QUEENSLAND Catholic Education Commission (QCEC) executive director Joe McCorley said the recently released outcomes tables for Queensland secondary schools should be kept in perspective.
In congratulating Catholic secondary schools on the outcomes, published earlier this month, Mr McCorley cautioned against the information promoting unfair comparisons between schools or a “narrow” view of education.
“Catholic schools generally performed well in achieving pleasing OP, VET qualifications and school based apprenticeship outcomes,” Mr McCorley said.
“However, I would encourage the community to see this information not as the ‘be all and end all’ of school performance or to use it to make comparisons between schools which are faced with many different circumstances.
“There is no doubt this information will be of interest to parents and others in the community but it should not be considered in isolation,” he said.
Mr McCorley said the information also risked promoting a narrow view of education.
“In addition to striving for excellence in academic outcomes, Catholic schools are committed to the holistic development of students and their formation in the Catholic Christian tradition,” he said.
Several Catholic school principals spoke of what the results meant in their school newsletters before Easter.
Catholic schools that performed particularly well in the tables were St Rita’s College, Clayfield; Trinity College, Beenleigh and St Patrick’s College, Gympie.
St Peter Claver College, Riverview principal Kerry Mulkerin said the data confirmed his school as one of the leading providers of secondary education in the Ipswich region.
It revealed that 75 per cent of St Peter Claver Year 12s gained an OP of 1-15, placing the college third highest in the region.
It also showed that 95 per cent of QTAC (Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre) applicants received an offer of a tertiary place.
St Thomas More College, Sunnybank principal Chris Noonan said he was happy with the results achieved by St Thomas’s 2005 seniors.
He said they were comparable to other schools in the area.
However, he added, “Schools don’t get OPs, students do.”
Lourdes Hill College, Hawthorne principal Narelle Mullins said the data showed an impressive number of Year 12 students from her school had been granted a tertiary offer and that its students’ vocational educational skills were well regarded.
“But data alone is not sufficient in answering whether a school is a good school or not,” she said.
