8yrs since my last interactions) appeals can only be made on grounds that criteria were applied incorrectly.
It's very much a procedural approach that requires an appellant to show they were treated in a manner at odds with the application process lain out in the CAS form and on each school's admissions policy.

The advice offered to canvas some of your son's higher choices is good.
Often some places aren't accepted and are left to a wait list, be sure you are on those.

The other piece of advice I'd offer is whatever happens, be sure to let your son know that whatever school he ends up in that it's an opportunity to make friends.
The start of secondary school can be scary, especially when it's all so new and big.
Kids go from being at the top of the pile in primary, to being the smallest kids in the big new school.
Help him treat that as an opportunity rather than as something to fear.

I really do hope that a more suitable/convenient school place becomes available for him.
Good luck

17-08-2021 3:56pm

Hi all, I know this is an old thread but I have a son going into sixth class and I really think he is more suited to Limerick educate together secondary school. It's not in our catchment area. The secondary school that is in our area is an all boys school. He gets bullied by local boys as is as he is a very clever child and I suppose his peers see him as a bit different. I am so anxious about the common application system, I have been through it with my daughter but I really think my son would be much more suited to LETS, I would hate for him to go to the local secondary and be bullied as he is by the local lads as is and have to try and change schools once he is already in one school! Anyone have any luck with schools outside their catchment area? I know a lot of the schools considered 'better' are over subscribed. Thanks in advance for your help and advice.

Information about over-subscription of Limerick secondary schools

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