DCC School Return Date

[Sydney]

Anyone know when DCC are back after the summer?
I need to travel at end of August but can't figure out if kids can come too.

[Scarlett]

Unfortunately this school continues to disappoint me. I have phoned them to ask them this very question and, unbelievably they weren't able to tell me- this is in the last 2 weeks.
Also their website is useless and needs updating- its supposedly a technologically advanced school.
Anyone know if the principal who left after one school year is coming back or must we wait until he arrives before we know??
This school showed such promise but I think it is lost, lacking vision and definitely does not care about its students.

[Sydney]

David McCormack the acting VicePrincipal has left.

So far as I know, Anthony Creevey is returning in September. So Marion Flynn will go back to VP.

I just wish I knew when the return date is. It's frustrating not to be able to plan.

[mirror]

Yes, I was trying to squeeze in a break before my children go back to school and can't find the return date.While we are on the subject,does anyone know when we can find out what books are needed and when they can be bought on the wiggle website.

[Wolf J Flywheel]

Hey Sidney, my advice is to go travelling without the kids. If they're big enough to be in DCC they're big enough to look after themselves

[blowin1]

We still havent got booklists for our kids (non ipad years)....anybody else got theirs ? left message on school answering machine.

[Derek]

The school hasn't issued their Summer exam reports yet either. There's a lot of disgruntled kids out there at the mo...

[Sydney]

Part of my annoyance stems from the fact that the 3rdY/TY students made their subject choices for 5thY back in April. Still no word as to whether they've got the subjects they requested!

I assume it'll come with the reports but will there be anyone in DCC to deal with the fallout from those who don't get their choices...?

[micropoodle]

the more i hear about this school the more i worry for my kids starting there within the next couple of years. ive registered them for other schools also.

i'm not one to believe or to judge a place purely on what I read online, so I will be talking to parents in person when the time comes, but this sort of basic stuff mentioned here in this thread, if true, shows a complete lack of organisation within the school.

this, on top of the 'terrible' results mentioned, again on here, last year, are putting me off.
though, i don't know whether those results were simply because it was the first year of leaving cert, or for another reason.

[diggerbarnes]

Were those results statistics ever updated?

[mirror]

It's an absolute disgrace that here we are nearly going into July and we haven't received a school report, nothing on what books are needed and we don't know when are children are due to return.

[jack white]

This is pretty much standard practice in secondary schools.

One of my kids is in a secondary school outside Donabate and we're still waiting for the school report. It usually comes around the end of June and it has the date of return on it.

[Sydney]

http://www.donabatecc.ie/academic-year-2015-2016/

The website was updated today!

[blowin1]

I know the website was updated last week, but postman has been & gone & still no booklists or reports, anybody else out there get theirs ?

[gandalf the grey]

Students from balbriggan only got reports on Friday and heard some of dcc have been delivered today, so I think we were expecting reports too early. The leaving cert / student college places results were updated on the school website ages ago , can't remember exact facts but I felt they had replied to queries about statistics well. And we need to remember no school is perfect and we really are too quick to slate it without knowing all the facts. We already lost one principal that we shouldn't have ! So before we go all out and run it into the ground remember this parish was without a secondary school for a long time , it's up to us all to make it work.

[Awny]

Hi - I'm looking for some advice. My child is due to start at Donabate Community College this August, however when I read the results from last year I put his/her name down for other schools. My child has just received a place in another school and I don't know what to do. I've heard nothing but bad things about Donabate but I know that there is a new Board of Management and people are hoping for change this year. Wondering should I take the place in the other school. Any advice?

[blowin1]

Hi - I'm looking for some advice. My child is due to start at Donabate Community College this August, however when I read the results from last year I put his/her name down for other schools. My child has just received a place in another school and I don't know what to do. I've heard nothing but bad things about Donabate but I know that there is a new Board of Management and people are hoping for change this year. Wondering should I take the place in the other school. Any advice?

I have kids in the school and overall I'm very happy with it. One of them has just done the leaving cert there and I was amazed at the support that they got during the whole of 6th year, for example my child's maths teacher came in over the Easter Holidays to give free Maths grinds and Mrs Flynn suggested that they go down to the school the day before the leaving started to find where their alloted desk/room was - this was a great suggestion & alleviated stress in our house. I think it is widely acknowledged that the initial results from DCC were incorrect as regards where the pupils ending up going to Uni etc & the school addressed this issue. Obviously it is 4 weeks to go till my childs results are out so we'll have to wait and see what the story is this year !

There is no such thing as a perfect school, even in the private sector and I think part of the problem is that Donabate in real terms is very small, so any negative issues that do arise from time to time seems to grow wings and people do love to gossip. Many months ago, the 6th Year Parents were invited to a CAO presentation and I was surprised at the low turnout, and some time later I nearly fell over when I heard a parent complain that she had'nt been rung in person to inform her of the CAO closing date !!!

