Five Catholic grammar schools call off 11-plus exams for one year

FIVE grammar schools have become the first to cancel their entrance exams due to take place this winter.

The schools in the Newry and Kilkeel area all agreed to suspend their use of testing for one year only.

Unregulated entrance tests are due to take place in November and December, although organisers are coming under pressure to call them off.

Education Minister Peter Weir has also been asked to intervene even though the exams are run by private companies.

If the assessments cannot take place, individual grammar schools would be forced to use different criteria to select pupils.

The head of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Archbishop Eamon Martin, and the Catholic Principals' Association had asked schools to suspend academic selection this year.

Now, five large Catholic grammars have agreed.

Abbey Christian Brothers', Our Lady's, Sacred Heart and St Colman's in Newry and St Louis in Kilkeel announced the joint decision in a letter to parents.

Governors and principals, the letter said, had considered the impact of school closures on the community.

"They recognise that there has been disruption to the education of pupils since March 2020, including that of P6 pupils and understand that there may be further disruption during the 2020/21 academic year," they wrote.

"The boards of governors of the five schools in the Newry and Kilkeel Consortium have agreed, in light of the current circumstances and for one year only, that the academic admissions criteria in each of the five schools will not be used for the academic year 2021/22.

"As a result, none of the five schools will use outcomes from GL entrance assessment as part of their admissions criteria for the academic year 2021/22. Pupils applying to these schools will not be required to provide a GL entrance assessment result. All five schools will temporarily amend their admissions criteria for the 2021/22 academic year accordingly."

Admissions for the next academic year will largely be based on each school's sub-criteria.

The schools added that they remained committed to their own ethos "and academic focus on high quality teaching and learning".

SDLP MLA for Newry and Armagh Justin McNulty said the cancellation reflected a compassionate approach.

"This is strong leadership from the boards of governors and principals of the five Newry and Kilkeel schools in a move focused on addressing the issues faced by local communities in this time of crisis. It's a move that places trust with communities, teachers and parents," he said.

"This crisis means that many children have not had access to a level learning playing field. That's fine for those who can afford private tuition for their children, but those families who don't have access to that luxury should not feel that their children's life chances are diminished as a result."

Sinn Féin's Karen Mullan, deputy chair of the assembly education committee, said the move was necessary to allow teachers and pupils prepare for a return to school, rather than the stress of a high-level exam.

"I am hopeful that the other selective schools will follow the leadership and the example shown by the schools in Newry and scrap these unregulated transfer tests and instead focus on the task of preparing to return to schools when it is safe to do so," she said.