Ruane Plan For Poorer Children To Access North's Grammar Schools

Children entitled to free school meals are to make up at least 20% of all those being admitted to grammar schools in the North.

The news comes as Stormont Education Minister Caitríona Ruane issued guidelines on the transfer of pupils from primary schools from 2010.

Last week, she failed to get the Stormont Executive to approve a phasing out of academic selection.

Her new guidelines - including a "first criterion" that requires schools to admit a fifth of all entrants from such poorer groups also spells out that they should not use academic selection.

Speaking in the North's Assembly today she then listed other criteria which oversubscribed schools should use to choose pupils.

However, while she said she "has a duty to act and let parents, children and teachers know how Transfer 2010 will operate" it is understood the guidelines are advisory rather than legally enforceable.

That means schools must take the guidelines into account but they are free to decide not to use them.

Ms Ruane told the Assembly that "the time to act has arrived" and said that as a top priority, schools must select a proportion of pupils who are entitled to free school meals.

The list of criteria is then similar to that already being used by secondary and primary schools namely attendance at a feeder primary school, living in the parish or in a catchment area, being the eldest child or having a brother or sister at the school.

The Minister said she would also now withdraw orders that the exams body should produce a new test for selection.

She said she hoped grammar schools would choose to stop academic selection.

However, to add to the continuing confusion, many grammar schools have said they will run their own admission tests.

See: 'Decisive' 11-plus Move Promised At Stormont