Post Primary Education In Focus

The education of children leaving primary schools in NI was again in the spotlight yesterday.

As the grammar school groups which ran independent entrance exams for transferring primary school pupiles last year agreed to discuss the possibility of introducing a single test, there has been a low key 'welcome' to the Catholic Commission's plans to reform post-primary education.

It emerged last night that separate papers run by the Association for Quality Education (AQE) and the Post Primary Consortium meant some children had to sit more than one exam depending on their choice of school.

A meeting was held on Monday night at Methodist College in Belfast with representatives from almost all grammar schools to discuss the issue.

Former NI Civil Service boss, Sir Kenneth Bloomfield from the AQE said a decision needs to be made and quickly.

"A single system would be better for everybody.

Meanwhile, the Catholic sector has firmly ruled out any form of post-primary selection - despite there being a groundswell of opinion in a leading Catholic school to continue with some form of testing as was the case (unofficially) last year.

SDLP Education spokesperson Dominic Bradley MLA gave a guarded welcome to the Catholic Commission's plans to reform post-primary education.

Commenting on yesterday's proposals, he said: "The SDLP wants to see a situation in which post-primary schools become all-ability schools but we must have a structured transition from selection to an all-ability system.

"We want to see the end of unregulated tests and we believe that the short-term use of a CCEA test would help to achieve an orderly and structured transition.

"In the end of the day we need public policy to apply to all sections and to all schools and we need to agree a system which achieves this goal," he said.

"Details have yet to be revealed of the Commission's proposals as they apply to the various geographical areas.

"When they are known we will study them carefully and assess them in the light of their potential to provide a top-class education to all children at post-primary level," he said, cautiously.

Stormont Education Minister, Caitríona Ruane, has however, fully welcomed the consultation launched by the Commission for Catholic Education on post-primary education.

The Minister said: "The landscape is changing. The consultation on post-primary education from the Commission for Catholic Education comes at an appropriate time in the academic year. We have just had the unregulated tests results published by schools, which persisted in setting entrance barriers and parents have just finished choosing the post-primary school they want for their children this year.

"This review supports the previous statements from the Catholic Bishops regarding the ending of academic selection.

"While it offers a number of possible options in each area, the unifying factor is that Catholic education should no longer regard the selection and rejection of 11 year old children as an acceptable form of education," she said.

The Minister also welcomed the fact that the Commission's consultation takes into account the full range of education policies including the need for sustainable schools and the Entitlement Framework.

(BMcC/GK)