Weather: Hi 4°C / Lo 2°C
School principal slams DUP over selection debate
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
Print
Email
The DUP should widen the education debate to reflect the feelings of most schools who are glad to see the end of academic selection, a leading school principal claimed today.
In a strongly worded letter to the DUP's Mervyn Storey who chairs the Stormont Education Committee the principal attacked the wider political controversy over education warning it is playing on the emotions of parents and blocking efforts to modernise schools.
Robert Poots, who is principal of Dromara Primary School in Co Down and former president of the Ulster Teachers' Union, revealed that almost 30 primary schools refused to support grammars in the Lisburn area who wanted to continue testing.
In what he said was a reference to the wider debate on education, his letter to Mr Storey said: "As chairman of the Education Committee you should reflect the wider educational opinion - you have not done so to date."
Today the DUP said Mr Storey had fulfilled his duty to reflect the wide range of opinion on education and said the party was focused on delivering the best system for parents, teachers and pupils.
The private letter sent to Mr Storey, which was then routinely circulated to committee colleagues by Stormont staff, arrived last month in the week that Education Minister Caitriona Ruane scrapped the 11-plus and issued guidelines for oversubscribed schools.
Today Mr Poots said his letter was an appeal for all politicians to focus on the needs of schools - highlighting that 75% of grammars already accept all abilities of pupil despite the row over ending testing.
"All schools - primary, secondary and grammar - agree that the 11-Plus test is flawed and should be abolished," Mr Poots said in his letter to Mr Storey.
"This has now been achieved and the present minister and her predecessor have ensured this. I have not heard even one principal express regret.
"However, I have heard you almost blame it on some political subversion of our system. Not true, we want rid of it."
The principal said the transfer test had forced schools to waste teaching time on preparing children for tests, with the large number of pupils who do not get top grades then branded failures.
"For the first time the ending of the transfer test provides the chance to remove this pressure from primary schools, parents and pupils, and grammar schools will still fill their places with pupils whose parents believe they are best suited, the way it is presently," he wrote.
"Recently two Lisburn grammar school principals met almost 30 local primary principals to see support for the AQE tests if they happened. There was unanimous rejection of this."
The principal said teaching unions welcomed the end of academic selection at 11 and said inspectors realised the Northern Ireland education system had to change if it was to match international standards.
He said most of those involved in education believed the opportunity existed to make progress.
"We also believe it is wrong to play on the emotions of parents, Year 6 in particular, by stressing that they need the transfer test 11-Plus to give their child the best chance," the letter said.
"If you do then parents will cling to this hope... even though they know 70% will end up failures."
The letter ended: "We can make our country an area of educational excellence which is being thwarted at present by your refusal to reflect the real view in education.
"We have moved a long way politically so now we need to move forward educationally.
"We owe it to all our pupils, parents and teachers.
"You have a great opportunity to make a difference. Please use it."
A spokesman for the DUP said: "I absolutely refute the suggestion that the DUP is playing politics - for us the number one issue is to deliver the best educational facilities in Northern Ireland for parents, teachers and pupils."
He said the party was opposed to the 11-Plus test but believed academic selection remained an important tool for ensuring children of all abilities reached their full potential.
The DUP had consulted widely with parents and teachers and as a result had made maintaining academic selection a major priority when it entered political talks at St Andrews in 2006.
He said: "That is why at St Andrews we ensured academic selection was retained."
Post a comment
Limit: 500 characters
View all comments that have been posted about this article
Offensive or abusive comments will be removed and your IP address logged and may be used to prevent further submissions. In submitting a comment to the site, you agree to be bound by BelfastTelegraph.co.uk's Terms of Use.
Posts submitted in UPPERCASE letters will be rejected.
Also in this section
- Schools get lessons in online hazards
.
.
Sydney: "to debate with the DUP flat earthers." Not only the DUP support academic selection. In fact, polls consistently show the majority of people in NI do.
