Academic Selection In Northern Ireland

‘Select one key issue in schools today, such as academic selection or denominational schooling and carry out further research in addition to the online discussion, to show why these issues have been so important in Northern Ireland’

Academic selection in Northern Ireland

The 11plus was introduced in the UK in 1944 when the education system was rearranged under the Butler Education Act. The Act stipulated that all children between the ages of 5 and 15 were entitled to free education. Under this new system there would be three types of post-primary school, Grammar, Secondary and Technical. Children would be allocated to these schools on their basis of their performance in the newly introduced 11 plus exam. Having adopted a policy of parity with Westminster, the Act also came into effect in Northern Ireland in 1947. In this essay I will look at the effects academic selection has had on education in Northern Ireland and the reasons why the selection process happened at the age of 11.

According to a report by the Centre for Educational Neuroscience (University College London), some of the rationale for introducing testing at the age of 11 or 12 was that it was believed that a persons I.Q. stabilises by the age of 10, making this a good time for children to undergo the selection process. However, more recent studies debunk this theory and suggest that an individuals intellectual capacity can actually fluctuate in their teenage years, thus implying that academic selection at the age of 11 may not have such firm foundations. (National Library of Medicine 2011). But, while it is clear that choice of post-primary school can affect a child’s levels of achievement, overall grammar schools record high levels of academic success, is this only due to measured intelligence?

A study of Grammar Schools in England by Gorard and Siddiqui (2018), concluded that pupils attending grammar schools, on average, lived in less deprived areas, are less likely to have English as an additional language, or be from an ethnic minority, are much less likely to have special educational needs and substantially less likely to be eligible for free school meals. The study suggests that if these variables were removed then the gap in achievement between grammar and secondary school pupils would be minimal. The study also suggests that if children were allocated to schools using a ‘randomised control’, that the levels of achievement between grammar and secondary/comprehensive schools would be much easier to assess.

While the 11 plus was generally well received and accepted as an opportunity to provide children from disadvantaged backgrounds with better educational opportunities in the form of free grammar school places, over time it began to come under criticism. Educationalists and politicians claimed that Local Authority funding was biased towards grammar schools and that less academic children were disadvantaged by the system. In 1976, the Labour Government gave Local Education Authorities the option to discontinue with grammar schools, these would be replaced with new comprehensive schools where children of all abilities would be educated together. This new system meant that the 11 plus was no longer needed as children would not be tested when transferring to post-primary schools. Although the Labour Governments intentions were to align the Northern Ireland education system with the new comprehensive system in England, this changed in 1979 when a new Conservative Government was elected and any move towards educational reform was halted. This remained the case until 1997 when a new Labour Government was elected at Westminster and the then Education Minister, Tony Worthington commissioned two research studies. One of these studies examined the affects of academic selection in Northern Ireland. This led to a Post-Primary review body being established by Martin McGuinness (Minister for Education N.I) in order to identify possible options. The recommendations of this review body included

• Ending Transfer Testing: instead prioritising Parental choice.
• Developing a Pupil Profile: to provide information on progress and help inform parental choice.

However, during a period of suspension of the devolded government in Northern Ireland an additional review was set up by Westminster in April 2003 to provide advice on potential options. The recommendations of this report are as follows:

• Ending of Transfer Tests: with transfer now based on parent/pupil choice and informed by pupil profile.
• Introducing an Entitlement Framework offering a broader curriculum.

The recommendations suggested that the last Transfer Test be sat in 2008 and were fully accepted. The Labour Government implemented the Education (N.I.) Act 2006 with Prime Minister, Tony Blair, providing amendments which allowed Northern Ireland’s new devolved administration to decide whether to continue with selection or not. In May 2008, Catriona Ruane (Education Minister), submitted proposals aiming to bring an end to academic selection, however, these proposals were never discussed by the Executive and the last state sponsored Transfer Test took place in November 2008. (Caroline Perry, 2016).

Although the 11 plus was seen as an unfair and biased system and it’s removal should have restored equality and fairness to the Northern Ireland education system, no legislation was provided as a replacement. As a result, two different consortia set up their own Transfer Tests. However, these two tests seem to have created more of a divide in the system with one, operated by the Post-Primary Transfer Consortium, preferred by Catholic grammar schools, and the other, Association for Quality Education (AQE), preferred by most other schools.

