PUPILS HOPING to attend Catholic grammar schools in Northern Ireland will sit tests in English and mathematics in November, it was revealed last night.
Twenty-eight schools signed up in Belfast, Derry, Omagh and Newry, a Catholic head teachers’ group has said. The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) will oversee the test. Many state-run schools have already accepted tests in November run by the Association for Quality Education.
Dermot Mullan from the Catholic Head Teachers’ Association said: “We believe that the NFER has a robust system in place. The schools are right across Northern Ireland and we are in discussions with a number of other schools.”
Some non-Catholic colleges are also included.
The final 11-plus was held in Northern Ireland’s schools last November but in the long term, the way in which children transfer to second level remains unclear.
More than 30 state-run schools have said they will continue to use academic selection, against the wishes of Minister for Education Caitríona Ruane.
John Miskelly, clerk to the Governing Bodies Association, representing voluntary grammars, said: “It is unfortunate that the Minister has gone down this road, which results in people doing their own thing. It means that you do have the AQE and tests under their auspices and you have other Catholic schools doing their own thing . . . It would have been desirable to have a common test for all schools.”
Mr Miskelly said everybody involved in education would prefer to see interim testing for the next year or two. – (PA)