Madam, - I wish to congratulate St Laurence College, Loughlinstown on its recent achievement in being placed second on a list rating Ireland's top 400 schools on how many students they sent to university last year. I believe this school sent out a very positive and clear message about the importance of learning support.
In a radio interview the school's principal attributed its success to the individual approach taken towards students and the learning support available. Ahead, the Association of Higher Education Access and Disability, fully endorses this approach - and not just for students with disabilities.
Learning support and individual planning are important to the success of all students within our education system. Where students are involved and make informed decisions about their education and learning there is a reduced chance of drop-out and a greater chance of successful progression into the workplace or third level. This individual support is the way forward as teachers and guidance counsellors are now working with a more diverse population of students. The most effective means of managing this diversity is by adopting a student-centred individual approach. - Yours, etc,
MARY QUIRKE, Assistant Director, Ahead, Carysfort Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin.
Madam, - Your "Feeder Schools" supplement of November 21st clearly equates a school's success with having a significant proportion of its students progressing to University courses. The TUI's view is that a school's mission and ethos are far more expansive than these lists would suggest.
It is no coincidence that the supplement provided no information on, for example, a programme such as the Leaving Cert Applied - all focus is on the traditional Leaving Certificate. At best this omission demonstrates a limited preconception as to what is educationally viable. Indeed, it would appear that when computing the percentage of students proceeding to third level, some voluntary secondary schools omitted LCA students from the calculation, thereby "improving" the progression statistics.
It is also the TUI's view that effective teaching cannot be measured by such statistics. Outstanding work in classes comprising many students in need of learning support will never appear in such tables. Experience in other countries shows that the very existence of such tables drives an agenda of selection at intake and withdrawal of weak students from examinations.
In fact, an article in the supplement supports the TUI's view that there a clear policy of "cherry-picking" students in some schools with a clear reluctance to accept special needs students. We welcome the highlighting of this trend and will continue to prioritise this issue in meetings with the Department of Education and Science.
The public sector education service is both equitable and inclusive. Such principles attract no points in these tables. - Yours, etc,
PADDY HEALY, President, TUI, Orwell Road, Dublin 6.