The academic selection system in Northern Ireland, coupled with parents right to choose has created a lot of schools in the province. According to a report in the Belfast Telegraph (2017), it was said by the Education Authority Director of Education that “we have too many schools for our population, particularly at primary school level”. He talked of a plan which the Education Authority had published, Providing Pathways (2017-2020). The plan had identified schools within the province where sustainability was an issue as well as identifying schools which were running on budget deficits. In addition to this, due to low enrolment numbers, Providing Pathways had identified up to 40 schools which could either merge or face closure. The plan, which is the first to encompass all school districts and types in Northern Ireland, had an aim to “ensure that we have a network of sustainable schools for Northern Ireland that are of the right type, the right size and in the right place”. However, a more recent study by the Department of Education in 2020 on the effects of the selective system on secondary education concluded, after an analysis of enrolment numbers as opposed to available places, that the current total of 238 grammar and secondary schools could be reduced to 178 if a non-selective system was implemented, and that this could be reduced further if integrated education was expanded.

The Department of Education study (2020) also conducted interviews with both teachers and pupils of grammar and secondary schools across Northern Ireland, in order to find out the impact academic selection was having on pupils and schools. Interviews with post-primary teachers lend to the opinion that preparation for the Transfer Test at primary level was contributing to a lack of curriculum continuity between Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3. This has been attributed to the fact that, primary school teachers may be narrowing the Key Stage 2 curriculum in order to focus on topics required to teach for the Transfer Test. This type of teaching is not thought to be beneficial to all pupils, in particular those who have opted out of the test. The study states that “teachers often have a low, or modest expectations of pupils who are not entered for the tests and there is some suggestion that less consistent attention is devoted to their education needs”. In addition to this, a difference was also noted with regards to children’s self-belief within the system, with secondary school teachers believing that a significant proportion of pupils arrive to secondary education with a sense of failure. In order to counteract this, secondary schools put great emphasis on providing an environment which will help restore some of the self-esteem and self-confidence which pupils seem to lack. In stark contrast to this, grammar school teachers suggest that pupils arrive with a sense of success which can be attributed to their achievement in the Transfer Test, and are easily motivated to work to the high standards expected of them at grammar schools.

But these aren’t the only issues caused by the academic selection process in Northern Ireland. It seems to have also widened any class divide which already existed. According to an article by Paul Gosling (2019), “one of the biggest predictors on whether a child goes into a grammar school is that they are not on free school meals”. A report by Caroline Perry (2016) for the Northern Ireland Assembly back this up, stating that “in 2015/2016, 17% of all Year 8 pupils entitled to free school meals attended a grammar, compared to 79% of their counterparts who attended a non-grammar”. But why is this the case?

It could be that parents of children who come from a more disadvantaged background simply cannot afford the costs associated with preparing a child for the Transfer Test. Schools in Northern Ireland are not required by law to prepare children for these tests so it is up to the to obtain tutoring to help prepare their child, add to this the cost of past practice papers and the exam entry fee of £50 and it is easy to see why a child from a wealthier background may have an advantage.

According to the Northern Ireland Peace Monitoring Report (2018), “the greatest inequality in educational attainment id the difference between the achievement levels of children who attend grammar schools and those who do not”. Although underachievement is prevalent in the working class in general, it is most prevalent among working class Protestant boys. But this issue is not a new one and has indeed been investigated thoroughly over the last decade without any acceptable results or recommendations forthcoming or being implemented. In an interview with the Irish News on the subject of a new review, Professor Tony Gallagher of Queens University, Belfast, stated “we have been here before, with many investigations, working groups and research studies providing copious amounts of analysis and evidence. In the past, few of the recommendations arising from this work have been implemented”, he also suggested that “rhetoric and promises are meaningless unless they are followed up by action and a new approach”.

In conclusion. Although academic selection in the form of the original 11 plus created academic chances for children from more disadvantaged backgrounds, it is clear from the evidence presented, that the lack of any state regulated system for academic selection in Northern Ireland has it’s fair share of strengths and weaknesses. The most notable of these strengths is the high standard of academic achievement in grammar schools and these standards are held in high regard throughout society in Northern Ireland. Weaknesses, however, may outweigh the strengths. The most notable weakness for me is in the fact that children from less affluent backgrounds seem to be at much more of a disadvantage. This seems to be in direct opposition to the intentions of the original 11 plus selection system. It does seem, however, that there are some advantages to attending a secondary school rather than a grammar, in so much that the pupil demographic tends to be much more diverse. Children can be exposed to different cultures and beliefs and this in turn can offer children a wider range of life experiences both in and out of the classroom.