Coláiste Bríde,
Clondalkin, Dublin, Ireland
Presentation to
A Case Study In Using
Neighbourhood Census Of
Population Data As A Tool
For School Planning
Marie-Thérèse Kilmartin, Principal
Sorcha Lowry, Past-Pupil
Profile
Students
 Over 900 Students
 39 Nationalities
 93 International Students
 122 Students with Special Education
Needs
Staff
 70+ Teaching Staff
 6 Special Needs Assistants
 Mixed Age Profile
Profile
 Girls only Catholic Secondary School
 Founded in 1955 by the Presentation
Sisters
 New building officially opened May 2008
 State-of-the-Art, modern facilities
The 5 Year Plan –
Inspiration & Influences
 Autumn 2009 – brand new school
 Self-Evaluation Theme – DES Inspectorate
 Evaluate what has been achieved
 What needs to be done next – vision
 Heard about VEC using Census data re
planning for a new school in Adamstown
 Discovered the range of Census data available
at neighbourhood level
 5 Year strategic plan for the school – “Our
School - Mapping our Future”
3 Strand Approach
1. Census neighbourhood data
2. School designed questionnaire to survey
school community
 Pupils
 Parents
 School Staff
3. Workshop in November 2009
with representatives of the
whole school community
Producing “Our School
- Mapping our Future”
 Sorcha assembled full report on strands 1 & 2
 Analysis of Census data for catchment area of
school
 Analysis of questionnaires filled out by
Pupils
Parents
and School staff
 Analysis of school community meeting by
school administration
 All 3 strands were brought together in the full
report “Our School - Mapping our Future”
Methodology
Methodology –
Retrieving Census Data
Defining Our Catchment Area
Forecasting Enrolment Numbers
The age data on female’s
under 18 in 2006, suggest
that Coláiste Bride should
experience
an increase in demand for
places in 2014 and 2015
and
a considerable decrease in
2012
Nationalities & Ethnic Groups
More culturally diverse and
less racially and ethnically
homogenous than the
national rate.
Profile of Family Unit
Higher proportion of cohabiting couples with children,
lone mothers with children
and lone fathers with children than the State
PC Ownership & Internet Connectivity
Higher rate of PC ownership, internet access and broadband connectivity
than the State average but lower than that of South Dublin
Educational Profile Females’ Highest
Level of Education
Females of the catchment area rank well below the State and South Dublin
in terms of 3rd level education
Socio-Economic Group of Reference
Person
For both males and females, higher proportion of non-manual, skilled manual and semi-skilled
workers and lower proportion of professional workers than the State by a half
Socio- Economic Profile Females’
Occupations
Lower percentage of female professional workers compared to the State, by almost a half
Uses of the Data - Enrolment
 Predict
enrolment trends
 Based on Census 2006; significant
dip predicted for 2011
 However school intake is currently
increasing each year
 Shows school is desirable
 Good for staff and student morale
Uses of the Data - Polish students
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Polish predominant EU grouping in the
catchment area
Applied to Dept of Education for teaching
hours in Polish
Able to prepare school students for
Leaving Cert in Polish
First school in the country to do this
Uses of the Data - Third level

Census analysis shows lower levels of Third Level
Education in the catchment area
 Many of our pupils are first generation attendees
at Third Level
 School decided to build models of women
achieving
 Held inaugural careers night in November 2010
 50 past pupils who have gone on to further
education/training attended
 Spoke with senior pupils and their parents
 Raises awareness among staff also
Uses of the Data - Lone Parents
 Census analysis shows higher
proportion of Lone Parents
 School has used this information to
offer a large number of Rainbow groups
– Rainbows is a programme which
support students in loss, separation and
bereavement
 Parents and staff are trained to run
these programmes
Department of Education Feedback

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School and report on RTE news last October
for World Statistics Day
Phone calls from staff in Dept of Education
asking … is the Census data free?
… is it easily accessible?
Whole school evaluation by DES in January
2011
“Our School – Mapping our Future” sets out
the school’s priorities for development”
“The process review was excellent in that its
evidential based included baseline statistical
data, including population data and surveys
of the partners….”
Other Uses of “Our School Mapping our Future” in our school
 ICT Planning in the school
 Development of the Website as a
communication tool with parents and
students
 Awareness of cultural diversity
permeates all school planning
 Strong community links
 Used in Staff Planning
Conclusions
 Was this a useful exercise? YES! Most
definitely
 Can other schools replicate this?
Yes!
 BUT – perhaps a “How to guide” on the
website for school planners?
 Project for Transition Year; link to
Project Maths (Statistics)?
 Presentation by CSO to school principal
networks at primary and post-primary
level and to ASTI, TUI & INTO
conferences
Thank you for your
attention.
Any Questions?