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.
Ms Elizabeth Armstrong, the Principal of the Collegiate Grammar School, said the school's decision to sign up was not one that was taken lightly.
"There is a vacuum in education at the moment and, this is particularly evident in the light of the Minister's most recent statement which was characterised by a lack of clarity and continuing uncertainty. We are also mindful of the clearly expressed parental preference across Northern Ireland for some form of academic selection.
"Broadly speaking, we have an academic focus as a grammar school, and currently we are able to offer that provision to all girls across Fermanagh." We recognise," she continued, "we are only one strand of the overall provision. However we are a distinctive strand and we have a role to play as a grammar school in the future education of the young people of this area. There is therefore a need for some form of objective matching of pupils to provision.
Ms Armstrong also submitted that there was an equality issue for those girls who live in rural areas and, that while the 11-plus was not the most effective selection mechanism ('that has been very well recognised'), the question remains how to match a child's individual gifts and talents to provision.
"If, under the new arrangements, selection is to be by proximity or geographical criteria, we believe there is an equality issue for girls who live in rural areas. Our school, currently, serves the whole of Fermanagh and into Tyrone and if we moved to a situation where there were solely criteria of proximity that may be compromised. I believe strongly that this would be unfair to girls who live in outlying areas".
Miss Armstrong then went on to say "Much of the heat generated in this debate centres around the method of selection itself. Much more discussion and reflection needs to be focused on what we are selecting for.
"The creation of a system which offers distinctive pathways which meet the differing needs of our young people, and which all enjoy equal status in the eyes of the public should be our aim. If this were the case, the development of an objective means of matching pupils to distinctive pathways would no longer be laden with value judgements which distort the real issues".
In returning to the decision to sign up, she explained that it is crucial that every avenue is investigated in the light of the vacuum and the lack of clarity from DE and the Minister This, she said, was, ' too important an issue to allow to go by default'.
Plans for the 'go it alone' approach are at an early stage. At last week's meeting, facts and figures relating to the proposed alternative test were mooted to those representing the 25 grammar schools in attendance and, speaking afterwards, Sir Kenneth said enough interest was shown to warrant moving on to the next stage, which is the setting up of working parties.
"They are getting facts and figures about the entrance examination in time for a meeting this week with the Education Minister, Caitriona Ruane".
The Minister has already declared that her Department would not be funding the cost of any alternative entrance exam which, according to Kenneth Bloomfield could cost each individual pupil anything from £3-£50.
He warned that the exam fees could be more than this, depending on the number of tests in the entrance examination.
Turning to the Education Minister's proposals, he claimed her plans to restructure the education system were not financially practicable. He insisted that grammar schools had to make their own arrangements to fill the void when the 11-plus goes after 2008. And, he remained defiant: "If the State-managed 11-plus is to disappear, it would still be lawful for a group of schools to come up with their own test".
Already, critics of the 'go it alone' campaign have been asking whether the alternative test questions will be subject to the same level of scrutiny as the existing 11-plus test. For instance, the existing 11-plus test questions must be pre-tested to ensure they are free from any bias on the grounds of race, gender or religious bias. In addition, there is a legal requirement to provide an Irish language on the 11-plus test.
Turning to Catholic grammar schools, Sir Kenneth Bloomfield reported a level of interest, adding: "I do not want to put them under any pressure", he said, "but they are definitely interested".
The Principal of St Michael's College, Eugene McCullough told the 'Herald' he was aware of the Association for Quality Education but, as yet, he was not aware of the examination they claim to have.
"We are awaiting the outcome of the pre-consultation within the Catholic sector and I suppose it will help us to formulate a plan. Our pre-consultation ends on 31st December. I don't know how quickly things will move but I suppose after that we will have an idea".
