St Dominic’s hits the 50 per cent for third level
By Maurice Garvey
RESULTS of the Irish Times ‘Feeder Schools 2018’, revealed St Dominic’s College, Ballyfermot, had the highest percentage (50 per cent) of students progressing to third-level education in the Dublin 10 area.
The report tracks student progression to third-level education, and also revealed that St Dominic’s had the highest number of students (54) completing traditional Leaving Certificate exams in the area.
Students from St Dominic's in Ballyfermot
School administrators attribute the achievement to the ongoing efforts of the school community and college-going culture amongst students.
This year’s 50 per cent progression to third-level education was an improvement on the school’s 2017 figure of 47 per cent.
The school also had a further 27 per cent of students continue to colleges of further education, which brought their overall progression rate to 77 per cent.
St Dominic’s say that the remaining students have either started work, taken a gap year or are in alternative education programmes.
Recently retired principal, Mary Daly, who worked closely with the group, said she was proud of their success” and “looks forward to following their progress”.
Principal of St Dominic’s College, Sarah Green believes the progression rates published are a narrow lens used to compare schools in an area.
“While we are delighted and proud to celebrate our school’s successful progression, I believe that our success is largely attributed to the holistic Dominican education we provide for the young ladies of Ballyfermot,” said Ms Green.
“Nowadays, students’ positive experiences in school is as important as their exam results and pathway of progression, and so school success should really be measured in a broader way to reflect this.”
St Dominic’s cited numerous support structures, including that of Allianz Worldwide Care Park West, DPS Engineering’s Aspire2 programme, UCD Access Centre and the Dominican Ministry Fund.
Recently, St Dominic’s students from first to sixth year, enjoyed a range of activities via a college awareness week, which featured talks from leading female businesswomen and sports stars.
