A leaked Sinn Fein briefing paper has revealed the party is considering the possibility of new admissions criteria being issued to schools by Education Minister Caitriona Ruane, in the form of "guidance".

This would mean the Department of Education would provide schools with a new system to replace the 11-plus, without going to the Assembly to have it agreed by all and set in law.

The guidelines would also not include any form of academic selection.
It would then be down to individual schools to voluntarily adopt the framework.

But, crucially, those schools who wish to retain some form of selection will not be given the necessary funding to run a common entry test, or the money to fund the tricky and sometimes costly appeals against results.

Both the DUP and the Ulster Unionist Party, who have obtained the copy of the Sinn Fein paper, reacted by putting Sinn Fein on notice that if it decides to go down this "undemocratic" path, there will be a price to pay:

l The DUP will consider withholding funding from Ms Ruane's department.
DUP MLA and chairman of the Assembly's Education Committee said that, if the minister would not fund common entry tests, then she could find that the DUP – through its control of the Department of Finance – would withhold money from her and grant it to the grammar schools for the tests

l The UUP will withdraw cooperation between its Employment and Learning Department and the Education Department.
Sir Reg Empey threatened to pull back his officials from the area based planning review, which Ms Ruane setup to look locally at new admissions proposals

The DUP noted the Sinn Fein document admits what Ms Ruane has refused to admit; namely that academic selection is protected in law.
He commented: "It comes as no surprise that Caitriona Ruane, who must be one of the most petty, vindictive and ill-advised ministers in the Executive should be considering penalising those schools which defy her policy of abolishing academic selection.

"The Sinn Fein policy paper illustrates that the minister knows she cannot get her way on this issue (by changing the law protecting academic selection, through the Assembly), so she is lashing out at those who have thwarted her plans for the destruction of grammar schools."

Mr Wilson insisted the schools who will maintain academic selection are already factoring into their plans that the minister will not fund common entry tests.

But he then added: "There are, however, consequences for her."
This included, he said: "As Reg Empey has indicated, other ministers will find ways of stopping any cooperation with her other plans for education and there is always a possibility that the money she has allocated for the current test can be removed from her and given to schools through another method."

Sir Reg said: "I have become increasingly concerned that the Executive has had no substantive discussion on proposed changes to our education system.

"Apart from statements from the minister, there is no Executive position on what is for many the number one priority issue facing the Assembly," he said.

"In March I agreed that the Department of Employment and Learning would participate in the area based planning process put forward by the Minister of Education.

"I did so after the Executive agreed to hold a special meeting to discuss education and we were also told that the Education Minister I would supply a paper to the Executive."

This meeting is still to take place, he noted.