Sir, – Following the latest publication of school league tables, may I suggest that whoever compiles them reconsider their data analysis techniques?
Why present a percentage of Leaving Certificate candidates that went on to study at one of the seven universities in Ireland? This is a very narrow view of “success” and can often be misleading. In international schools, for instance, many students matriculate from Leaving Certificate with their first choice of third-level institution in another country, which is not reflected in the statistics.
Also, ascertaining the percentage of students that achieved their first preference in their CAO application would be a more valuable data set, especially in relation to judging the performance of schools.
Indeed, the real value of league tables (to parents choosing a school for their child, for example) must be questioned. I would love to know the percentages of students who, having accepted a place on a university course, finished their undergraduate studies on the same course and in the same institution. How many of the students in a school where 100 per cent entered one of the seven universities were guided by their schools into the wrong course? – Is mise,