Report to call for end of 11-plus

Review of test to be published on Wednesday

The Burns report into the schooling system in Northern Ireland is expected to recommend an end to selection by academic ability.

It is expected not only to recommend an end to the current controversial transfer tests within two years, but also a change to the way grammar schools choose pupils.

The major review into the controversial transfer test is to be published on Wednesday.

It has been promoted as the biggest review of education in Northern Ireland in 50 years.

It was ordered by Education Minister Martin McGuinness following widespread criticism of the procedure.

Determines school type

The exam is a selection test for children in primary seven and determines which type of school they transfer to.

A long term assessment of pupils while they are at primary school could help parents decide

Maggie Taggart, BBC Northern Ireland

BBC Northern Ireland's Education Correspondent Maggie Taggart said: "If the ideas are accepted, those schools would no longer be able to select pupils on the grounds of their academic ability.

"A long term and transparent assessment of pupils while they are at primary school could help parents to decide which sort of school would suit their child's abilities.

"It is understood post-primary schools would gather together in local groups to decide how the system would work in their particular area."

The cost of organising the change in the structure of schooling could cost about £45m over three years.

Martin McGuinness: Will receive report

Once the report is made public, it will be open to consultation for the next six months, in attempt to get widespread agreement for what would be a dramatic set of changes.

Northern Ireland's largest teaching union has called on Mr McGuinness to make this the final year of the 11-plus transfer test.

Tom McKee, of the teachers' union NASUWT, said most people now accepted the system was discredited and should be scrapped.

Schools in the north Armagh area opt out of the 11-plus exam and all pupils transfer to a junior high after primary seven.

That is one of the systems scrutinised by the Post Primary Review body, which has been working on its report for the last year.

It got an extra six months to complete its task and one of those consulted on the changes, Eddie Ferguson, has high hopes that the report will be radical.

Mr Ferguson, of the Association of Head Teachers and Lecturers, said: "I'm hoping for a dramatic change."

Curriculum change

It is hard to find anyone that supports the current selection system, but grammar schools depend on it and are nervous about alterations which might detract from their academic strengths.

Dr Wilfred Mulryne, principal of Methodist College in Belfast, refuted any suggestion that grammar schools were against change.

"Clearly we believe we've produced a very good product - not just from the grammar schools and that's the important thing, but from Northern Ireland education generally.

Eddie Ferguson hopes for dramatic move

"With some modification, particularly to curriculum, we could continue to do that without vast changes to the structures of our schools," said Dr Mulryne.

On Monday, members of the Northern Ireland Assembly backed a motion put forward by the Education Committee calling for the 11-plus to be replaced.

Committee chairman Danny Kennedy said it was clear from those who had given evidence to the committee that there was widespread dissatisfaction with the present transfer tests.

"The committee therefore believes that the two one-hour tests are no longer appropriate and we recommend that the current tests should cease to be administered from a future date that is feasible."

Mr McGuinness has previously said in the past that he is not interested in simply tinkering with the system.