“thereby initiating in Northern Ireland a postcode lottery for parents and pupils”
In the Guardian Henry McDonald has a lengthy report on the privatised post-primary transfer system we now have. Of particular interest is the warning, from Frank Bunting, northern secretary of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation, of potential legal action.
Teachers’ unions have confirmed that the grammars, both state and Catholic, may end up in the courts if they turn down children on the basis of them not having sat the selection tests. “I don’t think there is any doubt that there will be legal challenges facing the grammars when the decisions are taken on who gets in early next year,” says Frank Bunting, northern secretary of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (Into). Bunting, whose union has 6,500 members in Northern Ireland, says the challenges are likely to come in areas where the education minister’s party, Sinn Féin, is strongest.
Hmm..
And, also in the Guardian report, some comments from the principal of Lumen Christi College in Londonderry
Despite being under siege from the combined forces of the department of education, the Catholic church and the teaching union, Lumen Christi’s principal, Patrick O’Doherty, believes there is strength in numbers.
“Lumen Christi was indeed the first Catholic college to opt for an entrance test,” he says, “but since then over 30 Catholic grammar schools and several non-Catholic schools, including integrated schools, have joined together in a consortium arrangement, sharing a common entrance assessment. Children can thus sit the examination in any of these schools and apply for a place in any other on the basis of their test score. The test is based on English and mathematics taught in the primary school curriculum.”
Like many defenders of the grammar schools, O’Doherty contends that the department’s alternative guidelines for school admissions will come down to a crude postcode lottery.
“It remains the intention of the college to operate academic selection in the near future, since the board of governors is committed to providing an excellent academic education for those pupils who seek such an educational pathway. The board believes that academic selection is both the most educationally sound and the most equitable means of selection, rather than compelling pupils to attend their nearest local comprehensive and thereby initiating in Northern Ireland a postcode lottery for parents and pupils,” says O’Doherty.
“However, like all grammar schools in Northern Ireland, Lumen Christi would have preferred to avoid the use of an entrance test altogether, and had lobbied the minister for education to allow schools to use ongoing primary school assessments and pupil profiles for the purpose of academic selection, thus avoiding the need for an entrance examination.”
Using the pupil profiles Annual School Reports in that way would seem to be a very sensible suggestion. But I would say that having suggested it myself..
“The NEELB and NICIE schemed to impose a post-primary integrated school upon Antrim when it already had an organically integrated school for those that wanted to attend.”
Go on surprise me, what does an organically integrated school look like?
I’m very cynical about organic veg.
Do you grow, buy or eat inorganic vegetables Willis? Organic in this context clearly refers to a school made up of pupils from Catholic, Protestant, other faiths and none. It represents a community not some artificial contrivance of ideologues at taxpayer’s expense. Visit any controlled school for a look Willis while they still exist.
http://www.deni.gov.uk/enrolment_by_school_management_type_updated_0809-5.xls
Controlled Secondary Schools
Protestants 27,359
Catholics 538
Wills,
I can’t find those numbers anywhere in the excel file linked.
Thanks Andrew
Try this:
http://www.deni.gov.uk/pupil_religion_series_updated_0809-3.xls
Row 26
Willis,
I struggle to understand why you choose to be so selective with your DENI data. You haven’t been infected by the same virus that rendered NEELB officials incapable of telling the whole story with figures have you?
The entire row of information for Controlled secondary schools reads:
Secondary Controlled Protestant 27,359 Roman Catholic 538 Other Christian 997 Non-Christian 101 Other/No religion/Not recorded 3,771 Total 32,766 (83.4% Protestant)
Since you appear so concerned about integration of schools please explain why you don’t pick on these figures and start demanding or fixing a change in their management structure.
Roman Catholic/Other Maintained Protestant 239 Roman Catholic 40,777 Other Christian 64 Non-Christian 56 Other/No religion/Not recorded 210 Total 41,346 (98.6% Roman Catholic)
and similarly:
Voluntary Grammar Schools under Catholic Management Protestant 237 Roman Catholic 27,016 Other Christian 82 Non-Christian 44 Other/No religion/Not recorded 100 Total 27,479 (98.3% Roman Catholic)
You really don’t want the percentages for Protestants do you?
Not a Prod about the place (unless we can’t keep open without them as in Dominican College)
Go integrate Willis
Pace
This is why I enjoy debating with you so much, you do not realise that your high quality research argues my case for me.
You have just brilliantly made my case! NI education is split on religious grounds and the Controlled sector is having no impact on it.
You say:
“Organic in this context clearly refers to a school made up of pupils from Catholic, Protestant, other faiths and none. It represents a community not some artificial contrivance of ideologues at taxpayer’s expense.”
The numbers show this is nonsense, so you proceed to quote me the numbers for the Maintained sector which is every bit as skewed in the other direction.
D’oh
I think we already knew that!
Go on then Pace show us the figures for the
“artificial contrivance of ideologues at taxpayer’s expense”
Willis
You flail around in making a case for unequal integration. The Maintained sector isn’t just skewed it is positively uninvolved in integration. Since the government cannot adjust this position they present a case for contrived/forced integrated schooling based upon sectarian headcounts and mythical demand.
Compare these numbers: Controlled Secondary: Other/No religion/Not recorded 3,771 [11.5%]
Roman Catholic/Other Maintained: Other/No religion/Not recorded 210 [0.005%]
The massive difference in these categories is down to a lack of willingness to disclose information. However 11.5% of those in the Controlled sector meet the Other category used by the Integrated sector. The 0.005% contribution from Catholic schools makes your assertion “the numbers for the Maintained sector which is every bit as skewed in the other direction” a nonsense.
The Controlled sector is organically integrated while the government-funded, imposed, unnecessary, expensive, Integrated sector relies entirely upon a sectarian headcount to exist and the Maintained sector escapes accountability entirely.
The emergence of the GL Assessment tests for the Catholic grammar schools instead of “integrating” with the AQE CEA tests further demonstrates the practical sectarianism from the Catholic authorities.
Over to you for a robust defence Willis
“The Controlled sector is organically integrated while the government-funded, imposed, unnecessary, expensive, Integrated sector relies entirely upon a sectarian headcount to exist and the Maintained sector escapes accountability entirely.”
So what you are saying is that if you removed all choice from parents and children and sent them all to controlled schools there would be integration.
I thought you were “Parent’s Association for Choice in Education?”
BTW please tell me which part of education in NI is not Government funded.
As I have said before, I am opposed to forcible integration. Any serious student of the history of Integrated Education in NI knows that it has been a long hard struggle by parents and children against the vested interests of, inter alia, the very Catholic church you complain about so much.
As I understand it Parkhall is not yet an integrated school as it cannot attract 10% catholic pupils. This is information you supplied.
You make many good points about forced integration as well as academic selection but you have to accept that other people hold their beliefs sincerely.
On the one hand you accuse me of making a case for unequal integration. What is that?
On the other hand you speak of sectarian head counts yet will not acknowledge the proportions of Catholic and Protestant in the Integrated sector.
Catholic parents and children were never interested in joining the “organically integrated” controlled sector. Substantial numbers have joined the Integrated sector. I am surprised you cannot acknowledge their right to choose.