Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 255: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her views on an educational publication (details supplied); her further views on the schools analysis therein; her advice to parents of children attending the lowest 100 schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39716/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware of the publication referred to by the Deputy. I am determined to provide more information, for parents in particular, about our schools, in a way that ensures a fair and comprehensive picture of all the different activities in a school.

As I have said on many occasions, I am strongly opposed to the publication of crude league tables based solely on examination or test results. Such tables provide an unbalanced and grossly limited indication of a school's performance.

In contrast to school league tables, I believe that school inspection reports from Whole School Evaluations (WSE) and other inspections, when read in their entirety, can provide balanced and well-informed information on schools. The Whole School Evaluation process involves an examination of all the varied activities of a school — from the quality of teaching and learning to the availability of extra-curricular activities and the implementation of policies in areas such as bullying, and health and safety. The inspection process also includes consultation with the school's board, parents and staff members, and, at second level, with the school's students.

Given the breadth of the contents of WSE reports, I believe that the publication of these and other school inspection reports could go a significant way to addressing the real needs of parents, students, teachers and others for better information on schools. The type of information provided in WSE reports will help parents who need accurate and balanced information.

I am confident that the considered and responsible approach that I am taking to the publication of inspection reports will lead to much greater availability of information on schools without inadvertently pitting schools serving entirely different communities against each other in crude comparisons of academic performance alone.

In addition, I am confident that the continuing expansion of services, such as supports for children with special needs and children whose first language is not English, and the significant increases in expenditure on capitation announced in the Estimates will greatly assist all schools in meeting the needs of their students and in further improving the quality of the education they provide.