TRANSFER TESTS DOUBT: ‘REAL DANGER’ EXAMS MAY NOT BE HELD IN JANUARY
CONCERNS have been raised over plans to move Northern Ireland’s transfer test back to January next year.
The further postponements were agreed following extensive discussions involving Education Minister Peter Weir, a High Court judge was told yesterday.
The development brought an end to legal challenges mounted by the parents of two children due to sit the tests.
They claimed an initial decision to delay this year’s exams by at least two weeks because of the Covid-19 pandemic would further discriminate against disadvantaged families.
Justin Mccamphill from Northern Ireland’s largest teaching union, NASUWT, said there was still doubts on whether the test should proceed at all.
“There’s a real danger that there could be a second wave but we don’t know when. It may be we can’t hold the test in January either,” he said.
“So maybe we should be getting an alternative mechanism in place to manage the transfer of children into post-primary.”
He added that a number of families were also worried about the disruption to the Christmas holidays.
“We’re aware that some parents are concerned that this will have a detrimental impact on the Christmas break, which will be more important than ever for the mental health and well-being of parents and young people this year.”
Following the hearing, the Association for Quality Education (AQE) said its exams would take place on January, 9, 16 and 23, with applications to enter to be received by October 9. Results will be posted on March 6.
Each test will be an additional 10 minutes long.
AQE said this was to reassure children they had “sufficient time to finish the paper”.
The Post-primary Transfer Consortium (PPTC) confirmed its entrance assessment would take place on Saturday, January, 30.
A supplementary entrance assessment will be held on Saturday, February 6. “This new date will provide all pupils with an additional eight weeks’ preparation time before they sit their assessment,” the PPTC said.
“It is planned that entrance assessment results will be posted to parents on Friday, March 5.”
The mother of one of the children said her family is “delighted with the result we achieved today”.
“We hope that this will go some way to address the educational disadvantages experienced by some children during lockdown,” she added.
“We are both frustrated and disappointed that it took to the very last minute for this decision to be made and that we had to take legal action in the first place.
“This decision demonstrates that those involved could have taken action on this sooner and showing that all children are at the heart of the decisions made.”
Ciaran Moynagh, partner of Phoenix Law, said the case was not about the merits of academic selection but giving disadvantaged children more time to prepare.
But Children’s Commissioner Koulla Yiasouma said the move was not enough to alleviate anxiety, and that exam preparation should not distract from well-being and educational recovery.
The Department of Education said its focus was on delivering exams in a “timely fashion” for every pupil.
It added that as tests were set by private organisations they did not have control over the timing, “but need to ensure the process of transfer is deliverable”.