Northern Ireland

Department of Education suggests grammar schools can use any admissions criteria they wish

With all 11-plus-style exams cancelled, schools are devising contingency criteria
With all 11-plus-style exams cancelled, schools are devising contingency criteria With all 11-plus-style exams cancelled, schools are devising contingency criteria

GRAMMAR schools can effectively chose whatever new admissions criteria they wish in the absence of entrance tests, it has been suggested.

With all 11-plus-style exams cancelled, schools are devising contingency criteria.

Some are keen to retain an element of academic selection, although Education Minister Peter Weir has cautioned there are "major problems" with this approach.

Lawyers too have said there is a duty to ensure fairness and that children are not unlawfully discriminated against.

It has been warned that failure to do this could lead to further disruption and legal challenges.

Schools have been told they can use non-academic criteria or "alternative data as a proxy for academic selection".

The Department of Education has so far been unable to say what these alternatives are.

Unions are alarmed at suggestions that some grammar schools are considering using results from mock transfer test papers or primary school assessments.

Mr Weir has pointed out that not every child takes standardised tests, meaning there would not be data available for all pupils.

Most children last sat these tests when in P5.

There are also several inconsistencies with mock transfer tests. They are not done in the same way, nor are they marked in the same way.

Papers are all commercially available and there will often be cases in which someone has purchased a specific practice test and taken it multiple times before sitting it again in school.

Asked if it could direct a school not to use any specific criterion, the department would only say admissions were a matter for boards of governors.

The department publishes guidance for schools on the process of transfer to post-primary education. This guidance lists admissions criteria that are recommended and those that are not. There is no mention made in this guidance of primary school tests being used for academic selection purposes.

"In line with legislation, boards of governors and not the department hold responsibility for drawing up the criteria they wish to use to select pupils for admission," a spokeswoman said.

"They must, however, ‘have regard to’ this guidance when drafting these criteria."

A group of 25 voluntary sector organisations has called on Mr Weir to direct common contingency criteria for this year. It said the minister had the legal authority.

Rachel Hogan, a lawyer from the Children's Law Centre, said clear direction must be given on emergency contingency criteria.

"There is a duty to ensure this is fair and does not unlawfully discriminate," she said.

"Failure to act in this regard could lead to further disruption as a result of legal challenges, putting children through further emotional stress."