Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
STORMONT FAILS KIDS ON EXAMS
» Weir dithers on GCSES and A-levels going ahead » Cops will send people home if they’re out illegally
THE Executive finally agreed some Covid measures last night – but still hasn’t made its mind up on school exams and church services.
Ministers ordered only six people are allowed to meet outside and police will have powers to send someone home if they are out without a reasonable excuse.
Speaking on the school closures, Head Kevin Donaghy, of St Ronan’s Primary Newry, said: “The ones suffering the most are the children. They were looking forward to coming back to school this week.”
But pupils facing A-levels and GCSES still have no answers with Education Minister Peter Weir saying he plans to “provide further clarity in the next couple of days”.
No final decision has been made on churches either while transfer test body AQE did a U-turn and said exams will be held next month.
AQE announced last night a single transfer test will now take place in Northern Ireland in February.
The development came after it was announced earlier in the day the tests would not take place due to current Covid-19 restrictions. Primary seven pupils were due to take the exams on January 9, 16 and 23.
In an updated statement following a meeting with schools, the transfer test provider said that to enable the assessment to take place in the current circumstances it will be reduced to a single paper.
The exam will now take place on Saturday, February 27, “provided it can take place in public health circumstances then prevailing”.
Turning attention to the question of why the postponement and not cancellation, AQE added: “Inevitably, the question will be asked why the assessment has been rescheduled rather than scrapped, and in response the following considerations are relevant:
■ In the absence of academic criteria, many schools would be likely to be even more oversubscribed than in a normal year and academic performance in an assessment would be replaced by other more random criteria, such as family ties, geographical proximity to a school or some form of lottery for places. It is the view of the member schools that academic selection represents the fairest way of allocating grammar school places
■ The schools which use the assessment are encouraged by communications from parents who have stated that their children are ready and willing to sit the assessment and they want the opportunity to do so
The education provided by our variety of post-primary schools offers the best choice for parents and meets the needs of pupils of all ability levels much better than the postcode comprehensive system which operates elsewhere, and
■ While information was available from post-primary schools to provide grades in GCSES, A-levels and BTEC qualifications in 2020, AQE does not have access to alternative information from primary schools which could be used to match pupils to schools.
Reacting to the news, Deputy First Minister Michelle O’neill tweeted: “Shame on AQE for proceeding with this transfer test. They told children this morning there would be no test and then this evening they say there will be a test.
“A private company putting its needs before the needs of the children. Education Minister must act now.”
PPTC, the other provider of the tests, has announced it “will not provide an entrance assessment for 2020-21”.
It said: “If no pupils are able to sit the entrance assessment on January 30 because of Covid restrictions, and these restrictions would not have ended before February 6, then PPTC will be unable to provide an assessment for any pupils.
“The responsibility falls on PPTC schools to ensure their admissions criteria cover this contingency.
“PPTC accept this decision may be disappointing to many children who would have welcomed the opportunity to take the assessment. We wish all children well in their future pathways.”
The transfer tests, first planned for November, were delayed until after Christmas following a court battle.