Northern Ireland

Omagh and Enniskillen grammar schools scrap academic selection next year

Mount Lourdes Grammar School in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh. Picture by Gerry Knight
Mount Lourdes Grammar School in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh. Picture by Gerry Knight Mount Lourdes Grammar School in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh. Picture by Gerry Knight

MORE grammar schools in Northern Ireland have announced they will scrap academic selection for 2022.

Christian Brothers Grammar in Omagh, Co Tyrone, and Mount Lourdes Grammar and St Michael’s College in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, have said they will rule out the use of transfer tests due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

St Mary’s Christian Brothers Grammar School in west Belfast abandoned the use of transfer tests last month.

Some grammar schools in Derry, Newry, Kilkeel and Belfast have also ruled out using transfer tests this autumn.

In a joint statement from the Diocese of Clogher, the principals and governors of Mount Lourdes Grammar School and St Michael’s College said there had been “significant disruption to the education of pupils since March 2020, and understand that there may be further disruption for children throughout the remained of the 2021-22 academic year and beyond”.

They said they were “particularly aware of the impact of school closure on the current Primary 6 pupils who were also affected by school closure as Primary 5 pupils”.

Christian Brothers’ board of governors said that “in response to these unprecedented circumstances and to provide early clarity to families and schools, the board of governors has decided that academic criteria will not be used for admission to Year 8 in September 2022”.

The schools normally use results from the GL Assessment test which is run by the Post-Primary Transfer Consortium (PPTC).