04 December 2007

Funds Warning For Grammar Schools Testing At 11-plus

The traditional 11-plus transfer test will no longer be taking place, replaced instead by a new concept of transfer to secondary education at age 14.

Testing of Northern Ireland's P7 children will be scrapped from next year, the Assembly Education Minister has said.

The Sinn Fein MLA, Caitriona Ruane, said the test would be discontinued from next year and that, while her proposals were ambitious, they would end an "outdated and unequal education system" which labelled 11-year-olds as "failures".

The Assembly was told today (Tuesday), that 14 is now the key age and said the reforms would be "an opportunity to transform our education system into one fit for the 21st century", she told Assembly members.

“In my vision, young people will enjoy equal access to their post-14 educational pathway in a number of ways – as determined by the planning of education in their local areas," she said.

The Minister said the options include: access within an 11-19 school; transfer to an alternative 11-19 school; access through an 11-19 school or a post 14 school which offers the Entitlement Framework in collaboration with other schools or in a learning community; or a local area may offer general provision in 11-14 schools, followed by specialism and diversity in 14 plus provision.

However, where grammar schools and other schools that are over subscribed are concerned the Minister threw down a challenge on selection by ability.

She said that transfer should be based primarily on community, geographical and family criteria and noted: “Many grammar schools have been admitting a wide ability range for some years now and will receive all their pupils in September 2010 without regard to academic assessment.

“Some grammar schools may need some time and assistance to adjust to the new system outlined today. In my forthcoming discussions with them I hope to be able to reach an agreed way forward to facilitate the transition," she said.

However, she warned that while her hope is that all grammar schools would see a positive future for academic education in her vision for education she made a clear statement of intent and warned that they could have to 'do it alone' and said: "If any school chooses to operate independent admissions arrangements that lie outside the new system of transfer, I want to make it clear that there is no obligation on my department to assist with funding."

The future of academic selection has been the most contentious topic in education in Northern Ireland since former Education Minister – now Deputy First Minister - Martin McGuinness announced plans to scrap the 11-plus transfer test, five years ago.

The DUP raised the matter in the political negotiations that took place at St Andrews in Scotland and succeeded in staving off an outright ban on academic selection for a time.

While there is expected to be widespread opposition to the abolition by several interest groups, the move has been welcomed in some quarters.

The Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action, for example, has welcomes the decision to end academic selection at age 11, which they claimed has blighted the lives of hundreds of thousands of children over the decades.

“There are many problems in the education system and academic selection is at the heart of them,” said NICVA Chief Executive Seamus McAleavey.

“Time after time we have found that improvements to benefit all children have crashed on the rock of the 11-plus. NICVA believes we must give every child an opportunity to excel at school and to reach their full potential," he said.

NICVA believes that every child should move smoothly from primary to secondary education and gradually take more responsibility for choosing their options at age 14, 16 and 18, the NICVA boss added.

See: Challenge Issued On Post Primary Selection

(BMcC)