Newpark comprehensive - dyslexia

[TheBrightBear]

Does anyone have experience of Newpark Comprehensive for dyslexia? I've heard it's good for needs but not sure if that is more for behavioural things like ASD.
I've heard mixed things eg the discipline is not so good.
I'm not keen on there being no uniform either.
It's a long way from where we live but if good for dyslexia we would consider it.

My dc went to Newpark, two of them have dyslexia. They are very experienced and very good at teaching dyslexic students. It's definitely worth considering. There are a lot of ASD children too, it's a very inclusive school, and everyone benefits from the diversity.

A lot of pupils travel a distance to get there, I can think of classmates from Inchicore, Crumlin, and Wicklow town, although the majority are fairly local.

There is a uniform up to TY. We never encountered any issues with discipline.

The school has changed a lot since the new building was completed. IMO it has become a lot more conventional middle class rather than arty And 'alternative' as it was 15/20 years ago. 15 plus pupils went to Trinity from the class of 23, and none to NCAD which is a complete turnaround from 10 years ago.

My ds went there but it was some years ago so might not be relevant. He is dyslexic but didn't get a huge amount of help, the school attracts a lot of children with SEN as the school is renowned for its resource dept, but we were told that they only have the time/budget to help the pupils who are in the bottom 10%, which didn't include my ds. He had a language exemption but due to timetable restraints they couldn't offer him alternative subjects apart from LCVP, so he only ended up doing 5 subjects plus lcvp, which wasn't accepted as a subject by any of the colleges he was interested in. My dd who is also dyslexic is 2 years younger and went to an all girls very academic school, her experience was the polar opposite of his. In her school the resource dept was not over stretched and they had lots of alternative subjects so she did the full 8 subjects for the leaving and got into a good college. So in my limited experience a more academic school was a better option.

Thanks so much, interesting to hear.
Was your daughter's school private?

Thank you, interesting to hear about the change in school culture

Yes my dds school is private, but not particularly renowned for resource/learning support. In my small sample of my family and some close friends the more academic schools have less strain on their resources as they don't tend to attract a lot of students with SEN. It was actually the lack of subject options/time table restraints that was most frustrating for my ds, he had at least one usually 2 free periods a day as they couldn't offer an alternative subject at that time which was such a waste of time. If they have sorted their time table restraints out it is a nice school and tbf he was happy there.

Thanks so much. It is hard to know what to do. Fees for private schools keep going up and we are wondering is it worth it if the children aren't very sporty or academic. But interesting to hear about subject choice. I'd already noticed that a lot of non fee paying schools don't have Spanish which is meant to be a good option for dyslexic students.

I have 2 here at the moment. One has dyslexia but not enough for exemptions and she is managing very well and doesn't need support. So I cant answer if they are good in that area. Havent heard any complaints from parents who I loosely know that do have kids.

Its very inclusive and no one bats an eyelid at having an SNA with them etc. Although its not overrun. Its mixed ability classes then the core subjects in 2nd year go higher or lower. Older one is doing very well academically. Younger one has just started. Discipline is good. Uniform as mentioned up thread up finishes after 3rd year. Great for sensory as is just a tshirt, hoodie and anything within reason on your bottom half.

There is no Spanish only French and German. Loads of non sport activities. Drama, tons of lunchtime clubs, chess, dungeons and dragons, debating, all sorts. They have swimming slots which my younger goes to.

We were undecided between there and Wesley but like you the fees so we decided no fees and pump money into grinds instead as they are average students. I went to private school and needed grinds. But this was our reasoning.

Loads of kids from around the area now but a good few from Bray, Wicklow, city centre, all over really. The bus routes from Bray and Wicklow have recently changed so check your area to make sure its easy.

Overall very happy but I get how tough the decision is. You never know if grass is greener! Weigh up the travel time for him, I think that's important

I can't understand why they don't offer Spanish, parents were begging them to do so years ago. Can you say roughly where you live op? Someone on here might have recommendations nearer your area.

