A CATHOLIC bishop has expressed concern that children's education has been affected by the Covid-19 lockdown - but stopped short of calling for a suspension of transfer tests.
The unregulated system of academic selection will mostly proceed this winter.
Some parents are worried about how ready their children will be for the papers in November and December.
A dozen schools, all but one of them Catholic grammars, have suspended the assessments for one year.
There is pressure on the remaining schools to follow suit.
The Irish News asked every Catholic grammar that has not suspended the exams if they would outline their position. Just one responded.
However, senior, well-placed sources said it would be correct to assume they would be held.
While some senior Catholic Church figures have entered into the debate, others have remained quiet.
Archbishop Eamon Martin and Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown both appealed to schools in their respective dioceses to suspend tests.
There are three diocesan colleges in Belfast - St Malachy's, Our Lady and St Patrick's and Aquinas - all of which appear to be proceeding with tests.
The Irish News asked Bishop of Down and Connor Noel Treanor if he believed schools should use non-academic criteria for one year, or agree to a longer-term phasing out of entrance tests.
Dr Treanor said the coronavirus pandemic had an extraordinary impact on pupils, families and the education of children in primary and post-primary schools around the world.
"Notwithstanding the innovative curricular support and pastoral care structures put in place by boards of governors, principals and teachers to assist pupils and parents, it is likely that this interruption to children's education will continue to affect progression into the next school year," he said.
"I share the concern, previously expressed by my colleagues, school principals, parents and others, that many children preparing to transfer to post-primary in 2021 may be adversely affected by the significant interruption to their education."
Dr Treanor said he had been in contact with the three Belfast grammar schools in diocesan trusteeship to express his interest and support for their work in these challenging times.
"I know and am assured by them that they have the welfare of all children as their primary concern," he said.
"I acknowledge the competence of the members of the boards of governors and have every confidence that they will monitor the situation and take all appropriate measures to respond to the impact of the pandemic upon the education of children.
"It is the competence and responsibility of each school's board of governors to set admissions criteria in line with the Department of Education regulations and guidance."
Dr Treanor commended governors, principals and teachers across the diocese for their response to the Covid-19 crisis.
"They have demonstrated an enduring professional commitment to supporting the education of children in new and creative ways, to supporting key workers in providing safe spaces for their children in their schools and to providing pastoral care to children and their families in the most difficult of times," he added.
