11 January 2001 Edition
McGuinness scraps sch1ool league tables
Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness has scrapped school performance league tables in the Six Counties, saying they were bad for teacher morale and were divisive.
McGuinness, the North's Education minister, announced his decision on Wednesday 10 January and said he was doing away with the performance tables as a result of an extensive consultation exercise involving educational organisations, teachers' unions, teachers, schools and parents.
According to McGuinness, over 1,000 responses were received by his department during the consultation process and 75% of these opposed publication of the league tables.
``The performance tables were divisive and failed to offer schools the opportunity to give parents a rounded picture of the school,'' he said.
The consultation process also showed that the majority favoured the option of allowing schools to provide information directly to parents and arrangements are already in place to allow this to happen this year.
McGuinness, the North's Education minister, announced his decision on Wednesday 10 January and said he was doing away with the performance tables as a result of an extensive consultation exercise involving educational organisations, teachers' unions, teachers, schools and parents.
According to McGuinness, over 1,000 responses were received by his department during the consultation process and 75% of these opposed publication of the league tables.
``The performance tables were divisive and failed to offer schools the opportunity to give parents a rounded picture of the school,'' he said.
The consultation process also showed that the majority favoured the option of allowing schools to provide information directly to parents and arrangements are already in place to allow this to happen this year.