THIS weekend, more than most, there are a lot of angry secondary school principals out there. For the fifth year in a row, league tables ranking feeder schools for the main colleges in Ireland have been published. And, once again, they have failed to look at the bigger picture . . . Post-Leaving Cert courses, apprenticeships, the Access programme, colleges in the North and the UK, as well as school facilities and initiatives.

Parents maintain that the tables, charting the percentage rate each school has of pupils making it to third level, are invaluable when choosing a school for their child. But most principals maintain that until the lists are revised to present the bigger picture, the practice of cherry-picking students and the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged schools will only continue.

"The school league tables are totally absurd and they have distorted the facts completely, " said Paul Fiorentini, principal of Carndonagh Community School in Donegal, which caters for around 900 children and which, according to the latest tables, sent 34% of its pupils to third level.

"There is a huge imbalance on how they treat the pupils, namely that they won't count the students who go to study in the North or in the UK. It doesn't give the full picture at all, especially when it comes to a school like ours."

When pupils studying in the North and in the UK are taken into account, 66% of Carndonagh's pupils went on to third-level education last year.

The school has disadvantaged status and an open admittance policy, by which all students are accepted regardless of their ability or background.

"We represent the real community in that we don't discriminate against any kind of pupil, " said Fiorentini. "The only entrance exam our students get is to see if they will need any additional help. We are situated in an area that has no links with Dublin and which is small and isolated with limited industry and employment prospects. We are frequently forgotten about. But, despite this, we are punching above our weight. We are providing the whole package . . . all DES programmes, Junior Cert, standard Leaving Cert and vocational and applied, PLC with all the extra-curricular and pastoral supports . . . and we are still punching above our weight. We are getting the majority of our students to college or further education. It's frustrating when these facts are distorted."

Incomplete data

Padraig Duffy, principal of St Macartan's College for boys in Monaghan, has been making the same point for years, so much so, he says, that he is "worn out" having the argument.

St Macartan's got a ranking of 52% this year, but if colleges in the North and the UK had been included, this would have risen to 77%.

"We had 30 students who went to the North to universities like Queen's and University of Ulster, " said Duffy.

"I wrote toThe Irish Times in advance of the school league tables publication to point out that they would have to include these colleges. I didn't hear anything back and, once again, they have decided to base their tables on incomplete data. It is very disappointing."

Added Fiorentini: "Our guidance counsellors contacted colleges in the North and the UCAS system to see if there would be any problem supplying statistics to the league tables. They said it could easily be done."

The exclusion of Northern statistics is just one issue of many when it comes to the league tables, however. This year, Westland Row CBS, Dublin was one of nine schools in the country (and all situated in the capital) that was designated as sending 0% of its students on to third level.

An inner-city school made up entirely of students from a disadvantaged background and with a high proportion of non-national pupils, Westland Row caters for 135 students, 17 of whom sat the Leaving Cert this year. Four of these, two Irish pupils, one Russian and one Brazilian, are now studying in Trinity College.

But why were they not included in the statistics? Because they came through the Access Programme . . . a nationwide initiative whereby academically-inclined students from disadvantaged backgrounds who would not otherwise go to college are admitted to the course of their choice, once they have completed a pre-degree year.

"Of the 17 pupils who left us this year, only one went straight into the world of work, " said principal Ken Duggan. "Apart from the Access students, the rest all went into PLC courses such as beauty therapy and engineering. Others are doing apprenticeships. To say then that 0% of our students went to college is wrong, but we have much bigger problems to worry about here."

Lack of funding

Six years ago, only 9% of Westland Row's students stayed on to do their Leaving Cert. This year, that figure is 90% . . . a 10-fold increase. During that time-frame, the school's population has risen by 50%. It has halved its absenteeism rate and now has a minuscule drop-out rate, but resources from the Department of Education are still lacking, according to Duggan.

"We have had no educational psychologist for the last three years, " he said. "The only time we hear from the National Education Welfare Board is when they want to send more students to my school. Because I have only 135 pupils, the Department won't give me a canteen or even new toilets. We work hard here to give our students the best possible start in life, and we are very hurt at how our school has been neglected by the Department of Education."

At the other end of the school league table scale is Colaiste Eoin, Stillorgan, Co Dublin which scored 100% in this year's league tables and came fourth in the country. Unlike the vast majority of schools who do this well, however, (the Institute of Education, Gonzaga, Clongowes Wood College), Colaiste Eoin is not fee-paying and takes students from a broad range of backgrounds.

Principal Sean O Leidhin attributes several factors to the school's success, but emphasises that there is an exceptional ethos in the school.

"It is not just any school, " he said.

"Parents make a conscious choice to send their children to a Gaelscoil and Colaiste Eoin is no exception. It can sometimes be inconvenient and difficult for them, but they are committed and they are willing to make that choice."

The pupils are willing to do the same, or so it would seem. While the school takes pupils from as far away as Roundwood, Co Wicklow and north Dublin, the majority come from local national gaelscoileanna.

Colaiste Eoin may not receive more funding from the Department of Education than Westland Row, but its parents are willing and, crucially, able to do extensive fundraising. In the coming week, during their annual Sale of Work, they hope to raise 30,000 for the running of the school.

"The parents are wonderful. They are supportive, committed and generous with their time and money, " said O Leidhin, pointing out that four of the top 10 schools are non-fee paying gaelscoileanna. "This is a testimony to the success of the partnership that exists between home and school."

