Returning to Galway - older primary age kids

[anomum123]

Doing some very initial investigations about moving back to Galway. We have 3 kids - 2 9 year olds and 1 7 year old. I’ve been gone for so long I’m looking for some advice.
I know there is huge pressure for primary schools at present and does anyone know which ones in Galway are considered nice/good. Obviously an all Irish school is out. But more to the point how likely is it to get places in one of these given that we are joining in 2nd and 4th class... Or would the kids just end up in whatever school has places even if it’s not close by where we live?
Please any advice appreciated, especially from anyone who has moved back from
UK to Galway city with slightly older kids.

What part of Galway City are you planning on moving to? Sometimes it's easier to get older children into a school than into Junior Infants.

Ideally I’d like to move to salthill/Kingston area but it would be school dependent... as ideally want to walk to school.

I'm from Galway so I'll ask my sisters for their recommendations.

@honeyrider that would be amazing. As it seems you have to contact each school independently but have no idea which schools would be ones you’d want your kids to go too.

Ag that age you'll need to think about secondary schools also

@Pastasau have secondary schools changed their admissions process or do your still register names at birth? I was hoping you just applied the year before they are due to attend, is that not the case?

I have four children and in 6th class they started to get letters sent home about various secondary schools open evenings and their names were put down at this point. All of them got their first choice.

Just done the secondary admissions process for our DD, you put their name down the year before now and it's enrolment policy (eg children of past students etc) and then the rest by lottery. Everyone applies for lots of schools and the schools work through the waiting lists, but one recent improvement is they make you sign a statement of where you have accepted a place so no one can hold multiple places. We were super lucky to get our first choice for DD.

There is a small all irish school in the area, Scoil Fhursa, it's very in demand but I've been seeing them build a big extension so maybe that means more places?

Then there's Gaelscoil Mhic Amhlaigh in Knocknacarra, a bit further than a walk probably but I've known a lot of people send their kids there & rate it very high. It's quite big I think and kids there generally go on to the Coláiste Coiribe.

Or if the irish is very important to you, you could look at living along the coast a bit in Barna or Spiddal?

I would not put a fourth class child into a Gaelscoil when they have no experience of Gaeilge. All lessons in Gaeilge (except English) and expected to read to a 4th class level as Gaeilge. Changing schools and country would mean big changes but to put them in a school where they wouldn’t know the language of instruction would be very tough at that age. Different at an infant level.

Yes there is no way Gaelscoil is an option!

The way the system works you really have to get on the phone and ring the schools you'd be interested in. You have to work on a school by school basis. School secretaries will have a very good feel for waiting lists and the regularity with which children leave making places available. The bigger the school the more likely you are to get lucky. Even in an urban environment can have everything from 2 classes to a teacher through to 4 or 5 classes per year. Get your name down as a first step.

@anomum123

Yes there is no way Gaelscoil is an option!

Oh I’m so glad, I think it was mentioned further up the thread. It would just be too tricky for them. Though they won’t get a Gaeilge exemption I’m afraid but I’m sure they’ll be fine after a bit.

I'd hire a grinds teacher to get them up to speed in Irish. Particularly the 4th class students. Learn conversational phrases, basic vocab etc - I can give you a list of things if you like. It will give them a lot of confidence in it. You could teach it yourself but maybe it's easier to hand that job over to someone else.