Q: I WOULD like my child to attend a local secondary school but I've been told by the two principals involved that I will have to pay £25 for my child to sit the entrance assessment next January. Should she get a place, I must then pay a nonrefundable deposit of between £50 and £75 to hold the place. I don't know what to do because I cannot afford to pay out all this cash to two schools but we need to secure a place for her.

- South Dublin parent

A: Since one of the schools you mentioned is a private school, they can do as they like even though the school gets a capitation grant from the Department for every child attending. So, they will charge both the entrance assessment fee and the deposit.

In the case of the second school which like 90 per cent of other second-level schools in the country is in the "free education system," they are not entitled to make the place for your child conditional on either charge. You could write to the Minister and this would be treated confidentially so that your child would not be singled out in any way.

Much of this problem arises from the fact that some parents, especially in south Dublin, have a child's name down in several local schools and hold the places as insurance until the last minute. Of course, it's then too late for the school to offer the place to another child. This is certainly working against children who are less well off.

You should approach the two other schools near you who are in the free scheme. As far as I know they do not charge for assessment or for reserving a place. However, they do charge a "voluntary contribution" to enable them to provide a better choice of subject and other facilities. If you cannot afford to pay this, you ask the principal if you could pay a lower amount or very little, depending on your circumstances.

Since you have two more girls coming up to second level, the school would probably be more than happy to meet you on this contribution.

You should complain about the entrance assessment fee and the fact that the reservation fee is non-refundable. If it were to be offset against the voluntary contribution then there would be some sense in it.

Q: I'm interested in studying at a Scottish university. I'm told that the Leaving Cert relates much better to their system than to any of the other British colleges. Could you explain this? What options do they provide?

- Westmeath student

A: You'll find the usual division in Scottish colleges between studies which lead directly to professional and vocational qualifications such as medicine, engineering or architecture and those which do not such as science, arts or business. All students must meet the particular vocational or professional requirements of the professional bodies for the first type of course.

However, for the second type there is much more flexibility. In most traditional Scottish universities, the faculty entry system operates and module-based studies allied to shared or common courses are generally offered for the first two years. Students are given a wide range of options before selecting final specialist studies.

For instance, in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews students are admitted not to a specific course but to a broad group of related subjects within a particular faculty such as arts, science, social sciences. Once applicants have met faculty entry requirements, it is the applicant who then decides in which of the faculty's departments they wish to study. So, if they are not entirely sure of the specialist study they want to take, they can experience non-school subjects at college or take up some which, though provided in school, were not taken by them.

This system allows students to study several subjects in the first two years leading to honours specialisations in years three and four in just one or two subjects. This means students make choices based on the experience of university rather than of school - the result is a more informed choice by a more mature student.

Newer universities such as Glasgow Caledonian, Napier, Paisley, Robert Gordon, etc, follow a course admission system. However, they still offer much flexibility in choice of specialisms.

There is some similarity between the Scottish system of Highers and the Leaving Cert. Students here generally take seven subjects - in Scotland they take six. A general rule of thumb is that one subject in Leaving Cert equates to one Scottish Higher.

Remember that specific requirements may be set such as higher maths and physics for engineering, or chemistry and two of maths, biology or physics for medicine or pharmacy.

Q: My son is in Junior Cert year and has been told that not all the students will be allowed to do Transition Year. I thought it was available for every student. I'd like him to do it.

- Wexford parent

A: The situation can vary from school to school. More half second-level schools are now providing a Transition Year option. Every student should have the option but some schools decided to provide it for only one group of the age cohort in the school. They may have felt that, because it is such an innovative programme, it would strain staff and resources to provide it for all.

The school may have decided to take one group as a learning experience for next year and increase the intake thereafter. There is no set syllabus - each school makes its own proposal to fit existing staff and facilities available both in the school and locally. The Department's Transition Year Support Team is there with help and advice.

Schools sometimes choose for Transition Year only those students who would be very young if they went straight on to Leaving Cert. Sometimes weaker students are included so that they can gain confidence and learn new skills. Other schools decide that it's in the best interests of all students to take the Transition Year so that all students reach their potential. You should check what exactly is your school's policy.

What would your son like to do? After all, it is he who will be staying in school an extra year in school. He must be comfortable with this. Some pupils like to go ahead and do the Leaving Cert after five years because they feel able or they may want to keep an option open on repeating the Leaving Cert at the other end.

There is no doubt that a well planned Transition Year is of enormous benefit to students both in their subject and career choice as well as in personal development.

Questions can be answered only through this column and not by phone or post. Write to Sile Sheehy, Education & Living, The Irish Times, D'Olier Street, Dublin 2 - or by e-mail to education@irish-times.ie