The atmosphere among parents at Gilnahirk Primary was tense and anxious.

One mother called it a “nightmare”, others said they were stressed and bewildered. All were of the opinion Caitriona Ruane has made a dreadful job of things.

With the Education Minister showing no sign of compromise, parents of P6 pupils have promised to do all they can to force the Executive to sit down and sort the transfer test crisis out, while the P7 parents can only hope they get through this difficult time.

The Belfast Telegraph took its campaign to Gilnahirk Primary School yesterday as parents queued up to sign the petition and give their views.

Mother-of-four Olive Hynds said: “I am so glad the Belfast Telegraph is doing this. All my children are at this school and over the next six years my family will face this four times.

“All the uncertainty and confusion has been unbelievably stressful for my me and my husband — not to mention my eldest son John who has to sit five tests this year.

“Politicians need to sit down and sort this out, they need to stop ignoring our children, it just isn’t good enough.”

Romayne Orr’s son Callum will also be taking tests over the coming months.

She said: “The P7 pupils are being treated like guinea pigs. It is just a total mess and it is such a distressing time for everyone. I have tried to keep my son away from things as I don’t want him any more stressed-out.”

Diane Casement and Gillian Linkens both have sons in P6 and said it has been a stressful and bewildering time for everyone.

“I think Caitriona Ruane has been very irresponsible which has just led to more chaos and confusion, but the politicians all share a responsibility for the mess,” Mrs Linkens said.

Mrs Casement agreed: “They should be working tirelessly for this but they seem to be letting it go into freefall.

“This is the future of our country and the education system is going from bad to worse, but no one seems to care.”

Angela Meldrum is worried she is not doing enough to prepare her daughter Anna for the test.

She said: “It is just dreadful pressure because we feel we have to prepare the children ourselves. It is so expensive to hire a tutor so I am doing it myself.

“But I’m so worried I’m not doing it properly and not doing my best, it is just sending me into a panic.

They should have had everything in place before getting rid of the 11-plus, it’s all been a complete nightmare. I cannot believe Caitriona Ruane is still in the job, it’s dreadful.”

Headmaster Stephen Harrison backed the Telegraph’s campaign and called on the politicians to resolve the dispute.

He said: “It is such a shame the politicians need a petition to energise them to do something. They need to start putting the children before party politics.

“To say the parents are stressed doesn’t do it any justice. They are anxiety-ridden and becoming increasingly so the closer we get to November.

“It is not too late for the key players in this to sit down and sort something out. I am taking this opportunity to challenge the politicians to ensure the Transfer 2011 is not the debacle that 2010 has been.”

Would you like us to bring the petition to your school? Email ktorney@belfasttelegraph.co.uk.

‘I just feel like we have been abandoned’

One worried mother who has taken matters into her own hands to back the Telegraph campaign is Catherine Lemon, whose daughter is a P6 pupil of Gilnahirk Primary School.

After reading about the petition last week she contacted the Belfast Telegraph to ask if there was some way she could help. She has since taken enough petitions to gather hundreds of signatures and said she is determined to get them all signed.

“I was delighted to read about the campaign and really wanted to get involved as I just feel like we have been abandoned. The whole transfer test crisis seems to have fallen off the political agenda.

“We can all see what the P7 parents are going through and we don’t want to have to go through it ourselves. Some of the children haven’t been sleeping and are very distressed, and it has been damaging to the relationship between parents and the school.

“Parents want the best for their kids, but the teachers’ hands are tied as they are not allowed to fully prepare children for the test.

“There are a number of issues at stake here, like who prepares the children for exam techniques and who makes sure everything in the exam is covered.

“Even the fact the exams are being taken in unfamiliar surroundings with unfamiliar faces, it is all very distracting, daunting and distressing for the children.

“Caitriona Ruane has not backed the campaign and has not listened to what we are saying.

“She is dictating to us instead of engaging in conversation.

“She doesn’t seem to realise it is 11-year-old children who are at the centre of this.

“I am determined to get as many petitions signed until something is done.

“If I have to, I will knock on doors, bring them to playgrounds and send them home in schoolbags if I think I can get more parents to back this campaign.”