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Private schools in Ireland

Former headmaster of private school St Andrews College, Arthur Godsil and Managing Editor of 'Edu...
Newstalk
Newstalk

17.23 9 Jan 2019


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Private schools in Ireland

Private schools in Ireland

Newstalk
Newstalk

17.23 9 Jan 2019


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Former headmaster of private school St Andrews College, Arthur Godsil and Managing Editor of 'Education Matters', Brian Mooney joined Pat Kenny on air to discuss the differences of private and public education.

Record demand

The majority of private schools in Ireland have recently increased their fees for the first time in a number of years.

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With enrolment figures up by 25,000 it’s clear that the appetite for private education is as big as ever in Ireland.

What is the money spent on?

While the State covers the costs of private teachers' salaries at a pupil/teacher ratio of 23/1, they provide no funding for the development of the school premises.

Many of the fee-paying schools in Ireland are embarking on multi-million-euro development plans for their premises.

The private education sector is by its nature a competitive one, so investing in development plans is what can often secure one school an enrolment over their competitor.

Bang for your buck?

Godsil believes that when children are resourced effectively there is the capacity to achieve greater results, and he believes that the funding pumped into resources in private education contributes to better results.

"If you resource children, they will do better in the current system, that’s fact.” Godsill tells Pat Kenny.

Location, Location, Location

Traditionally young people who come from higher socio-economic background tend to do better in terms of education.

Brian Mooney believes fee-paying schools add little to performance, and rather that it’s based on the catchment area.

“It is to do in a sense with social class and parental expectations.” Mooney believes that having the parents on board does a lot for the results received by the students, not the fees they pay.

Listen to the full interview here:

Private schools in Ireland

00:00:00 / 00:00:00

 


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