September 13: School league tables too narrow a focus

I note with interest that the annual Sunday Times secondary school league table for 2014 was published recently. These league tables are dangerous and damaging and remain a sensitive issue for schools.

Understandably, parents and guardians of our young people are influenced by these league tables in their choice of secondary school for their son or daughter.

What parents need to realise is these tables judge a school on one criteria only, ie the number of students who complete the Leaving Cert in that school and progress to university in Ireland. How unfair can that be? There are seven different types of intelligence, but they just measure one type ie academia.

The education and nurturing of the whole person is an ideal education. As a practising guidance counsellor I have had many past students who I describe as ‘par excellence’ go universities in England, Scotland and Wales – to very reputable colleges and excellent seats of learning.

One past pupil of mine ended up studying with Prince William; no mean achievement and she was not a statistic in our famous league tables, which do not count the students who progress abroad to study or enrol in our exemplary Institutes of Technology or indeed those who choose to study in our excellent post Leaving Cert colleges around the country. They take the ladder route to university and come out with the same qualifications.

These league tables ignore factors such as education attainment of pupils at entry. They do not consider the socio-economic background of pupils or pupils with special needs. They are unfair and only paint part of the picture.

Schools such as Colaiste Laurel FCJ Limerick, who operate selection mechanisms at entry, will do better in a narrow-focused table, while schools with no selective policies and a wide student cohort may appear under this blunt process as under-performing.

The chances of a student gaining entry to the school Colaiste Laurel Hill FCJ, the Limerick school which came top of the table, are slim, in my opinion – unless she meets the criteria as per their admission policy. I copy it here for your readers’ consideration ...

Places in Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ are allocated in accordance with the following criteria and in the following order: there are only 74 places available for first-year pupils. Following the allocation of places, an assessment test will take place at the school. All girls who have been offered a place must sit the assessment test which is held subsequent to registration night. The results are used to determine the distribution of students into mixed ability classes.

1. Priority is given to sisters of children who are or have been in the school.

2. Priority is given to female children and near relatives of staff and to near relatives of FCJ sisters.

3. Priority is given to female children of past pupils of Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ.

4. Remaining places are allocated randomly.

Number five, I leave you to ponder. The narrow focus of these league tables is soul-destroying not only to hundreds and thousands of students who work hard to reach their potential but also to the Irish education system and indeed Irish society as a whole.

Mary Coughlan

Lissanalta Close, Dooradoyle, Limerick