Academic selection despite opposition
ACADEMIC selection for post-primary schools in Northern Ireland is continuing despite strong opposition from the education department.
Advertisements have been placed in newspapers by the Post-primary Transfer Consortium (PPTC) inviting the parents or guardians of children in this year's P7 intake to register for post-primary entrance assessments in maths and English.
The PPTC, comprised of mainly Catholic grammars, represents 34 schools offering their own unofficial test.
Another body, the Association of Quality Education (AQE), which represents 34 mainly non-Catholic grammars, will also be setting a series of entrance tests.
The latest Department of Education guidance to schools reaffirms its opposition to the process.
Caitriona Ruane's department says: "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."
Billy Young, a former head teacher of Belfast Royal Academy and a spokesman for the AQE, says the minister should not be focusing solely on post-primaries "as the source of the difficulties" in education.
"Quite often Caitriona Ruane comes on television and points out what she sees as the faults with the system of academic selection.
"My view is that a lot of the failures talked about by the minister can be traced back to primary schools.
"Primaries across the country are doing a tremendous job in dealing with a large number of children having trouble with basic reading and writing, and the minister should be focusing on what can be done to help them instead."
Mr Young defended the use of the unofficial tests and said they were not elitist.
"What is good about our post-primary system is that the grammar schools cater for those who are ready to be stretched. The current system allows people to adapt at different stages."
Around 13,000 local P7 pupils are expected to take the selection tests this time.
Mr Young added: "Primary schools are more comfortable with the tests now, but we are still talking with the PPTC in the hope of having a single body setting a standard entrance test for next year.
"The AQE test will cost parents around 38 but will still be free for those entitled to free school meals.
"Our tests are marked by around 100 people who have to be paid – unlike the PPTC test which is electronically marked – hence the need to charge the fee," he said.
The PPTC sets a single test which is being held on Saturday November 20 this year.
AQE has yet to finalise the dates for its series of three separate tests. Under the AQE system, the best two results from the three tests are considered as the final score.
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Thursday 09 February 2012
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