School Admissions Guide Handed Down

Within hours of schools being closed for the summer vacation the Department of Education has published long-awaited official new Transfer guidance for admissions to post-primary schools.

The move came as the NI Education Minister, Sinn Fein's Caitriona Ruane shrugged off a 'resign' call and also defended her party's decision not to take part in weekly talks involving the four other main parties who are attempting to find an agreed way forward for the thorny school transfer issue.

"The place for discussion in the Assembly is the Education Committee and Sinn Fein is at the Education Committee," the Minister said.

"Because some parties did not get their way in the Committee, they decided to set up another group," she said, explaining this was why she would not be in attendance.

In an interview on radio station, U105 at the weekend, the Minister was also asked about a call from the Belfast Telegraph for her to resign which was backed by politicians from the unionist parties.

She claimed that the resignation call was part of "a concerted and often personalised campaign" by the Telegraph against her and the following Monday, in defiance of those holding continuing talks on the issue, had the Department of Education publish her new Transfer guidance - despite the schools all being shut for the holidays.

However, there are few surprises as the Guidance reaffirms the policy of the Department of Education not to include academic admissions criteria in its recommended admissions criteria.

Indeed, the statement underlined that State-funded post-primary schools' Boards of Governors "should not exclude children through the use of the socially divisive and educationally unsound practice of academic selection".

Once again, the first criterion is that applicants who are entitled to Free School Meals should be given priority, followed by those who have a sibling currently attending the school or applicants who are the eldest child.

Then applicants from a feeder/named primary school are to be considered followed by those residing in a named Parish (with nearest suitable school), applicants residing in a named catchment Area (with nearest suitable school), and then applicants for whom the school is the nearest suitable school.

However, the majority of grammar schools are continuing to defy the Minister's pronouncements by taking part in a privately funded scheme for academic selection to fill much sought-after places in their schools.

See: 'Decisive' 11-plus Move Promised At Stormont

(BMcC/GK)