As one of thirty one schools who have declared that they intend to set up their own independent entrance test, Enniskillen Collegiate, through their Principal, Elizabeth Armstrong, have dismissed the notion that the school has in any way aligned itself to an 'elitist rebel group.'

A pro academic selection lobby group, 'The Association for Quality Education,' issued a statement on behalf of the 31 schools stating their intent to press ahead with plans to set up independent entrance test for primary school pupils to fill the void which will be left by the scrapping of the 11 plus.

For her part Ms Armstrong is disappointed that some schools have had to resort to this sort of action but cites the vacuum at the heart of our education system and the absence of any clear and credible decision from the Minister of Education as the reason behind the need to establish a fall back position;

"There have been lots of sensational headlines in newspapers about rebel schools and the like but nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is that it is consistently evident that there is support for some form of academic selection among the parents in our area. Time is running out and the public need guidance."

Frustratingly for Ms Armstrong, the issue of academic selection is too often portrayed in a black and white manner. She feels that some see the abolition of academic selection as the cure for all the perceived problems within the education system. She is adamant however that this view is short sighted and fails to take into consideration the larger issues which colour the question of how best to educate the young people of Northern Ireland;

"I feel at the moment there are many other issues that need debated. Such as the major issue about how we are going to move our education system forward through creating distinctive but equally valued pathways. These issues have never really been debated because the question of academic has never been settled and as a result it always dominates any discussions."

Ms Armstrong is a passionate believer in some form of academic selection but contends that the attitude of some towards the current 11 plus is not only damaging but also misleading;

"At the moment there are value judgements surrounding transfer and a mindset which interprets the selection procedure as pass or fail. This is clearly an unhelpful perception and one which prevents the development of distinctive but equally valued pathways in our system" she explained before continuing;

"Taking academic selection out of the equation will not necessarily change this mindset. We need to affirm clearly that diversity in the types of schools is good and that one type of education is not better than another type of education. If we can do that and get that message across to parents then I really believe that the development of a more robust and acceptable means of matching pupils to distinctive pathways will no longer be burdened by such high stakes judgements."

This is essentially the core of Ms Armstrong's argument. That diversity exists and that pupils cannot and should not be put into the one learning environment. She cites the failures of the common curriculum in the 1980's and 90's as evidence that a one cap fits all education system does not work and that instead co-operation between distinctive schools to ensure that all pupils are offered a varied education is the way forward;

'Academic selection is very important to us. In terms of our ethos, our culture and our tradition we are an academic school' - Armstrong

"There needs to be much more dialogue between schools regarding the provision of distinctive but complimentary carricula. As educators we tended in the past to work within our own institutions rather than working together and asking what our society and young people require as a whole. I firmly believe that we need different schools which are distinctive but who work together to provide as many opportunities for pupils as possible."

Ms Armstrong is unashamedly proud of the academic focus of her school and the education it provides young girls from Fermanagh;

"Academic selection is very important to us. In terms of our ethos, our culture and our tradition we are an academic school and we have an academic focus. We believe it is our strength," she commented before going on to expand on his point;

"But while academic selection is our strength it is an evolving strength. We realise that there is a need to change and develop our curriculum as the world around us changes, but the fact still remains that at our core is academic excellence and that has not wavered or changed despite the adaptations that we have made to a changing society."

There are those, however, who argue that the changing demographics within Northern Ireland have inevitably led to Grammar schools enrolling students from a much wider range of academic ability but Ms Armstrong contends that critics of academic selection tend to make the gap larger than what it actually is. She argues that many pupils do not currently sit the transfer test and that for those who do there can be a relatively narrow margin of ability between those who are placed in the A, B or C bands.

She does however freely accept that the falling demographics are impacting on numbers in secondary schools but insists that some lateral thinking could perhaps find a solution to this problem;

"I accept the argument that in a society with falling demographics the secondary schools currently be taking the brunt of the falling numbers but I think there are ways around these issues. At the moment enrolment is linked to funding and the mechanisms which are in place competition between schools for pupils. If we could adapt the funding system and have a more cohesive look at enrolments then I think we could perhaps tackle this problem in a creative and positive way in order to preserve excellence in diversity."

Ms Armstrong's is also concerned that should one of the selection criteria supported by the Minister come into fruition that some students who would be best suited to an education at the Collegiate will be denied an opportunity to attend because of where they live. Although the Minister has yet to bring forward her proposals it is thought that pupils would be selected on the basis of geographical criteria.

"On one hand we are being accused of being elitist but if pupils are selected on the basis of where they live then to me that is far more elitist. We have girls from outlying rural areas coming to this school but this proposed system from the Minister will all but exclude them in favour of those whose parents are able or willing to buy a house in the catchment area of their preferred school," Ms Armstrong argued.

She concluded by stating that while the 'Common Entrance Exam' was not the ideal solution it did provide an alternative;

"While there is still a real need to develop a more appropriate mechanism of objective matching of pupils to provision it is still important to preserve diversity of choice in our system. The 'Common Entrance Exam,' is not the preferred solution of the schools which have signed up to it.

"'The Association for Quality Education' recognises fully that our primary school colleagues will have many questions around it, but until real leadership is given in grappling with the real issues at the heart of the debate this test is an alternative for those who wish to preserve excellence of provision and choice."