Schooling; the Bantry Estate Agent's School of Thought
As an estate agent in Bantry and a parent, I am very often asked about the whole schooling scene in the locality by newcomers to the area.
Choosing the right school is very much a personal choice. There are a number of elements to consider, depending on one’s own personal views, the type of environment one wants and the ages of one’s children.
Starting with playschools, there is now a very good choice. They’re all privately run or run as a sort-of local co-op (as in the case of the one in Durrus, for example). In any case, there’s a good choice of professionally-run and quite inexpensive places in Bantry. Most of the surrounding villages now have a playschool as well, through either private or co-op style response to the needs of people in these areas.
There are 4 primary schools in Bantry. The main one is St. Finbarr’s Primary School, Bantry. This is the largest, but not very big if you’re coming from a larger settlement yourself. It’s very well run and class sizes tend to be around 20-30 pupils. After that, there’s the convent (which handles children up 1st-class level, after which they go to the main primary school). Then, there’s the Gaelscoil. This is an Irish-speaking school and all lessons are through Gaelic. No matter what the background of the children, they pick up the language easily. A very dynamic place, they kids here also learn Spanish and French. Very good, although some may feel that the work load is a just a tad too much for young ones.
St. Brendan’s National School is located at the opposite end of Wolfe Tone Square from our Bantry Estate Agent’s office. Schools in Ireland are generally designated along religious lines and this one is the Church of Ireland school. That said, nowadays most classes in Catholic and Protestant schools are mixed. A smaller school, it has nice class sizes and a very good reputation.
After that, there are a number of country and village schools that are very popular not only because the numbers of residents in the immediate area are strong, but also because a lot of people who might have been brought up in these areas like the idea of a small country school. There’s a lot to be said for such schools. The class sizes are small and everyone knows each other, so there is no room for messing in class and the teacher is easily on top of any situation.
In Bantry, there are 2 secondary schools that serve the surrounding area and there are buses to take children to the school (once you’re not too isolated). These 2 are due to amalgamate into one large and very well-equipped entity within the next couple of years. The other main choice that people go for around here is to send their children to school in Schull. It has a good reputation and there is also sailing on the curriculum, which is a big draw. That said, it’s likely that the new large secondary school in Bantry will be able to match them on that one.
Harringtons – Estate Agents Bantry – 027 51553
Specialising in West Cork Property in Bantry, Glengarriff, Beara, Sheeps Head and surrounding areas
