‘Radical’ change being considered for transfer tests in schools in autumn

Schools who use transfer tests run by the Post-Primary Transfer Consortium (PPTC) are to consider “radical change” to the tests in the autumn.

It has emerged that a discussion paper from PPTC has asked schools to consider whether to use verbal reasoning tests to decide which pupils to admit in 2022.

The news comes after the pandemic disruption, and they are being suggested as an option instead of tests in English and Maths.

But it will be up to individual schools and the PPTC steering group to decide.

The separate transfer tests run by the PPTC and the Association for Quality Education (AQE) were cancelled in 2021.

The PPTC-run tests provided by GL Assessment are used, in the main, by Catholic grammar schools to select pupils.

However, some voluntary and controlled grammars - and integrated post-primaries - also use the PPTC tests to admit some pupils.

The PPTC discussion paper, seen by BBC News NI, said the organisation had to plan “several months ahead” for the 2021-22 transfer tests.