Northern Ireland

Michelle O'Neill says transfer tests should not go ahead

Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said this morning that transfer tests should not go ahead. Picture by Sinn Fein/PA Wire
Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said this morning that transfer tests should not go ahead. Picture by Sinn Fein/PA Wire Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said this morning that transfer tests should not go ahead. Picture by Sinn Fein/PA Wire

Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill has said primary school transfer tests should not proceed.

Ms O'Neill made the call following demands over the weekend for urgent action to be taken over controversial plans to press ahead with the tests, the first of which is due to be held this Saturday.

Chris Lyttle, the Chair of Stormont’s Education Committee, voiced concern as it emerged both the Association of Quality Education (AQE) and the Post Primary Transfer Consortium (PPTC) are to hold tests despite the coronavirus pandemic.

This is despite primary school pupils being taught remotely in the week from Monday 4 to Friday 8 January.

The first AQE test is due to be held this Saturday, January 9, with two more later in the month while the first PPTC,or GL exam, is scheduled for January 30 followed by a supplementary test on February 6.

Mr Lyttle said there are real concerns about plans to continue with the tests.

“There is legitimate concern as to how, in this exceptional situation, it is safe or legal to sit this test and yet understandably many pupils and parents also just want to be done with it," Mr Lyttle said.

“A definitive statement from the education minister, AQE, PPTC and host schools to confirm how mass indoor testing can take place within legal compliance of the current regulations is urgently needed."

The Alliance MLA said clarity is needed.

"It is my understanding that the Department of Education has not permitted schools to return P7 pupils to school next week other than for vulnerable and key worker children supervised learning.

“It is clearly unacceptable for pupils, parents and teachers to be put in this position and those responsible need to provide urgent clarity on these serious matters."

Sinn Féin MLA Karen Mullan has said that plans to conduct unofficial transfer tests should be scrapped.

“The transfer test is an unofficial and unregulated exam provided by private companies," she said.

"The fact that private companies will be running these tests in some of our schools raises a number of health and safety concerns.

“Private companies should not be permitted to bring large groups of children from different households and different class bubbles together during a dangerous pandemic."

SDLP education spokesman Daniel McCrossan said the decision to proceed with the transfer test is “outrageous”.

“I was deeply disappointed and angry at the recent announcement from AQE that they intend to proceed with transfer tests," he said.

"This decision is disgraceful and will put pupils and staff in danger.”

“I have been clear for some time that it is completely irresponsible to proceed with these unofficial tests.

"However, in the context of a huge surge in covid cases and presence of a variant, it is nothing short of negligent.”

He urged Mr Weir to "realize he has a duty of a care to our young people and intervene to cancel these tests".

Professor Siobhan O'Neill, interim mental health champion, has said she was ‘shocked' at the AQE move.

She said: "It adds to the mental health implications of the tests, we already have children under significant pressure as a result of the pandemic," she said.

"Then you have the pressure of the test and now on top of that we have this additional fear and worry. I think it is unacceptable."

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr programme First Minister Arlene Foster said it is important to get children back into the classroom.

"I certainly don't want to be in a position of keeping our young people at home," she said.

"It is important that we get young people into schools again, but we have to have remote learning for a short period of time and I hope it is a short period of time."

Mrs Foster added: "We will do all that we can to keep pupils in school.

"We do recognise that with this new mutant version of Covid-19 there are difficulties and it transmits among younger people, and we have to take that into consideration."