Dundrum....the dundrum road side.
Yes it's strange about Spanish. When my child was diagnosed one of the first things I started to hear was make sure they can do Spanish in secondary school! But only the fee paying schools seem to offer it!

That sounds great. The fees are getting so high for the private schools.

My two were well under the 10th centile so got a lot of extra help, they both progressed to university, one to study English. I know it's much trickier if they are above that marker. Mine were eligible to use laptops in school and exams, a waiver for spelling and grammar, extra time in State exams, someone to read the exam questions to them, etc

I would proceed with caution re private schools. I have dyslexic nieces and nephews who have a very mixed experience at Dublin private schools, one in particular was dreadful. A lot are very upfront that they don't want children who will skew their league table of exam results, 'We think your child would be better suited to a different type of school' that kind of thing!

Also we were advised to go for German, I was told it was the easiest for dyslexia as it tends to follow logical rules of grammar, verb conjugation etc

I the end both had an Irish and foreign language exemption

Thanks. I didn't realise you can get a foreign language exemption....seems hard these days to even get the Irish exemption.
I heard various things about private schools. Some good some not so good.

Did you get tutors etc for them? Or just good learning support in school? Impressive that one went on to study English.

What class is your child in now? If you can afford private you may get more support for dyslexia, Rathdown or St Gerard would be good option. Rathdown now co-ed.

The English student, now graduate, was lucky to be very motivated, he had lots of learning support and a really good English and history teacher who encouraged and supported him.

He got into college via the DARE scheme which is for students with a diagnosis and allows them entry into courses with lower points, generally 20-30% below the CAO level. Once you're in the University there are lots of supports and technology to help. I know other dyslexic students who got into university via FETAC courses. Access to third level has improved a lot recently.

At your stage I would really read up on concessions available for your ds, the Dyslexia Association should be able to help there. I think the Department's attitude has improved a lot over the last decade, it used to be awful. Every time DC were progressing from primary to secondary, from JC to LC they were looking for Ed Psychologist reports, which inevitably said exactly the same as the previous ones, and cost €500/600 a pop. Now I think once you have a diagnosis they recognise that it's not going to change.

Whichever school you are considering ask to talk to the Learning Support department. As I said, rather bizarrely, my dc were lucky to be (well) below the 10th centile, so learning support was a given, but it's trickier if they are over the 10th centile and still need support but you might find yourself fighting for it.

My dd is in 5th year now with dyslexia and Irish exemption. They have been able to tweak timetable so she has 7 subjects and doesn't need to do LCVP.

Op I have two there one with dyslexia and a third starting next year also with dyslexia. I find they have catered very well to my child and in comparison to some friends with dyslexic children in fee paying schools a lot better. Their subject choice for leaving cert is fantastic 38 subjects to choose from and they bend over backwards to accommodate everyone as much as possible. Don't want to be too outing so pm if you want further information.

I’ve had three children attend Newpark, and while our experiences have varied over the years, I believe it’s important to share a balanced perspective.
Under the previous leadership of the former principal and one in particular deputy principal, the school thrived, and my eldest had a fantastic experience. The leadership created a positive and structured environment, which made a significant difference in their time there.
However, for my second child, the experience was less positive. They left in fifth year due to limited subject choices and growing concerns about student behaviour. While I’ve seen claims about the wide range of subjects offered, we didn’t find the options as extensive as suggested. More critically, there were ongoing behaviour issues among certain groups, particularly some involved in a specific sport. Unfortunately, these issues weren’t adequately addressed beyond general reminders about kindness. This created an unsafe environment for my child, which ultimately led us to make the difficult decision to move them elsewhere.
As for my youngest, they are still enrolled but will be leaving after this academic year. They’ve faced similar challenges, including insufficient support for their additional needs. While I understand that resources are stretched, it’s disheartening to see those needs not being fully met.
In my view, Newpark was once a great school, but there’s now a concerning trend of behavioural issues being overlooked and ignored. While there are still many positives about the school, such as some teachers and the facilities, I hope leadership takes more proactive steps to address these challenges.