Enrollling in a school - private or public - in Dublin, Limerick and other spots throughout Ireland is not just a matter
of showing up at the door. Many schools in Dublin have a waiting list. Even
the public schools. This is particularly true in the suburbs with reasonably
affordable housing. And if the local school doesn't have room for you, tough!
They don't have to take you. Que sera sera, and sayonara, baby.
I know
a couple who returned from Australia and tried to enroll their son in any
of 4 area schools near where they are living. So sorry, no places available.
They eventually enrollled him in Naas, an hour's drive away, where they were
planning to move in a few months anyway.
The System
The system in operation is this: Each school
sets up its own enrollment policy. The publicly funded schools have to take
children up to their enrollment limit which is based on the number of teachers
in the school. . But, if the school is just about filled to capacity priority
is given to children living within the school's catchment area, particularly
those with brothers and sisters already enrollled in the school. Then various
other factors like the age of the applicant figure into the calculations.
For example, a 4 year old would usually have a lower priority than a five
year old.
Waiting lists are established for those who
cannot be accommodated, and as space opens up, the children on the waiting
list are called in order. Generally, at the beginning of the school year (September),
all applicants are accommodated. The problem really comes when kids move into
the area during the middle of the school year. Then, if a school is full up,
your child might not be allowed to enroll.
Throughout most of the country, this bit of
arcane education policy is of purely academic interest. But, in the fast growing
suburbs of Dublin, this enrollment policy is suddenly a hot issue. Many schools
are bursting at the seams, and students are indeed turned away when they show
up in the middle of the year.
School Lists
On the following pages, the
addresses, postal zone, and phone numbers of all Dublin area
primary schools are listed. These lists are long and, unfortunately,
consume several dozen kilobytes each.
If you're planning a move to Dublin, and know
the area where you'll be moving, you might want to contact the local schools.
If needs be, get on their waiting list. If you're coming over for a visit
before the actual move, make sure that a visit to local schools is on your
list of things to do.
If you'd prefer to wait until you're in-country
and know exactly where you'll be living, be sure to talk to your new neighbours
and get their school recommendations. Print off the list for your local area,
and contact the schools to check out their enrollment situation. If you have
school age kids, make this a high priority item.
I know this sounds crazy that you should even
have to worry about such a thing, and the vast majority of you won't have
a bother. But, just in case you end up in an area where the school enrollment
is closed, this early warning might save you untold aggravation.
Enrollling in a school - private or public - in Dublin, Limerick and other spots throughout Ireland is not just a matter
of showing up at the door. Many schools in Dublin have a waiting list. Even
the public schools. This is particularly true in the suburbs with reasonably
affordable housing. And if the local school doesn't have room for you, tough!
They don't have to take you. Que sera sera, and sayonara, baby.
