Irish primary shcool types - which one

[TheDogAteMyHomeworkagain]

Hi there, we have a very good educate together, gaelscoil & catholic school. Kids are baptised so we have no preference religionwise & if we go for the ET there is a weekly class to prepare for communion.
Each is a short drive away so distance isn't an issue & all have good reputations.
We know the catholic school is very good at stretching more able children, our dc1 is very competent & enjoys learning immensely, we want to know are ET's known for being good at differentiating work & stretching more able students? We need to make up our minds soon.
If you have any kids in a Gaelscoil or ET can you ket me know your experiences good or bad & what school you would choose. We can't view any of the 3 schools until we have formally accepted a place & paid deposits, oversubscribed so they don't do opendays..

[mickeymebollix]

Gaelscoils are generally considered to be better than the others at least where I am. Dh & I really don't know much Irish but we put the dc in the Gaelscoil due to it's reputation & it's location. It's very middle class parents appear to be educationally ambitious. Dc are getting on great & picking up the language with ease. No experience of ET or local primary but would completely recommend a Gaelscoil. Visit to get a feel & understand the ethos as many Gaelscoileanna are Catholic run. DH & I are not religious at all & dc's school has alot more catholicism than we though it would be. Dc baptised & will be getting communion but we didn't think the influence would be so much. The dc have alot of questions!

[chartreuse]

It really varies from school to school. Having had dc at 4 different primaries, my recommendation is to meet the principal. IME that's the best indicator of what a school will be like and whether it will be the right fit for your family. We were in an amazing ET school, but the principal retired and the school went rapidly downhill under the new head. We left, as did many other families.

We have had great experiences at CofI schools also. My dd found that her CofI school was far more inclusive than the ET she had been in, which liked to talk about how inclusive it was. IME, which is in Dublin. ET schools are full of middle class, lapsed catholic, white, English speaking families who had their children's names down at birth. Whereas the local national schools tend to have much more ethnic and religious diversity. It's a bit ironic really.

[gabsdot]

My kids go to an ET. We're very happy with it. We're not Catholic and it's a very multicultural school which we like as we live in a very multicultural area.
Our school is very friendly and caring. Not all EAT schools are. We're just lucky
The GS around here is quite snobby.
It just depends on the school.

[Numbsnet]

My local gaelscoil is the same. Snobby and they don't try to hide it. Their uniform is over double the price of other schools.
I don't have a near Enough to, but the Catholic school is grand if you want GAA and preparation for sacraments taking most of every day. It also has the highest accedemic expectations of its pupils but only offers GAA as the playground and after school efforts. Not a rounded education.
The CoI takes everyone else!

[2boyz1girl]

My 3 go to the local primary, it's good, mixed & we like it. No ET together nearby but we have a Gaelscoil, it is snobby & some parents have the attitude that their children are brighter than yours seeing as their children are in a GS. Same parents wouldn't have a word of Irish either...Don't think the intake of the GS is a reflection of modern Ireland

[honeyrider]

While my local gaelscoil isn't snobby one of the attractions for parents is that it's a white school apart from 2 siblings that are adopted. Parents aren't shy about admitting that. A lot of those attending didn't get offered a place in the very large RC school over the road so ended up in the gaelscoil.

The principal and staff of the gaelscoil are very dedicated.

[junebirthdaygirl]

2boys..l have taught in many different schools in lreland mostly RC although l am not RC myself. I have never seen a school spend much time on Communion/ Confirmation. It does get a bit hectic for a few days that week but thats all so totally unecessary comment. ET schools will spend time celebrating lots of festivals so probably not much difference.
I have no great desire to support RC schools but like to be fair.

[Liadain]

It really depends on the school. Some Gaeilscoileanna have a reputation for parents selecting them to be in with a certain social group ime - fewer children with foreign parents, generally middle class, ambitious parents, often fewer children with special needs. Still, many are very good schools.

Catholic school - amount of religion done depends on the individual school ime. Some give lip service to it, some are more fervent. As so many schools are Catholic there's a huge range - yours sounds fine. As they're baptised as well, and you're happy for them to do Religion this one would be my choice. Numbsnet certainly isn't reflecting my experience as a teacher.

Educate Together - have worked in some. Ime the academic standard has not been as high as in other schools, but I balance this against the fact that they had more EAL and children with special needs. Very nice kids generally, some with discipline problems and an outspoken attitude. While I've never worked in them, I'm aware of some ETs that have social problems - parents instructing their children not to play with others of a particular ethnic background or those not among their own.

[wobblywonderwoman]

In your shoes I think I would go for the local RC school. I wouldn't want mine to learn through Irish as the Irish language (nice as it is) is not what they will need for the future at all.