Feeder tables Next week The Irish Times publishes its annual feeder-school league table, which tracks students' progression to high-points third-level courses. Although the data is not controlled for such factors as social advantage, the tables indicate a school's academic performance.

Inspection reports 7,191 such reports were published between June 2006 and May 2014. (Downloads are available at education.ie.) Inspection reports can be compared across schools, but it takes patience – and look for what's not reported as much as what is.

School improvement plans A new system, introduced this year, "aims to ensure that all schools will engage in robust self-evaluation with a focus on school improvement and accountability".

All schools are required to prepare reports and improvement plans, and to provide summaries each year. If you haven’t got one yet, ask for one.

Talk to schools Schools are obliged to share with parents details of how they are educating their children. This week countless parent-teacher meetings were held across the country. The conversation needn't end there.