Stepaside Educate Together Secondary School Ballyogan Road, County Dublin D18 VEA0

"Great school. Very inclusive. It has gone leaps and bounds since early days. Soon they will have a new building to."

"Been hesitant to write a review on SETSS, however, after most recent event on 14/2 involving the Deputy Principal, & Principal who enables his behavior, it’s time to publicly address the dysfunction of a school that’s expected to be progressive. Have two children attending SET, one with a disability & school-related trauma (from primary years). Son started ‘20, our differently abled daughter started autumn ‘21. Minor incidents led to interactions with DP that were made bigger than they needed to be, or at least seemed the result of poor communication. Son contacted me to report not feeling well. Asked him to go to office & wait. Never had anyone upon enrollment explained that students can’t use phones btw classes. A new policy regarding phone use had yet to be released. In fact, as a new family, we weren’t made aware of much infrastructure at all, imperative not just for new students, but international families new to system. When I got to office, son wasn’t there, DP had sent him to PE. I explained that son had let me know he didn’t feel well & I’d instructed him to wait in office. I’d never met DP until this very moment. He asked if my son had contacted me using phone. Yes, that’s correct; DP gave lecture on phone usage, and that my son was to go to Year Head. Okay, who’s that? Did my son know? The exchange was a one-sided interrogation; never witnessed an administrator thinking it acceptable to address a parent in such a manner, especially with a school ethos rooted in relationship building. When I got home, drafted an email to DP, explaining my distress over interaction & that at 50 years old, raising a special needs kid & working as a therapist for 20+ years means I won’t ever accept being spoken to that way. He basically responded with “I’m sorry you felt that way”, in which I noted the lack of genuine apology. Another incident involving phone usage at lunch led to an unnecessary power struggle. Fine w phone policy, had warned both kids not to have phones out & usually they don’t, but over policing & use of scare tactics causing additional anxiety for all kids is not creating a safe environment. Many teachers seem very caring at this school—I think the majority, in fact— wonderful banter and rapport, overall. I think they WANT this school to reflect ET ethos. I think the minority are those still stuck in ideology of authoritarian control. Supervision required. But when a teacher uses threatening tactics & distorts school policy, that type of manipulation seems unnecessary & counter-productive, especially when addressing teenagers with high anxiety. This led to second counterproductive interaction with DP, who seems dogged in controlling students AND parents as opposed to building safe, healthy relationships. We took matter to Principal who dismissed our concerns, only enabling DP abuse of power, their limitations continuing to surprise/disappoint. Nothing productive. Last week, daughter given permission to work on a project on a day she wasn’t doing work experience outside school. Details still unclear, but we know DP told daughter & other student to leave campus, they weren’t allowed to be there. Daughter called upset. We knew she’d been given ok by teacher; having history of school aversion, to actually be there meant someone had ok’ed it! After daughter left, she & peer advocated for themselves by sending appropriate emails to DP defending their presence, even siting Restorative Justice process. No staff called with any behavior complaint. We approved of their self-advocation. Today, 14/2, Principal removed her from class; friendly exchange as walked to office, under guise of praise for work experience feedback; once behind closed doors, remarks made that caused daughter to flee, contact us. When husband arrived, comments by DP/Principal attacking our parenting. Principal demanded apology for email or daughter told not to return. UNACCEPTABLE. Contacted solicitor to follow proper guidelines for formal complaint. Principal not responding to requests for clarification on being told not to return."

"my child claims to see the principle vaping in his office... isn't it bad influences for kids there? and my child has seen over 30 kids vaping in the school bathrooms during a class period this school is totally disgraceful!"

"Not even worth a star the most awful school to bring your kids to. Firstly you are convinced to attend this school with all these fake promises that are all lies. The principal and vice principal are all money hungry and don’t care about your kids wellbeing truly. The lack of any sport or facilities is remarkable.if you want your kids to succeed go to any other school in dublin."

"Newly opened non fee paying secondary school for boys and girls, with experienced stuff, full set of subjects including good extras like Chinese language and opportunities to travel abroad. No uniform. Good location. Friendly teachers."