John O'Dowd cut a lonely figure as he stood in Stormont's Great Hall yesterday morning.

The assembled journalists had earlier received an email from Sinn Fein's press office which said that their education spokesman would “be available to speak to the media” at 11.45am to discuss the meeting taking place at noon involving the other main political parties.

Mr O'Dowd's appearance followed Education Minister Caitriona Ruane's criticism of the school transfer talks in a morning radio interview where she went as far as saying that those in attendance were undermining the Good Friday and St Andrews Agreements. “There will be no outcome from this talking shop,” she claimed.

“This meeting would not be taking place if the Belfast Telegraph had not called for it,” Mr O'Dowd bellowed. “It is not because the politicians decided they needed to come to a common understanding.

“The Belfast Telegraph embarrassed them into doing something. Sinn Fein has nothing to be embarrassed about.”

The Alliance Party's Trevor Lunn then took to the mike. He said he was disappointed that Sinn Fein would not be attending the talks but then said that the talks may be more constructive without them there.

“Some of the most constructive discussions take place behind closed doors,” he said, before again calling on Mr O'Dowd to engage with the other parties.

Sinn Fein's performance over, Mr Lunn escorted the media up to the Alliance Party's meeting room. Despite it being exactly noon, the chairs were empty.

The clock ticked by a few more minutes before the other participants arrived. The SDLP's Dominic Bradley and Mary Bradley, Mervyn Storey for the DUP and three Ulster Unionist Party representatives — MLAs David McNarry and John McAllister accompanied by the party's head of policy Brian Crowe — turned up. UUP education spokesman Basil McCrea was unable to attend as he was chairing a Policing Board meeting.

They agreed to allow photographs and TV camera shots to be taken before closing the door on their private meeting at 12.07pm.

The meeting ended around 1.15pm and the participants then swept down the grand staircase for a joint press conference back in the Great Hall.

The agreed statement from the four parties was basic and made it clear that no major breakthrough had been achieved but it did stress that the meeting had been productive.

It included: “From today's discussion it is clear that there are significant areas of agreement between the parties present. We all share the concerns of parents, teachers and children and are determined to find a resolution.”

Mr Lunn confirmed that the four parties would continue to meet on a weekly basis.

Questions from the media were brought to an abrupt halt after a relatively short period by a karate chop-like wave of the hand from the Alliance Party's press officer. “That's it. No more questions.”

Later in the afternoon, Sinn Fein issued another statement in which John O'Dowd dismissed the meeting as “a publicity stunt”.