You have to do what you think is right for your child, but I loved the fact that all my children are educated locally & were able to go to any after school activities and we didnt have the angst of a daily commute.

[Sydney]

I have kids in the school and overall I'm very happy with it. One of them has just done the leaving cert there and I was amazed at the support that they got during the whole of 6th year, for example my child's maths teacher came in over the Easter Holidays to give free Maths grinds and Mrs Flynn suggested that they go down to the school the day before the leaving started to find where their alloted desk/room was - this was a great suggestion & alleviated stress in our house. I think it is widely acknowledged that the initial results from DCC were incorrect as regards where the pupils ending up going to Uni etc & the school addressed this issue. Obviously it is 4 weeks to go till my childs results are out so we'll have to wait and see what the story is this year !

There is no such thing as a perfect school, even in the private sector and I think part of the problem is that Donabate in real terms is very small, so any negative issues that do arise from time to time seems to grow wings and people do love to gossip. Many months ago, the 6th Year Parents were invited to a CAO presentation and I was surprised at the low turnout, and some time later I nearly fell over when I heard a parent complain that she had'nt been rung in person to inform her of the CAO closing date !!!

You have to do what you think is right for your child, but I loved the fact that all my children are educated locally & were able to go to any after school activities and we didnt have the angst of a daily commute.

I'll agree with Blowin1 on this. I mightn't like everything they do. My main gripe is the lack of communication but at the end of the day, I'm keeping my children at the school. It has state of the art facilities & is local; most of the teachers are good and seem to care about the kids.
Communication is poor - that's a fact. We don't even know if Anthony Creevey is coming back in August!?!

[donabate100]

Hi - I'm looking for some advice. My child is due to start at Donabate Community College this August, however when I read the results from last year I put his/her name down for other schools. My child has just received a place in another school and I don't know what to do. I've heard nothing but bad things about Donabate but I know that there is a new Board of Management and people are hoping for change this year. Wondering should I take the place in the other school. Any advice?

My advice to you as a parent of two kids in the school is to keep your options opened. The results were terrible last year, I know plenty people will tell you that what was in the papers was wrong, they might have being out by a percentage point or two but they were still terrible. Communications with parents does not exist in the school and the attitude is take it or leave it. I would agree for the most part the teachers do their best, but the school lacks a culture of learning, values seem to be elsewhere. I am delighted that we eventually got our secondary school in Donabate, but it has lost its way. My advice is don't make up your mind until the last moment.

[dccclassof2014]

As one of the supposed students who got terrible results last year!!! I beg to differ - me and my immediate DCC classof2014 colleagues got very good LC results and the course we worked and hoped for. We have now finished 1st year in college,sat and passed our exams and are looking forward to 2nd year of college - we are not idiots or wasters. Some of my year mates chose not to go any further with their education - their choice no-one elses, some found the course they chose wasn't for them - again this happens - not the schools fault. I still have a sibling in the school. Yes things may have changed in the last two years but when the school lost an excellent driven principal that was bound to happen. A bit of leadership stability is needed. I'm glad I got the opportunity to go to school locally and was not like so many of my older pals who had to leave the parish to go to Malahide/Portmarnock, jammed on a train, in the dark on cold winter mornings and arriving home late in the evening. I have to travel by train to college now and appreciate the benefit of attending the local school. My sibling is facing into LC now (they did very well in their Junior Cert). They get encouragement and support from their teachers. Maybe my family are lucky with their experience of the school but as most of the comments abt DCC are negative I thought I would give you our positive experience. Hope it helps with your decision.

[1stimer]

Wouldn't be needed for a few years but has anyone any advice about which other secondary schools to apply to as backups? As we're now out of the catchment areas for Malahide and portmarnock is there any point applying to then? Thanks in advance.

[mammyagain]

1stimer, if you have girls you can try Loreto Balbriggan. I tried Malahide and Portmarnock for my son but was told no as we now have our own school now.That was 4 years ago it may have changed since so make a phone call they do pick up their phones

I found our children leaving the parish for secondary school to be a very positive experience some what expensive with train fares after the age of 16 but they made friends from all over the nth county and had a great education and reached all their goals and more.I think it made them a lot more independent and responsible and social.

[1stimer]

1stimer, if you have girls you can try Loreto Balbriggan. I tried Malahide and Portmarnock for my son but was told no as we now have our own school now.That was 4 years ago it may have changed since so make a phone call they do pick up their phones

I found our children leaving the parish for secondary school to be a very positive experience some what expensive with train fares after the age of 16 but they made friends from all over the nth county and had a great education and reached all their goals and more.I think it made them a lot more independent and responsible and social.

Thanks so much mammyagain: two boys here so will be giving Malahide and Portmarnock a buzz for some info. Appreciate it - my niece goes to Loreto in Balbriggan and loves it.

[Awny]

Thanks to all those who replied. I guess there's mixed feeling out there but was good to hear other's opinions.