First-class review for Bertie's school

The second-level school attended by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern receives a glowing review from Department of Education inspectors …

The second-level school attended by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern receives a glowing review from Department of Education inspectors in a report published yesterday.

St Aidan's CBS in Whitehall, Dublin, is praised for the "excellent sense of rapport between the students themselves and between the students and teachers". "Teachers' approach to their work was professional and business-like, and a good learning environment was evident in all lessons observed," the inspectors note.

A total of 178 school inspection reports were published on the Department of Education and Science website yesterday.

These include 45 whole-school evaluations reports on primary schools, nine whole-school evaluations reports at post-primary level and 124 subject inspections conducted in second-level schools.

In all, over 750 inspections reports have been published since the landmark decision by Minister for Education Mary Hanafin to release them in February of last year.

Reports on several well-known schools were published yesterday.

These include subject inspection reports on Glenstal Abbey, Co Limerick (science), North Monastery, Cork (woodwork), Terenure College, Dublin (French), Rockbrook College, Dublin (maths), St Peter's, Dunboyne, Co Meath (English), and Gormanston College, Co Meath (music).

The inspection reports can be accessed in the highlights section of the department's website www.education.ie

  • Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date

  • Sign up for push alerts to get the best breaking news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone

  • Listen to In The News podcast daily for a deep dive on the stories that matter

Seán Flynn

Seán Flynn

The late Seán Flynn was education editor of The Irish Times