Every second-level school should be asked to produce an annual report that would include a detailed breakdown of Junior and Leaving Cert results, according to proposals put forward by Fine Gael yesterday.
The controversial proposals,which Fine Gael says it will seek to make government policy if elected, would also see the publication of the "baseline" skills of all students as well as details of the number of resource teachers available within the school.
This means parents could compare the level of attainment of students in a particular school against the standard of those entering that school and could also find out how many hours are allocated to a school under the "weighted" system of special- needs resource allocation.
However, similar suggestions have in the past prompted concerns that parents might simply use the information to "cherry pick" certain schools with higher baseline skills and may also focus their attention, when looking at a school's annual report, mainly on performance in State exams.
At a time when Minister for Education Mary Hanafin has outlined her support for the publication of school inspection and evaluation reports by her department, Fine Gael believes any moves to improve information for parents should go much further. The party outlines 15 key areas where information from schools should be provided. These include school buildings and school policy, students, staff, subjects and results, extra-curricular activities and special educational requirements.
Key information which schools should be asked to provide, according to Fine Gael is: