In a highly significant move, the main second-level teachers' union has challenged the Conference of Religious in Ireland (Cori) to explain what it calls the socially divisive nature of some Cori schools.
The demand from ASTI's general secretary, John White, follows publication in The Irish Times yesterday of Department of Education figures that appear to show that some schools "cherry-pick" students.
The department list for Dublin schools shows there is little provision for special needs in many well-known fee-paying schools.
The figures were published as part of coverage of the main feeder schools for third level.
Yesterday Labour's spokeswoman on education, Jan O'Sullivan, welcomed the broadening of The Irish Times feeder schools survey to include institutes of technology rather than just traditional universities and colleges.
But in a reference to the special needs list, she also said: "It is clear schools are ducking their responsibilities towards special needs pupils."
Mr White said schools that were selective, either by social class or academic ability, would clearly do better in feeder schools lists tables.
"The question that anybody interested in the education of all of our children must ask is how many special needs students and how many pupils from disadvantaged areas are in what the newspapers entitle 'top schools'," said Mr White.
"The Conference of Religious in Ireland are noticeably silent about the socially divisive nature of some of their schools.
"By definition, schools which select, either covertly or overtly, by way of academic tests or by ability to pay fees will send more pupils to third level than schools which accept the whole social cohort of pupils."
Ms O'Sullivan welcomed the survey given the information vacuum on second-level schools.
"There has been a clear improvement in the statistics for non-fee-paying schools, suggesting one of two things: either the system is becoming slightly more egalitarian, or schools are beginning to cherry-pick their pupils in order to send more students to third level," she said.
"The knock-on effect of this is that pupils with special needs suffer, as their particular requirements are ignored in preference to catering for those students more likely to perform well in their Leaving Certificate exams.
"Minister Hanafin has admitted as much, yet seems unprepared to use the powers available to her under Section 29 of the Education Act which allows for regulations for a more balanced intake of children to schools.
"Using this provision would actively allow the Minister to prevent the practice of cherry-picking by second-level schools."
Fine Gael's Olwyn Enright said parents should not have to rely on the media to get important information on how schools operate.
"The publication of the ranking of feeder schools for third-level institutes and universities will be of interest to many parents.
"However, in addition I believe that all schools should make detailed and comprehensive information available to parents as a matter of course, and should publish this information in an annual report updated at the end of each academic year."
