Bad behaviour, smoking and drinking on class trips resulted in suspension for almost eighty students at Dublin’s prestigious Belvedere College in the past twelve months.
In a statement published by the Irish Independent, Belvedere College explained that the school stood by the suspensions and has a “zero tolerance policy to alcohol consumption”.
Situated in the heart of Dublin City, Belvedere College was founded in 1832 and currently has 1005 pupils enrolled. One of 55 fee-paying schools in Ireland, parents shell out around €5,000 a year to make sure their kids rub shoulders with the right classmates.
But kids will be kids it seems and 79 teenagers from different classes were suspended for infringements such as consuming alcohol on class trips to France and vaping on other outings.
“The college has a strict code of disciplinary conduct agreed with pupils and parents, and applied with consistency. The code is board policy drafted in consultation with sub-committees of the Board of Management representing both parents and teachers and the school council,” the statement said.
“In particular, we are very concerned about the culture of underage drinking in our society. The college has a zero tolerance policy in place regarding the consumption of alcohol by underage students. Every year almost all the students in the school – 1,000 – avail of the opportunity to go on one or more residential trips at home or abroad or on exchange trips.
“In this overall context only a small minority infringe the rules. A student who does so is given a sanction, typically a one, two or three-day suspension, which we deem appropriate, all factors considered,” Belvedere College said.
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