Education - From Primary School to College via CAO and leaving Cert

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Thursday 6 September 2018

Dublin leads the way as the county with the highest number of schools to maintain a perfect record in the past eight years. Stock image

School League Tables

Exclusive analysis of 9 years of results from over 700 schools

Fee-paying schools still send more students to third level

Every parent wants what is best for their child. Many will look at the cost of sending their sons and daughters to a fee-paying school and wonder if it is worth the added financial sacrifice.

Going on to higher education pays off in the end

Going to college is an expensive business, even if you are on a higher education grant. At a time of virtual full employment some will be wondering if it's necessary to get a further qualification after the Leaving Certificate. But all the evidence shows that it is worthwhile in terms of better health and wealth for most students.

The gender effect: Mixed messages over single-sex schools' success

Mixed schools are out-performed by single-sex schools when it comes to sending students to third level. However, one education expert said this has more to do with student background than a gender divide in the classroom.

The King’s Hospital rugby players face their supporters ahead of a Leinster Schools Senior Cup match at Donnybrook Stadium. Photo: Cody Glenn/Sportsfile

The decision to send a child to boarding school is not made lightly

Picture this - you get up at 6:00am, tip-toe around a silent, darkened house so as not to wake the other sleeping occupants. By the time you get into your car at 6:45am, traffic has already started to build, and you share an unspoken camaraderie with other commuters on the roads, sleepily drinking coffee from...

Principal Tom Prendergast with students Callum Dunworth, James Linnanne and Tom McKeown. Photo: Don Moloney

Case study: Ard Scoil Ris, Limerick

Synonymous with producing heroes from the world of sport, politics, and entertainment, Ard Scoil Ris - located on Limerick's affluent North Circular Road - is also one of the country's best performing non fee-paying schools.

A matter of choice

When I started working in the Irish education system in the mid-1980s, classrooms were places where teachers and students worked, although rarely to the same degree. Anyone else - other teachers, school principals, or, God forbid, inspectors - knew their place and that place was outside the classroom door, and in the case of parents, generally outside the school gates.

Gaelcholaiste Reachrann’s Donal O’Cinnoide, Ciaran Brabazon, Ailbhe Ni Bhroin, David O’Riain, Ciaran Mac Giolla Ruaidh and Laura Ni Diomasaigh. Photo: Mark Condren

Schools build relationships to inspire better performance

All the evidence shows that better exam results can be achieved and more students can secure third level places by building on relationships in schools and focusing on helping students to become good people outside of the classroom.

Principal Paddy Scales with Leaving Cert students at Colaiste ns Sionna, Banagher College, Co Offaly. Photo: Eamon Ward

Case study: Colaiste na Sionna, Banagher College

Uniquely positioned in a corner of Co Offaly along the River Shannon with a catchment covering three counties in three different provinces, Banagher College Colaiste na Sionna's success is in no small part due to its response to the shifting economic landscape of the Midlands region.

Fee-paying schools are still getting top marks

Just five schools have maintained a perfect record of sending students on to third level over the past nine years, according to figures compiled by the Sunday Independent. They also show a change at the top of the overall rankings for the second year in a row.

Like them or loathe them, school league tables are here to stay

League tables are now part of the annual education calendar, despite their shortcomings. Parents know they are not perfect and that they don't tell you everything you need to know about an individual school and what educational enrichment it provides for students.