Scoil Mhuire is top Cork school for sending students to college

FOUR Cork schools made the top 20 on a list of the best ‘feeder schools’ in Ireland.

The annual guide measures schools on their students progression on to third level education across a three-year period.

With 400 schools nationwide included in the ‘Sunday Times Best Schools Guide’ this year, four Cork secondary schools made the top 20.

Scoil Mhuire, Sidney Place, was ranked the number one fee-paying school on this year’s list with 96.6% of all students progressing on to third level education and 89.6% of students progressing on to university.

The survey found the 389-student all-girls school has a student-teacher ratio of 19 to 3.

Scoil Mhuire also ranked number two on the overall list of best schools nationwide, coming second to Laurel Hill Coláiste, a non-fee paying, all-girls gaelscoil in Limerick.

The Presentation Brothers College, Mardyke, ranked at number seven on the list with 83.5% of its students progressing on to universities and 100% of its students progressing on to third level education. Christian Brothers College, Sidney Hill ranked at number eight on the list with 83.4% of the school’s students progressing onto universities and 100% of students progressing on to third level education.

Mount Mercy College on Model Farm Road featured at number 20 on the list, with 76.8% of its students progressing on to third level education.

The majority of secondary schools included in the top 10 schools this year are fee-paying schools, prompting Cork North–Central Solidarity TD Mick Barry to call for equal footing in education. “Like many people, I want to see a far more equal society and you cannot have an equal society while wealthy parents can purchase a better education and a better start in life for their children as opposed to everyone else,” Deputy Barry said.

“An immediate measure that a left-government would implement, to strike a blow against this inequality, would be to end state subsidies for private-fee paying schools.”