Blackrock College, one of Ireland's most celebrated schools, is publishing figures showing the points obtained by its Leaving Cert students. But will others follow suit?  John Downes reports.

It is one of the oldest and most prestigious fee-paying schools in Ireland. Renowned for the quality of its teaching, and its achievements on the playing field, Blackrock College in Co Dublin is widely seen as being one of the main providers of new recruits to the country's elite.

With its focus on extra-curricular activities and a "holistic" education, it seems a world away from the points-focused approach of the many grind schools which have sprung up throughout the State in the past 20 years.

But times have changed in education. The increasing prevalence of grind schools, many of which cater to the same core group of students from well-off families, means some of the traditional providers of private education are under pressure to show that, along with a rounded education, they can provide the Leaving Certificate results to match.

By providing information on their website of the numbers of pupils getting over 500, 400, 300 and 200 points in the Leaving Certificate, Blackrock College, although regularly oversubscribed, has adopted an approach similar to that of the grind schools, which are not slow to advertise their successes.

Blackrock College's principal, Alan McGinty, says the decision to make the figures available was taken primarily to cater for the school's wide alumni base, who are interested in everything from how the Senior Cup rugby team have performed to Leaving Certificate results.

He believes the statistics should form only one part of the total picture for parents looking to assess a Blackrock College education. The college is just as proud of the student who gets 300 points as the one who gets six As, once they are meeting their goals, he says.

"The idea in doing it is to let parents know each year how the school is performing academically. It is also good for the other kids in the incoming sixth year to see them. They see yes, it is achievable," explains McGinty. "But there is absolutely no question that we would go to a newspaper and take out an advertisement saying these are our results."

Mary McGlynn of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD), however, believes such statistics are open to manipulation. While schools may compile such data for their own internal purposes, she doubts if most would publish such information.

She stresses that the ultimate decision rests with individual schools. But the NAPD would be opposed to any move to use crude figures in comparing schools.

"I think, if taken in isolation, that the publication of statistics about results are not a good idea," says McGlynn. "The statistics are not the total picture. It is rather pathetic if we come to a situation where someone's place in the world is based on the amount of points they get in the Leaving Certificate. It is not the totality of the picture."

Micheál Landers, principal of Bruce College in Cork, has few such qualms. His college provides information to parents about the percentages of its students obtaining different categories of points.

Others, such as the Institute of Education in Dublin, are slower to give out such information. It refuses to publish such figures, as they do not yet include repeat students. This means the Institute would not get any credit for the work it has done in helping such students achieve their results, it says.

But the Institute is only too happy to vaunt the successes of its students in its own, selective way. For example, vice-principal John Morris reveals that this year, so far at least 11 people received six A1s in the Leaving Certificate, while three students got seven A1s.

Such an approach is a million miles from that adopted by most schools, where the publication of such results is frowned upon. Much depends on the context of such figures, they say.

And clearly, trying to compare schools with selective enrolment policies (such as Blackrock College and the grind schools) with schools that cater to their whole community, regardless of financial means, is unfair. You are not comparing like with like.

But perhaps there is a wider issue at stake, particularly for the future approach of traditional fee-paying schools.

Jim O'Connor, of the Jesuit Education Centre, which represents schools such as Clongowes Wood College, Belvedere College, and Gonzaga College, articulates the feelings of some when he says there would be an innate reluctance on the part of its schools to release their results.

O'Connor would be surprised if any of the Jesuit schools would make such statistics available, because, he says, Jesuit schools are about more than simply results. However, he admits that he could "never say never".

"If a boy or girl has the potential to get, say, 500 points, the school should be able to help them do that," says O'Connor. "But I think it would grate with us to start saying, well, come to us and you'll get 500 points. Because I think that's not what we're about."

This is all very well. But we live in an age where increasing numbers of parents are willing to pay for their children's education - and can therefore choose from a wide variety of schools. Given this, whether Blackrock College's publication of its results remains an isolated incident, or a sign of the times will be the subject of much debate.

Class of 2004 - How did they  do?

This year's figures show that, although the number of students sitting the Leaving Cert exam fell by some 1,000, 44 more students received maximum points than in 2003.

The number of students getting between 500 and 599 points rose by 132, but those getting between 400 and 499 points decreased by 28.

Some 55,223 students sat the Leaving Cert this year.