Minister wants schools to give parents more information

MOVES to provide more information to parents about their children’s schools are not a step towards the creation of league tables, Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe has claimed.

The minister told the Irish Examiner before Christmas of his plans to introduce regulations requiring schools to provide more specific information to parents about many aspects of their performance, including exam results, non-academic activities and other areas.

He spelled out his vision in a speech to Department of Education inspectors last night, where he stressed his strong belief in the importance of parents having good quality information about their schools. While he believes the publication of inspectorate reports on schools since 2006 has been positive, Mr O’Keefe said more information is needed.