The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) today warned that the publication of school ‘feeder’ lists risk distorting the true meaning of education. The union believes that inclusive schools which embrace all learners in the local community are unfairly represented by so narrow a focus on third level progression.
Speaking today, TUI General Secretary John MacGabhann said:
“Feeder schools lists promote a view that a school’s success is solely dependent on students achieving entry to third level courses that require high points.
We believe that a school’s mission is more expansive, inclusive and generous than such a narrow vision suggests.
Each individual student is unique and each has an individual set of talents. For many, completion of the Leaving Certificate itself is a major achievement. They may, for example, be the first generation of their family to do so. Others may have special educational needs and more again may be relative newcomers to Ireland with a first language other than English. The struggles and hugely impressive personal achievements of such students cannot be translated into cold, tabulated data.
School feeder lists do not provide information on whether individual schools offer programmes such as the Leaving Certificate Applied or Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme. Nor do they provide information on students who have successfully progressed to apprenticeships, Further Education Courses or other colleges not comprehended by a very rigid definition of third level.
If third level access rates were the only indicator of the success or otherwise of a school, the true meaning of education would be severely distorted.
The publication of these lists inevitably leads to unfair comparison that is hugely damaging to the inclusive school that admits all the children of the community.“