Education

Testing times

Testing times

Since 2008, when primary school pupils sat the last official transfer test, the education sector has increasingly become embroiled in turmoil. Caitríona Ruane has insisted the exam was “out-dated and unfair” and a four-party group, excluding Sinn Féin, has called for reinstatement until a solution is agreed. agendaNi reviews the situation.

“There will be no more state-sponsored testing of 10-year old children,” was the Education Minister’s latest response to the four-party 11-plus talks group, which stated, on 12 February, that a CCEA test should be used in the interim period before a permanent way is agreed to alleviate the post-primary transfer problem.

The last CCEA official transfer test was sat in November 2008, but in November 2009 almost 14,000 pupils from 70 Catholic and Protestant grammar schools sat the unregulated AQE and GL Assessment exams, contrary to the regulations set down by the department.

Those regulations had come in the form of Ruane’s ‘Transfer 2010’ guidelines in June 2009 that schools were “obliged to have regard for.” The first entrance criteria was that pupils entitled to free school meals be admitted in proportion to that group’s overall applications. Following that, admissions would be chosen by considering other siblings at the school, feeder primary schools, the nearest suitable school, parish, catchment area or random selection.

By introducing regulations rather than legislation, Ruane by-passed the need for the proposals to be passed by the Executive or the Assembly, where cross-party support does not exist.

In 2008, Ruane had made the “reluctant compromise” to retain the transfer test for a three-year transition period after which it would be phased out. Last month she pointed out: “These proposals were not even discussed by the Executive and had to be withdrawn.”

She criticised the four-party group reintroducing a similar plan and claimed that “significant progress” has been made under ‘Transfer 2010’. She also stated that an “increasing number” of parents have decided not to put their children through the tests and that “some” grammar schools have “indicated their intention to stop using entrance tests.”

The four-party group (Alliance, SDLP, DUP and UUP) has created an educators group to work in parallel with them to come up with a solution. It is co-chaired by former Head of St Joseph’s College in Belfast, Michelle Markem, and former Head of Royal School Dungannon, Paul Hewitt.

Part of the transfer debate is the issue of area based planning, which opens up another contentious area for the conflicted parties in the Assembly.

First announced in 2007, area based planning is about anticipating the future education needs of an area and planning to meet those needs. Its central objective is to provide “a sufficiency of education places through the appropriate mix of facilities, of the right size, in the right locations.”

The options put forward for public consultation by education and library boards in 2007, outlining school closures and possible amalgamations, were met with an angry public and political reaction. Long-established schools, particularly in rural areas, pledged to fight for their continued existence. The idea of selection at age 14 was also put forward, but there is little mention of this now.

The Bain report in 2006 first introduced the necessity of area based planning and suggested that planning for the education estate should also incorporate “other fields such as health, social services, adult education, youth provision, sports, arts and recreation and community regeneration and development.”

This could lead to further disagreement between parties and those with vested interests in the various sectors.

The four-party group has recognised “the need for the further development of area-based planning” but warns: “There is currently a mixed provision of options and it is unlikely that a one-size-fits-all approach to transfer will be acceptable.”

A meeting with the First and Deputy First Minister to discuss the transfer issue is next on the four-party group’s agenda.

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