There are no classroom assistants for the junior students and my child was given hand-made as opposed to computer generated or printed worksheets. Substitute teachers are not all primary trained or are Montessori trained in developing countries and only three of the classroom teachers seem familiar with the British Curriculum they are purporting to teach. The proportion of children who speak English as a Second Language seems extremely high in relation to the staff ratio and teaching resources.

The playground is in inadequately equipped and unsafe in places. Metal manhole covers protruding from the playground have been thinly covered with matting. The swings kick out directly in line with the main gate resulting in frequent collisions. It is unclear how physical education would be delivered and related objectives in the curriculum would be attained as my primary aged child was never requested to purchase swimming or a PE kit and never engaged in these activities while at the school. The only extra-curricular activity offered was Irish Dancing for the primary school aged students. I only discovered this when I met the parent who offered this class by accident as it was never publicised.

The facilities in the nursery school are fair but the staff seem poorly trained and teachers are substituted without any advice or excuse given to parents. Classroom assistants are rotated between classes without a schedule being provided. There was an overall lack of discipline and hygiene with regard to toileting. A Montessori-based program was promised but I found my child watching Barney on numerous occasions.

Any attempt to raise these issues with the school's Principal or Co-Principal was met with derision or scarcely veiled hostility. We were forced to withdraw our children from this school after two months. We have subsequently discovered that we are not the only parents to have had difficulties in dealing with the School Principal. (Continue)

Teaching, however, is good and not dependent on excellent facilities. Extra-curricular facilities are limited for the younger children but increase further up the school and there are different activities each term (some continue through the year). Activities not provided by school can sometimes be found out of school (more football, ballet, horse riding, tennis lessons etc) (Continue)

Carpe Diem; live life to the full and enjoy all the fantastic opportunities of living in another city and culture. Keep things in perspective and try not to let your pleasure be affected by the inevitable irritations of living in an unfamiliar world and the bureaucracy of another country. Of course they do things differently. (Continue)