FEE-PAYING schools have tightened their grip on the top rankings in the annual Irish TimesFeeder School List published this morning.
Many of the top-ranked schools confine enrolment primarily to siblings of current pupils or children of past pupils. Many also insist on interviewing parents and most have very long waiting lists.
A department audit of admission policies earlier this year found there was no system-wide exclusion of minorities but Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe did acknowledge that "certain subtle practices by individual schools can have the effect of discouraging particular groups from applying for places."
These groups include newcomer children, Travellers and students with special educational needs.
Of the top 25 schools in The Irish Timeslist, over 60 per cent limit admission to certain categories.
Surprisingly, the top 25 includes only one grind school - Leinster Senior College in Newbridge, Co Kildare. The State's largest grind school, the Institute of Education, where fees are over €5,000, is ranked in mid-table. Last night, its founder, Ray Kearns, stressed it does not restrict enrolment on the basis of academic ability.
The top-ranked schools also include several of the best-known fee-paying schools in the State including Belvedere College, Gonzaga, Blackrock College, St Michael's, St Gerard's Bray, Mount Anville, Holy Child Killiney, St Mary's Rathmines, and the Loreto schools in Foxrock and Rathfarnham. Coláiste Eoin and Coláiste Íosagáin in Stillorgan also scored 100 per cent in the rankings.
Many "free" second-level schools within the State sector perform exceptionally well in the latest list. They include three schools in Mayo, one in Crossmolina and two in Claremorris. Muckross Park in Donnybrook, Dublin, also features very highly in the list.
Schools are ranked on the basis of the percentage of their 2008 Leaving Cert cohort who accepted a third-level place this year. In all, 50 schools scored 100 per cent; this means that all of their Leaving Cert pupils progressed to third level.
The Irish Timeslist, the most comprehensive yet published, tracks students going to virtually all third-level institutions in the Republic and Northern Ireland and those going to college in Britain.
The only significant omission from the list is the University of Ulster; the college was unable to provide the information for technical reasons.
Students who accepted a third-level offer, having deferred their place last year, are also counted.
Top 10 Feeder Schools
• Blackrock College, Co Dublin
• Belvedere College, Gt Denmark Street, Dublin 1
• Christian Brothers College, Sidney Hill, Cork City
• Kilkenny College, Castlecomer Road, Kilkenny
• Presentation College, Mardyke, Cork City
• Rice College, Christian Brothers, New Road, Ennis
• St Michael's College, Ailesbury Road, Dublin 4
• Loreto Secondary School, Foxrock, Dublin 18
• Dominican Convent, Muckross Park College, Donnybrook
• Loreto High School, Beaufort, Grange Road, Rathfarnham