A FERMANAGH primary school principal has welcomed the move by St. Michael’s College and Mount Lourdes Grammar School to suspend academic selection for the next academic year, meaning this year’s P6 pupils will not be sitting a transfer test to enter either of these schools. Brian Treacy, Principal of Holy Trinity School, said: “In our view, as a school, we are delighted by the decision that has been taken.” Mr. Treacy praised the post-primary schools for their decision, and said: “They have recognised that significant challenges for the P6s in the last year and a half [exists, along with] the significant disruption to their learning.”
Omagh and Enniskillen grammar schools scrap academic selection next year Mount Lourdes Grammar School in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh. Picture by Gerry Knight 24 April, 2021 01:00
Omagh Christian Brothers Grammar School
MORE grammar schools in Northern Ireland have announced they will scrap academic selection for 2022.
Christian Brothers Grammar in Omagh, Co Tyrone, and Mount Lourdes Grammar and St Michael s College in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, have said they will rule out the use of transfer tests due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
St Mary s Christian Brothers Grammar School in west Belfast abandoned the use of transfer tests last month.
Some grammar schools in Derry, Newry, Kilkeel and Belfast have also ruled out using transfer tests this autumn.
Covid-19: Omagh and Enniskillen schools scrap academic selection in 2022
Published
More grammar schools in Northern Ireland have announced they will scrap academic selection for 2022.
Christian Brothers Grammar in Omagh, County Tyrone, and Mount Lourdes Grammar and St Michael s College in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, are the latest to rule out transfer tests.
The three Catholic schools said it was due to the impact of the pandemic.
St Mary s Christian Brothers Grammar School in west Belfast was the first to abandon transfer tests last month.
Some grammar schools in Londonderry, Newry, Kilkeel and Belfast have also ruled out transfer tests this autumn.
Their current limbo will end - but what price will students be paying for their lockdown learning? impartialreporter.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from impartialreporter.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
EVEN by Covid standards, it’s been a bit of a white-knuckle ride on the roller-coaster of life these past few weeks, and as if an emergency appeal by the South West Acute Hospital for off-duty staff to come in wasn’t enough, we have the whole ‘hokey-cokey’ of disrupted learning, exams and assessments starting to brew up – something that every pupil, parent and teacher is fully aware of. Starting first with the transfer test, let’s look at what we have. Currently, there are two companies or consortia who run it, and Northern Ireland being as it is, each serves mainly, but by no means exclusively, one side each of our sadly still-polarised community. The ‘Post Primary Transfer Consortium’ that runs the GL exams, and represents 33 schools including St. Michael’s College and Mount Lourdes Grammar School, has already announced they it not be running any transfer examinations, and the responsibility falls on schools to decide how. This will not be published yet, so it