One family took their daughter out of her fee-paying secondary school in a town near Dublin because she really wasn't happy there, and sent her to one of the private senior-cycle schools in Dublin for her fifth and sixth years.

And though it cost them close to £3,000 a year in fees, and involved a killing commuting schedule (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.), her mother says "it was worth it".

What did they like about the new school? "It had a wider range of subjects and subject choice. Pupils were on a first-name basis with teachers who treated them like adults, and they responded better. There was better teaching, and much more contact, between parents and teachers."

Another family agreed reluctantly to let their son go to one of these schools when he flatly refused to go back to his fee-paying school after Transition Year, even after meetings with his teachers and other attempts to persuade him to stay. However, apart from having to fork out fees of £2,550 a year, they are all, again, very happy with the choice: they like the high level of personal contact and the fact that their son is treated like an adult, with responsibility for his own study.

The growing popularity of these schools is not simply fuelled by over-ambitious parents trying to "buy" high points. For many 16and 17-year-olds, it's a fashion trend; there are undoubted attractions, after all, about going to school in the centre of Dublin.

So what should a parent do if their child is underachieving at his or her own school, or is very unhappy there or begs to go to one of these schools? For many, the high fees will decide the matter - but faced with a child who is, for whatever reason, a square peg in a round hole, more than a few parents are somehow finding the money.

Most teachers, and the National Parents Council, are dismissive of the schools they term "cramming institutions". The ASTI refers back to a joint 1994 statement made with the NPC which says "secondary schools provide a broad balanced education. They cater for the social and personal needs of students . . . . "In these places, students follow a narrow exam-orientated curriculum without any regard for physical and health education, for spiritual development and for community involvement."

The statement denounces "glossy brochures and outrageous claims" and warns: "Parents with a real interest in the education of their children will avoid these institutions."

John Whyte of the National Parents Council (Post-Primary) says these schools don't provide a holistic education; in general, he says, students' school problems are not solved by moving schools. And the council is concerned, he says, that the schools contribute to the development of a two-tier education system.

A disproportionate number of calls to the NPC's day-after-the-Leaving helpline came from pupils in these schools, he says - suggesting that the schools were not there to help them once the school year is over.

However, the truth is that, because of the points system, the senior cycle in many second-level schools is narrow-focused on the Leaving Cert. Many parents might think that "broad balance" and "holistic education" that "caters for the social and personal needs of students" slips pretty far down the agenda in fifth and sixth years anyway.

The other explosive issue is "quality of teaching" and "school accountability": many parents and pupils now think of school as a service - and as modern consumers, if they don't like the service they're getting, they want choice. The private senior cycle schools, with lengthy periods of supervised study and, they would claim, better teaching, can help their children do the best they can, many parents believe.

The Institute of Education on Leeson Street has 150 pupils in fifth year and 300 to 400 in sixth year: it provides students with comprehensive study notes and a wide range of subjects and teachers to choose from - if they don't like one, they can choose another. Pupils must study in their free periods.

Nearby is the PUC, which has a total of 150 pupils between fifth, sixth and repeat Leaving classes. The vice-principal and career-guidance counsellor, Eileen O'Duffy, says it offers a high level of personal attention to students, with an average class sizes of 14, and a maximum of 20; it has extracurricular activities like theatre trips, debating and Model United Nation as well as sports; and it pays a lot of attention to study skills.

"Increasingly parents and students are looking for a higher quality of service," she says. PUC, which has been in business for 28 years, has a team of teachers who are paid more than the average and "a higher standard is expected".

Padraig O'Shea, owner and head of St Joseph's, a non fee-paying secondary school in Borrisoleigh, Co Tipperary, says, yes, there are some teachers in some second-level schools "whose teaching practice is poor".

Like the private senior-cycle schools, St Joseph's also gets many students moving from their local schools for senior cycle, coming from a radius of about 30 miles. O'Shea says it is because of its good results (it is within 6 per cent of Bruce College's published results, he says) and its range of subject choice. But how does he manage this without fees?

"I've built up a strong cohort of competent teachers and we have good teaching; there's co-ordination of teaching effort, and we have good timetabling."

He has 500 pupils of mixed ability in the school, including "students who wouldn't get a Leaving elsewhere". His school is a Catholic, layrun school that he started 21 years ago; his house is in the schoolyard and he has a high level of personal contact with pupils and parents.

IF PUPILS going into senior cycle are having problems of any sort in their own school, it seems probable that most parents would prefer a solution that didn't cost £2,500 a year.

If discussions with your school guidance counsellor or principal can't sort things out, the next step should be to see what's available in other reasonably accessible local schools.

If you are considering moving your child to one of the senior-cycle-only private schools, you should get as much information as possible before making a final decision - and word-of-mouth is probably a good guide. Your child will have information from friends who've made the move, but you should talk to their parents as well.

The words "buyer beware" seem suitable, for the schools are quite different from one another. Some have small class sizes, pay close personal attention to each student, and strongly supervise their activities; in others, some classes allegedly have as many as 150 pupils. (This might be suitable for college-age repeat Leaving students aiming to increase their points from 500 to 550, whose main interest might be in getting good notes, but is hardly going to be useful to weak or young students.)

Parents who take this step are, after all, just as interested in their children's education as most others - perhaps more so. Is it possible that other second-level schools could learn something by finding out why they quit the mainstream system?