Exams still used to enrol students

IRISH second-level schools still use entrance exams and academic performance to decide which children to enrol into first year, an international report has suggested.

Schools are no longer allowed to use entrance tests or any criteria based on academic ability as part of their admission policy, under rules introduced in the mid-1990s and enshrined in the Education Act six years ago.

But the Education At A Glance 2004 report published by the OECD found that 7% of second-level students here attend schools where entrance examinations are used either always or sometimes as a factor when admitting students.