FINAL TRANSFER 2010 GUIDANCE PUBLISHED

Education Minister, Caitríona Ruane, has published the final Transfer 2010 Guidance for admissions to post-primary schools in September 2010.

Speaking after making a statement to the Assembly the Minister said: “Following a period of extensive meetings with key partners across the education sector, I published Transfer 2010 Guidance for consultation on 2 February. We received 3,195 responses during the consultation, the overwhelming majority of which were positive. Some of the responses contained useful and practical suggestions for improving the Guidance and these have been incorporated into the final version. In addition we received 29 responses to the consultation on the Equality Impact Assessment on the Transfer 2010 guidance.

“I sent the final Transfer 2010 Guidance to the Executive last week and notified my intention to publish immediately so schools can consider them. Boards of Governors need to make important decisions in the light of this Guidance early in the next school year. Parents and the children too have a need to know the Department’s policy for Transfer 2010.

“The Guidance states that it is not the policy of the Department of Education to include academic admissions criteria in its recommended admissions criteria. The Department does not consider academic selection to be consistent with the objective of treating children fairly and letting them access the education to which they are entitled. Equality will be the cornerstone of our new education system.

“There is a widespread view across the education sector that academic selection is not in the best interests of all children. I have just completed a series of five conferences attended by hundreds of primary school principals. The majority agreed with the removal of testing of 10 year olds and were unhappy with the breakaway tests proposed by some schools.

“I have always been clear that if schools follow the Transfer 2010 Guidance there is no need whatsoever to subject children to traumatic tests.”