Irish Times School League Table

[ontour]

I find this story refreshing actually...(whether private schools are good/bad is a different discussion)

I would not get too excited, BazFitz can correct me but I would speculate that there is a feeder primary school attached to this secondary school and it has high fees. Otherwise there is 30 students or one class in each year which I think is unlikely.

There are many public schools where demand exceeds available places and they appear to set a variety of criteria from geographic area to ethnic diversity to family connections. Selective entry is not the preserve of private schools.

 

[Firefly]

I would not get too excited, BazFitz can correct me but I would speculate that there is a feeder primary school attached to this secondary school and it has high fees. Otherwise there is 30 students or one class in each year which I think is unlikely.

You could be right. I'm not to familiar with Dublin schools (public or private) so wouldn't know.

There are many public schools where demand exceeds available places and they appear to set a variety of criteria from geographic area to ethnic diversity to family connections. Selective entry is not the preserve of private schools.

That's true. At least with the public schools it doesn't/shouldn't come down to who you know. In the private school system it does in many cases, along with the ability to pay the fees.

 

[AlbacoreA]

Considering the way the catchments and criteria of public schools change I wouldn't be too sure that who you know and the ability to pay fees comes into it.

 

[liaconn]

You could be right. I'm not to familiar with Dublin schools (public or private) so wouldn't know.



That's true. At least with the public schools it doesn't/shouldn't come down to who you know. In the private school system it does in many cases, along with the ability to pay the fees.

But public schools can't select based on academic ability, whereas private schools can.

 

[Thirsty]

But public schools can't select based on academic ability, whereas private schools can

Secondary schools (fee paying or non-fee paying) cannot base intake on academic ability, the enrolment criteria can however include religion and church attendance, catchment area, parents or siblings attending the school etc.,

Whilst many schools in both sectors have so-called 'entrance exams' they cannot base their admissions on it.

 

[Firefly]

Secondary schools (fee paying or non-fee paying) cannot base intake on academic ability, the enrolment criteria can however include religion and church attendance, catchment area, parents or siblings attending the school etc.,

Whilst many schools in both sectors have so-called 'entrance exams' they cannot base their admissions on it.

This to me is a polite way of saying that, given a choice, the school can discriminate based on someone's religion, where they live and who they know....but not on the child's ability...a bit mad. I think there should be elite schools in the bigger cities for highly intelligent children. Rather than having them sit there bored whilst the rest of the class pick up basic concepts to them, it would be better to put them together and they might achieve great things in such an environment.

 

[liaconn]

Secondary schools (fee paying or non-fee paying) cannot base intake on academic ability, the enrolment criteria can however include religion and church attendance, catchment area, parents or siblings attending the school etc.,

Whilst many schools in both sectors have so-called 'entrance exams' they cannot base their admissions on it.

I always assumed that fee paying schools could hold entry exams and interviews to choose pupils.