N Ireland Catholics to announce education transfer plans

The Northern Irish Catholic Commission on Education says it will announce its plans for transferring primary school students to the next level of education at a later date.

A number of Catholic grammar schools have said they will be setting entrance exams if the government does not set up a form of academic selection.

The Catholic Church set up a working group to solve the problem of transferring students from primary to secondary education. Despite last minute attempts, the Church was unable to convince the Education Minister Caitriona Ruane to reinstate official testing for primary students advancing to the secondary stage.

The Catholic Church is acting on behalf of Catholic parents, many of whom want their children to attend a Catholic grammar school. Should this not be an option, parents could send their children to non-denominational schools.

Until last November, Northern Ireland held 11-plus exams. Since their abolition, no clear system has been made to determine the transfer of children from primary to secondary education.

Many of the Catholic grammar schools said they would set independent tests, while over 30 state schools have pledged to continue using academic selection.