By Michael Breslin

At least one grammar school in Fermanagh, the Collegiate Grammar School, Enniskillen has declared its hand in signing up for membership of a group planning to come up with alternative arrangements for academic selection once the 11-plus is abolished.

It is among 20 grammar schools across the North who attended a meeting of the Association for Quality Education (AQE) last week and allowed their identities to be made known. Another five schools were present but they had still to decide on joining up. A further five schools, who were unable to attend, have said they are happy to be supporters. There are 69 grammar schools in the North.

It means that there are at least 30 schools who could go it alone in setting their own entrance examination. None of the 20 named grammar schools is from the Catholic Maintained sector but, according to one of the founder members of the Association for Quality Education, Sir Kenneth Bloomfield some Catholic grammar schools had expressed an interest.

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