11-plus transfer test 'will be scrapped'

Northern Ireland's 11-plus school transfer test is to be abolished, the education minister has said.

On Tuesday, Martin McGuinness outlined the results of a major public consultation on the Burns proposals to change the selection system for pupils transferring from primary to secondary level education.

Speaking at the Assembly, the Sinn Fein minister said the majority view following the consultation was that academic selection should be ended.

But, with the possibility of an assembly suspension over political problems at Stormont, there is uncertainty over whether or when any new secondary education plan would be implemented.

Martin McGuinness started transfer review but may not finish it

The Burns review of the education system was set up by Mr McGuinness and proposed the abolition of the controversial 11-plus transfer test.

During the consultation process, forms were sent to every household in Northern Ireland.

They were predominantly filled in by those who had children at grammar schools and there was a two to one vote in favour of keeping academic selection.

Submissions from individual schools showed the grammar sector was almost completely in favour of keeping selection with the opposite response from secondary schools.

However, Mr McGuinness said on the whole, the weight of opinion across all the responses was against selection, as long as an acceptable alternative was in place.

And he said the main message which came out of the consultation process was that the test taken by most 11-year-olds in the province was "deeply unpopular", even among those who wanted to preserve academic selection.

He said: "The predominant view was that academic selection should be ended, although some support for this proposal was subject to certain conditions being met."

'Majority for selection'

Chairman of the assembly's education committee Ulster Unionist Danny Kennedy called on the minister to fully acknowledge that the majority of respondents in consultation were against abolishing academic selection.

UUP's Danny Kennedy: "Majority were against ending selection"

He said: "Could I seriously question what the minister has said about the results which are published in his own document today.

"Will he accept that a majority of the parents, a majority of the teachers and a majority of all those who were consulted rejected the abolition of academic selection?"

Mr Kennedy also called on the minister to give a commitment that there would be further consultation on any proposals for a new school transfer system and that the education committee would be given the chance to scrutinise them.

The Democratic Unionist Party's Sammy Wilson also challenged Mr McGuinness to accept that a majority of those who replied were in favour of retaining academic selection.

'No guinea pigs'

The current 11-plus test determines whether pupils will be able to take up a place at a grammar school or a secondary school.

Mr McGuinness said the test would be abolished but that there would be "no chaos in education" and "no children would suffer as guinea pigs".

The Burns report had asked respondants to give their views on three options:

Abolish selection into grammar school

Allow parents to choose a school for their child on the basis of advice from the primary schools

Allow schools to band together in clusters known as collegiates

The minister said there would be 11-plus tests held in November 2003, but he said he wanted the test to be scrapped at the earliest possible date.

And he said he would make his proposals following the review in December.

But that will depend on whether the Assembly is still in operation at that time.

Copies of the report on the consultation process are being made available to those who sent in responses and it has been published on the Department of Education website.

More than 600 detailed submissions were sent in by schools and colleges.