In Loco Parentis: A year in the life of Headfort - the only school of its kind in Ireland

A remarkable new film captures life in Ireland’s only boarding school for young children, writes Esther McCarthy

NEASA Ní Chianáin’s new documentary In Loco Parentis brings us inside the walls of an Irish boarding school — and into the world of an Enid Blyton or Harry Potter novel.

There’s a sense of timelessness to Headfort in Co Meath, with its rambling grounds, hidden passageways and 18th century buildings, that is reminiscent of Malory Towers or Hogwarts. It is here that children come to live and learn during some of the most formative years of their lives.