A NEW SCHOOL is set to open in Dublin which will charge fees of between €15,900 and €24,000 per student every year.
The Nord Anglia school will open in Sandyford in September and as well as paying the most expensive school fees in the country, students will not have to follow the State curriculum.
Instead, students will be offered the International Baccalaureate, a diploma programme taught in 5,000 schools in over 150 countries around the world.
One of 50 Nord Anglia schools around the world, the school in Sandyford will not receive any public funding and has had over 1,000 unsolicited applications for teaching posts, according to Principal Paul Crute.
Speaking to Today with Sean O'Rourke on RTÉ Radio One on Thursday, Crute couldn’t specify how many students will be attending the school, but said that it will open to primary and middle school, up to the age of 14.
The Irish language will be taught at the school but will not be compulsory and it will not receive any Government funding.
“I'm very aware that Irish being taught, some people love it, some people don't. We will offer both opportunities. It will not be compulsory,” Crute said.
“We will not be taking any public funding whatsoever,” he added.
Mr Crute revealed that the school's curriculum would offer "bespoke collaborations" with the world's most prestigious universities, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Juilliard School in New York.
He also called education company Nord Anglia, who will operate the school, the "biggest provider of world-class international schools" globally, and said it was hoping to appeal to students of international backgrounds as well as the Irish market.
"Dublin is an exciting place to be. It's one of the only cities in the world that doesn't have a full top-to-toe international school for kids aged between three and 18.
"We're hoping the school will help sell Ireland to international companies wanting to relocate.
"Parents are looking for a school that they can stay for three or four years and then pick up the same curriculum in another country. You can pick up where you left off. There are 4,000 international schools across the world."
Crute went on to say that because the school would not be in receipt of public funding, it will not be credited by the Department of Education, instead be accredited by the International Baccalaureate Organisation.
Mr Crute also revealed that a strong complement of students will have enrolled in the school when it opens in September, while over 1,000 unsolicited applications for teaching posts have already been made.
