Testimonials
“Villiers isn’t just a community you become a part of for 6 years, but a family that you belong to for all your years afterwards.”
Aisling – Ireland – Alumna
“It is my belief, as a guardian, that it is immensely important for students to be in a safe, caring environment, where they can succeed and grow, both academically and personally during their school life. This is particularly relevant if they leave their home country to study abroad. This is exactly the environment which is at the core of Villiers School in Limerick city. “Home from Home”. This is how “my students” refer to Villiers school. They all settle in very fast and are happy and content. They comment on the ethos of the school as being welcoming and friendly. They make friends for life here and have very fond memories to take back home with them. There are always tears at year end as they leave their friends after a wonderful time in the school. The fact that the students get to go to host families on closed weekends adds an immense cultural experience to their time at the school. They have two families in Ireland, their school family and their host families. The school caters for the needs of all students and with the choice of both Leaving Certificate and the IB programme, Villiers is an ideal choice for international students who wish to improve their English and to further their studies in Ireland. The staff throughout Villiers are superb, they offer support to all the children both academically and through pastoral care. This enables the students to feel relaxed and secure in the knowledge there is support available for them all the time. The dynamic approach to teaching and caregiving in the school motivates and engages each student. Staff have an unbeatable formula for expediting learning and bringing success to their student cohort. The life skills, personal growth and development gained by students while at Villiers school is invaluable for their future career progression. Their English language skills improve immensely while in Villiers with extra tuition given if required. From my experience, discussing outcomes with parents over the years, all are extremely happy with the results gained by their children while at Villiers school. I can highly recommend Villiers for international students who will forever value their time in this beautiful historic building.”
Nora Gallagher – Guardianship Ireland
“My life at Villiers was fantastic. There were various activities during weekends, such as cooking classes and art classes, as well as trips for boarders on a Sunday afternoon. Living with friends every day will let you have a group of very important friends in your life. Most boarders during weekends are also international students. It is a pleasure to talk to them because they helped me to understand different people and cultures from different countries. Villiers has given me a very beautiful experience and memory.”
Qilei – China
“I was 15 years old when I first I came to this school, and I was very lucky to be part of a programme called Transition Year in 4th year, which was a good opportunity for me to make new friends. 4th years don’t spend as much time trying to figure out what’s going on in exams, but in addition enjoy lots of TY activities such as Drama, Fashion Shows, Camping, Choir and sports like hockey, rugby, pony tracking, rowing and so on. Of course, I’ve done almost everything, including work experience where I spent a lot of time preparing a cover letter in a computer class. I also spent a week at a voice works studio, and another week in the University Hospital in Limerick. There are many international students in the school. There are also extra English classes for those students. I haven’t had much difficulty studying in English because from the start, all the teachers have helped me to follow their classes. I have been a boarder since 5th year. Living in the dormitory is well structured by the boarding staff. For example, first to fourth years help clean the dining hall after each meal, and fifth years check boarders with the night staffs in the dorm before we go to bed, and sixth years do the grace before and after the meal. It’s not just boarding that is well-structured however. The entire school conducts irregular fire drills for safety for example. I am now in 6th year, so of course I am studying hard for my Leaving Cert here in Ireland, just as my friends in Korea are doing.”
Jane (Jae Eun) – South Korea – Alumna
“Villiers School is a mixed school that includes junior and senior schools. Students can choose to be “day students”or boarders. Transition Year is the same as 4th year in China. As a transition from junior school to senior school, the lessons are relatively easy. There are many activities, such as hiking, fashion show, drama and so on. There are also different blocks to try. There are many differences between these schools in Ireland and those in China. Here, every morning at 8:50 am, we go to a fixed classroom for roll call, and then go to different classes. There is no break between classes. After three classes, we have a 15-minute break and then three more. After that, it’s lunchtime. Lunch break is about 35 minutes. Then, after the next three classes, school is over. There are four core subjects: English, Maths, French/German and Irish. The rest are different blocks of interest. Homework is also easy. Teachers sometimes give out projects , we just need to give them to the teacher before the deadline. Irish schools are more relaxed than Chinese ones, and they pay more attention on creativity and individuality. But Chinese school also good in some ways. The question of which is better depends on the individual’s feelings.”
Shirly (Yu Yuan) – Alumna
“I really enjoyed my time in Villiers. It is a good school where I felt encouraged to reach my potential academically, as well as keeping fit with lots of sport. I found the teaching was of a high standard, and being responsible for our actions towards others was definitely something that was also emphasized in Villiers. I made a lot of good friends during my time there, who I still meet with regularly. All in all, I think Villiers is a great school with a positive, accepting atmosphere, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone!”
Laura – Alumna
“Villiers School provided me with an extremely friendly and comfortable environment for learning, allowing me to succeed academically and receive an offer to study medicine in Trinity College where I am now in my third year. There is a wider range of choice subjects available to Villiers students than students in most other schools. This enabled my classmates and I to meet our specific third-level course requirements, and while the Biology and Chemistry I learned in Villiers remain pivotal to my current studies, I also studied subjects that I chose simply for my enjoyment such as Technology and Spanish. All the subjects available to us are taught to a very high standard and I obtained an A1 in all my choice subject examinations. While we were always encouraged and supported in Villiers by teachers and members of our non-teaching staff alike, I was also shown the importance of self-motivation, self-directed learning and responsibility which was very appropriate preparation for University. Small class sizes ensured that teachers could facilitate the individual abilities and requirements of each student in the class. We were always given guidance and provided with every resource available for us to realise our full potential in examinations, and my teachers were extremely accommodating and invested, going to great lengths to be helpful. Though academic achievement was a focus for us in school, as much emphasis was put on incorporating balance into our daily routine. There is a selection of sports and extra-curricular activities organised for the students in Villiers and during my time in school I participated in soccer, basketball, tag-rugby and hockey teams, playing hockey throughout my school years and even now in university. I loved my experience of Villiers School and would recommend it to anyone considering secondary schools as it caters for students of all backgrounds and abilities, and has such a range of facilities, resources and activities on offer that there really is something for everyone.”
Maeve Higgins –Alumna