Parents win first round against school

The parents of an 11-plus pupil have won the first round in a legal fight against his rejection by Rathmore Grammar School in south Belfast.

The boy is from a mixed marriage and is being brought up as a Catholic.

Mr Justice Kerr granted leave to take the case to judicial review after hearing that the family believed the boy had been the victim of post-exam religious discrimination through extra admissions criteria laid down by the school, beyond solely 11-plus results.

The judge did not accept a claim that, once passed to an appeals tribunal, the case was out of the school's hands.

He said he hoped to hold a full hearing in a fortnight.