Revealed: Leaving Cert results

After years of caution, an increasing number of schools are publishing details of their Leaving Cert results. It could mark the beginning of a new era of transparency in education, writes Peter McGuire

WHAT SHOULD parents know about their child’s school? This simple question is one of the most divisive in education, splitting educators and parents down the line. The dominant voices in education – teachers’ unions, principals, the Government and the National Parents Council (Post-Primary) – are opposed to a comparative list of exam results from different schools, or “school league” tables.

Indeed, the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) opposes both league tables and the decision of individual schools to release information about exam performance of an entire class or year.

But parents take a different view. A survey conducted by the Department of Education showed that almost 75 per cent support the publication of information on exam performance across individual schools.

The Irish Timespublishes an annual list of feeder schools, showing what percentage of students from each school progressed to third level; every year, this is criticised by the unions and the Minister for Education.

Now, against the wishes of teachers’ unions, an increasing number of schools are releasing a summary of their Leaving Cert results on their websites. The results do not identify individual students. Predominantly private schools in south Dublin – including Blackrock College, Holy Child in Killiney, Loreto in Rathfarnham, Rathdown School in Dun Laoghaire, and Mount Anville in Goatstown – their summaries show students achieving well in excess of the national average of 300 points.

Outside Dublin, two other private schools, Hewitt College in Cork and Kilkenny College in Cork, have published the information on their school website. Meanwhile, St Andrew’s in Booterstown gave a detailed breakdown of overall exam results in a recent letter to parents. All of the schools performed strongly in the 2009 Irish Times Feeder School list.

Many other schools are opening up and providing information to parents and the media. The Irish Timessurveyed 12 post-primary schools from across the voluntary, community and private sectors, nine of which provided a partial or detailed breakdown of recent CAO points.

Schools out: results proudly on display

BLACKROCK COLLEGE19 pupils scored more than 540 points, the equivalent of six A grades; 25 per cent of students earned more than 500 points, and 64.7 per cent secured more than 400. Writing on the school website, principal Alan McGinty said: "Blackrock College is a mixed-ability school. We celebrate the achievements of all our boys, particularly those whose results may not grab a newspaper headline but nonetheless provide much satisfaction and justifiable pride."

HOLY CHILD85 per cent of students achieved more than 400 points in this girls' school in Killiney, Co Dublin, while 24 per cent of students achieved more than 500 points.

RATHDOWN SCHOOLfor girls in Dún Laoghaire published a detailed breakdown of this years Leaving Cert results, showing that 36 per cent of students achieved 500 points or more – an increase of 10 per cent on last year's figure.

LORETO BEAUFORT, RATHFARNHAM35 per cent of pupils achieved more than 500 points and 71 per cent achieved more than 400 points. In all, 95 per cent got more than 300 points, well in excess of the national averages.

MOUNT ANVILLEgirls' school in Goatstown, Dublin, prominently displays the most recent results on its school website – 13 per cent of students achieved 550 points or higher, 40 per cent achieved 500 points or more, and 65 per cent achieved 450 points or higher. A more detailed breakdown was presented at the AGM of the Parents' Association recently.

ST ANDREWS, BOOTERSTOWNIn a recent letter to parents, school principal Arthur Godsil provided information about this year's Leaving Cert results. "Significantly, the percentage of students achieving 500 points or more topped 25 perr cent this year – representing over a quarter of all students and an increase on last years exceptional results," he said. "In addition, just about two-thirds of our students gained more than 400 points with 56 per cent of all scripts being awarded an A or a B grade."

Speaking to The Irish Times, Godsil said that the school was happy with recent results. He pointed out that St Andrew's does not academically screen applicants to the school, stating that the school is conscious of providing a rounded educational experience to students.

“We’ve always made results available to parents, but this is one part of a whole spectrum of information on student activities – including social awareness, sporting, and public speaking – which parents can and should have access to.”

HEWITT COLLEGE, CORK85 per cent of students attained their first choice in college, with one student achieving the full 600 points.

KILKENNY COLLEGEover half of this years Leaving Cert candidates scored over 400 points, while 24 per cent achieved 500 points or more.

Most schools appear willing to give exam results

THE IRISH TIMES contacted 12 schools and requested information about CAO points secured by their students in this year’s Leaving Cert exam. Voluntary secondary, community and private schools were surveyed.

Eight schools – St Mary’s, Dundalk; Patrician College, Newbridge; Mercy Mounthawk, Tralee; St Mary’s, Mallow; Athlone Community College; Gort Community College, Galway; Castleknock College, Dublin; and Belvedere College, Dublin – provided full or partial information about their Leaving Cert results. Castleknock, a private school, provided a breakdown of information about results for individual subjects, but has not yet completed an analysis of CAO points.

One other school, Malahide Community College, declined to provide information, but did state that one student achieved 60 points this year, while approximately 25 out of 190 students secured 500 points or more – almost 5 per cent above the national average. Last year, 88 per cent of students from Malahide Community College progressed to third level.

The principals of all nine schools, however, say that most parents do not seek this information, with many expressing concern that statistical information about points fails to take into account the individual circumstances of each school.

Con McGinley, principal of St Mary’s in Dundalk for 12 years, says that no parent had ever asked him for a breakdown of academic information. Peter O’Reilly, principal at Patrician College, Newbridge, says that the school has a good record in the Leaving Cert Applied exam, with more than 17 per cent of students achieving a merit or higher.

Gerry Foley, principal at the private Belvedere College, says that most prospective and current parents sought information on the educational philosophy and vision of the school, pastoral care, and co-curricular sporting, social, cultural and voluntary activities. “We want students to achieve their best result and we’re cautious about calling one student more ‘successful’ than another. For the boy who gets 150 points against the odds, that result means just as much as the boy who scores 600 points.” Foley says that he is “not strongly against league tables” but that they tend to pit schools against each other. “As a parent, the more information you have access to, the better. But parents need to get a full insight into the school and how it nurtures and develops the whole child. League tables should not be read in isolation.”

John O’Roarke, principal at Mercy Secondary School in Tralee, is concerned that bare information about results could be taken out of context. “Parents ask me lots of questions, on everything from subject choice to sports and pastoral support,” he says. “Ultimately, they want to know if their child will be happy in the school.”

Three schools – St Leo’s College in Carlow; St. Tiernan’s in Dundrum, Dublin, and Carrick Community School in Leitrim – did not provide information on CAO points. Their principles said that this information would only provide a partial picture of the second-level school system, and would not take into account a school’s provision of special-needs education, the socio-economic background of the students, pastoral-care provision, or the students engagement with social, sporting, cultural and voluntary activities.

Clare Ryan, principal teacher at St Leo’s, says: “Focusing on this alone diminishes the person but also diminishes the true definition of education and of course ignores issues such as social class, gender and context. Education is and always must be around the enhancement of the whole person.”

Tim Geraghty, President of the National Association of Principals and Deputies (NAPD), is principal at St Tiernan’s Community School in Balally, which provides a high level of support to special-needs and disadvantaged students. “We’re a community school, so parents want to know how we can meet their child’s needs – whether that child has special needs, aspires to attend university or is mad about sport. League tables are of limited, if any, value,” he says.

CAO Points National averages

136 students (0.2 per cent) scored 600 points

4,564 (8.4 per cent) scored between 500-599 points

11,973 (22.0 per cent) scored between 400-499 points

13,878 (25.5 per cent) scored between 300-399 points