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Eithne Shortall: A choice lesson in factors of primary importance to your child’s education

A hierarchy of desirable primary schools in Ireland exists – if only in the minds of parents, who clamour to get their kids enrolled in already over-subscribed establishments

Choosing a primary school has become a fraught process for Dublin parents

Does it really matter where you go to primary school? If you’d asked me this before I had children, I’d have said absolutely not. We live in a country where private primary schools are a rarity and most children are sent to the nearest establishment. When all primary schools are created equal, more or less, isn’t proximity as good a deciding factor as any?

I still think it doesn’t really matter where you send your ...