Jobstown Community College in Tallaght has had several successes in recent years that belie the 18% ranking it received in the school league tables. When the school opened in 1986, Jobstown had one university graduate in the entire community. Now each year, around 20 students are progressing to third level education.

The college, in conjunction with two other local schools, runs a number of initiatives to keep students in school and prepare them for the working world. One of the most successful of these to date is the Adult and Continuing Education (ACE) programme with the Institute of Technology (IT) in Tallaght. Each year, up to 15 of the brightest students from the school are given six hours' extra tuition and paid 50 a week to not work part-time. Those who make it to third level also receive an award of 500 and extra support from the IT.

Dramatic changes

"We work with the parents and make sure students know all about how to get the grants they are entitled to and about CAO forms, " said school principal Ronan Connolly.

"We bring in specialists from colleges and from the Vocational Education Committee to give talks. We also have the Junior Achievement Programme where students are taught how to prepare a CV and are given work experience. It's all about keeping them in school and preparing them for the real world."

The school league tables are not indicative of what Jobstown Community College has to offer, Connolly feels. "The figures can vary widely from year to year and of course, they don't include PLCs, which many of our students have gone on to do degrees from, " he said. "A few years ago we were at 43% in the tables; it's not really important. The main thing for us is that more students than ever before are making it to third-level education and we want to continue with that."

Back in Donegal, Paul Fiorentini feels the same. "We're not Dublin 4 and we're very happy with that, " he said. "Teaching has changed dramatically in the last few years and I'm very proud of the staff and pupils of this school. We just don't need school league tables to distort what we are doing, because we're doing very well."

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LEAGUE TABLES

In Colaiste Eoin, Stillorgan, emphasis is placed on extra-curricular activities, with hurling, football, basketball and athletics played outside school hours. The gaelscoil has music clubs and strong debating teams in Irish, English, French and German.

Carndonagh Community School in Donegal has an all-weather GAA pitch, a new stage in its concert hall, a library, computer suites and an athletics and soccer "eld, which should be complete by Christmas. Almost all of these have been funded partly, or entirely, by local fundraising.

"We are determined to do our best for our pupils and our way of thinking is that if the Department is not going to provide 100% funding, we will go the distance ourselves, " said principal Paul Fiorentini.

Meanwhile, CBS Westland Row had its request for a canteen for its pupils turned down by the Department of Education because it doesn't have the numbers required to make it worthwhile.

Principal Ken Duggan hears the same answer to most of his requests . . . new toilets and funding for electricity costs included. Fundraising among parents is not generally an option, given their socio-economic background.

"All I'm asking for is a level playing "eld, " he said. "At the moment, the DEIS programme (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) is just not doing it, because it's just not being concentrated in the areas it's needed.

Instead, the money is being divided around among schools that are much better off, while there is still a category of schools which need more support. We are one of those."

THE 'A' GRADE SCHOOLS schools with 85% or more who go on to college

ULSTER
Loreto College, Cavan 95%

CONNACHT
Yeats College, Galway 100% Corran Coll, Ballymote 100% Clochar Iosa &Muire, Enniscrone 97% Our Lady of Mercy, Loughrea 91% Ardscoil Mhuire, Ballinasloe 89% Vocational School, Grange 86% Colaiste na Coirbe, Galway 85% Mean Scoil Ard na Mara, Kinvara 85%

MUNSTER
Colaiste Phadraig, Castleisland 100% Colaiste Chnoic Iosaif, Roscrea 100% Mean Scoil Iosaif Naofa, Abbeyfeale 100% Colaiste Stiofan Naofa, Cork 100% Laurel Hill Secondary Sch, Limerick 100% Bruce College, Limerick 96% Salesian College, Pallaskenry 96% Ard Scoil Iognaid Ris, Limerick 95% Scoil Pol, Kilmallock 93% Colaiste na Spioraid Naoimh, Cork 92% Hamilton High School, Bandon 92% Limerick Tutorial Centre, Limerick 89% Presentation Secondary Sch, Tralee 89% Colaiste Mhuire, Ennis 88% Presentation College, Cork 88% Glenstal Abbey, Murroe, Co Limerick 88% Convent of Mercy, Mallow 86% Laurel Hill Colaiste FCJ, Limerick 86% Ursuline Convent, Waterford 85% Presentation Sec Sch, Mitchelstown 85%

DUBLIN SOUTH
Institute of Education, Leeson St 100% Gonzaga College, Ranelagh 100% St Killian's Deutsche S, Clonskeagh 100% St Mary's College, Rathmines 99% Loreto College, St Stephen's Green 98% Blackrock College, Blackrock 98% High School, Rathgar 96% Muckross Park, Donnybrook 95% Mount Anville, Dundrum 94% Teresian School, Donnybrook 94% Loreto High School, Rathfarnham 93% St Michael's College, Ballsbridge 91% Sandford Park, Ranelagh 91% CUS, Leeson Street 89% St Conleth's College, Ballsbridge 88% Loreto Secondary School, Foxrock 87% Our Lady's Grove, Goatstown 86% King's Hospital, Palmerstown 86%

LEINSTER (outside dublin)
Clongowes Wood, Co Kildare 100% Gaelscoil, Easca, Carlow 97% Presentation DLS, Bagenalstown 92% St Joseph's Summerhill, Athlone 92% Loreto Convent, Kilkenny 91% Sacred Heart, Sunnyside, Drogheda 87%

DUBLIN NORTH
Vocational School, Finglas 100% Belvedere College, Gt Denmark St 96% Holy Faith, Clontarf 89%