Bishops Question 11+ Strategy

Catholic bishops have accused The NI Education Minister Caitriona Ruane of creating "fear, uncertainty and instability" by her lack of clarity on proposals for school selection.

The northern bishops say they are disappointed that, as another school year ends, key aspects of the Stormont Minister's plans remain unclear.

In what amounts to their "end-of-term statement", the bishops said there was confusion among parents and teachers.

Fr Timothy Bartlett, the bishops' spokesman, said that the bishops thought many people were still unclear about many key elements: "There is an atmosphere of unresolved debate," he said.

"Their key call is for everybody involved to create an atmosphere of respectful debate and commit themselves to conclude these issues for the sake of children, essentially, and also for schools, teachers and parents."

However, in their statement they said they had "scrupulously avoided endorsing the perspective of any political party or specific structures to replace the 11-plus".

But they said Catholic primary schools should only use testing methods that come from statutory bodies.

However, earlier this year, Lumen Christi College in Co Londonderry said it will introduce its own 11 plus-style selection test when the education reforms are implemented next year.

Although the Education Minister Caitriona Ruane said at the time that she was disappointed - and expressed concerns over the legality of the school's policy on admissions - the school Principal, Pat O'Dogherty said his school's plans were "interim proposals" and that there had to be compromise.

"The legal position is that academic selection will remain, subject to a vote by the Assembly and obviously all the arrangements we have put out are interim arrangements in the expectation that there will be some form of academic selection accepted by the Department."

Adding to the confusion - and after months of insisting that there would be no return to the axed 11-plus, NI Education Minister Caitríona Ruane revealed her 'new' plan in May this year - to continue academic selection for another three years.

The Sinn Fein Minister insisted that she still had a "vision that there will be no academic selection" and she was prepared to take the steps needed to achieve that, and therefore her plan to continue academic selection for another three years was a "difficult move".

She instead proposed a form of testing to continue for the three years, but to impose a new limit on the number of pupils grammar schools can take on that basis - leading to yet more confusion.

See: Derry School Takes 11 Plus Into Own Hands

See: 11-plus Lives On!

(BMcC)