Ruane to detail plans to axe academic selection

Stormont Education minister Caitriona Ruane will today outline how she intends to push ahead with plans to axe academic selection in the absence of political agreement.

With the executive deadlock on the matter preventing the Sinn Féin minister making legislative changes to the education system, she intends to issue ’guidance’ to schools on how to manage the transfer procedure this autumn onwards.

She is expected to detail what form this guidance will take at Stormont later today.

The South Down MLA said the intransigence of unionist opponents in government had left her little option than to proceed without consensus.

However, with no regulated framework in place, many grammars in both the controlled and Roman Catholic sector now look ever more likely to ignore the minister’s guidelines and follow through on threats to set up their own entrance exams.

Last week, Ms Ruane accused the DUP of blocking discussion on new reform proposals round the executive table.

The DUP rejected this claim and insisted the minister’s plan represented nothing new from her previously stated position.

She had sought political consensus on her plans to phase out academic selection over a three-year period, allowing grammars to select 50% of pupils on those criteria in 2010/11, 30% the following year and 20% in 2012/13 – all based on a test devised by the the North exams body – CCEA.

With the 11-plus scrapped last year, schools remain uncertain as to what transfer process pupils currently in primary six are expected to go through at the start of the new academic year in September.