Agree with Stephen - most opponents of academic selection seem to oppose it on grounds of "fairness" when actually abandoning it would result in an unfair system - where money, not intelligence, is the determining factor. If only they would look at the figures - the comparitvely poor results in England and Wales, and the fall in social mobility there. But of course, we will end up sacrificing standards in order to make some sort of statement that "everyone is equal so deserves the same school" when that is blatantly untrue.
Posted by David | 19.02.09, 17:57 GMT
Same old arguments from Robert Poots. Is the Comprehensive educational system he would foist upon us, a success in next door neighbour, the Irish Republic? 'Is England now an area of educational excellence', -after all the millions Blair spent on it?
The 11+ test was not without problems but is it a good idea to throw out academic selection altogether? The majority of replies to the Governments own household survey voted for retention of some form of selection. What gives Mr Poots and others the right to ignore a majority viewpoint?
Why should I listen to leaders of some Northern Ireland Teachers Unions on this issue. Do their membership fully endorse what they say? I doubt it! These are people who for the most part, have never taught a day in their lives!
Very very few Grammars accept C1 C2 or D grades into their schools! Most Belfast Grammars are oversubscribed by A grade applicants!
My youngest son failed the Transfer test. I most certainly do not regard him as a failure!
Posted by T J McClean | 19.02.09, 16:08 GMT
Are the parents of pupils at Dromara Primary School aware of Robert (Stanley) Poots' anti-11-plus, academic selection pro-revised curriculum views? One can only query the relationship between Mr Poots' now public views and his education politics since the final regulated 11-plus has taken place. How does he now propose to measure the teaching of numeracy and literacy and pupil attainment at Dromara Primary? Parents have a right to know that their childrens' interests come first.
Posted by parental alliance for choice in education | 19.02.09, 12:46 GMT
In this debate the opponents of selection should take account of how 'unintended consequences' will arise. In England the social mobility has reduced since the school system largely removed academic selection. This is because a system which was somewhat influenced by parents' incomes was replaced by one which was much more determined by wealth. Wealth now buys either a place in a private school, or a house in a catchment area of a 'good' school - setting up a much stronger class apartheid than exists in the grammar system in NI. Even where grammars remain (like Kent) the social mobility is reduced by the fact that primary schools do not teach verbal/non verbal reasoning and therefore the influence of parental education (& income) is therefore stronger than under a 'universal' accepted selection system. Be careful what you wish for!
Posted by Stephen | 18.02.09, 21:54 GMT
How can it be that such a large number of primary schools met and agreed a strategy and it was not considered newsworthy until this letter?
Posted by Willis | 18.02.09, 21:11 GMT
A marvellous article, full of facts and figures. I hope you appear on the Nolan show or Talkback tomorrow to debate with the DUP flat earthers.
Posted by Sydney | 18.02.09, 20:00 GMT
I wonder when Mr Poots' thoughts will be when parents stop sending kids to his school if he is not prepared to teach the children for entrance exam. Parents will start getting selective about primary schools if this is the attitude of some.
Posted by disgusted parent | 18.02.09, 19:39 GMT
As someone totally wedded to comprehensive education, primary school principal, Mr Stanley Poots, has again completely misrepresented the situation regarding Grammar schools. First, over all the grammar schools in NI there are still only 10% of places allocated to lower graded pupils. Many of these are pupils who under special circumstances have been upgraded are not allowed to be recorded as having higher grades. Most of them have been confirmed by primary principals as worthy of places. Statistics show that in this small proportion they go on to achieve well at Advanced Level because they were worthy of places - the ultimate justification for their places in grammar school. Furthermore dozens of primary principals are very willing to support the interrim tests rather than have a vacuum. Mr Poots knows perfectly well that those primary schools which do not support children in entering for such legitimate tests will badly let down their pupils and parents. They will lose numbers.
Posted by veritasni | 18.02.09, 18:17 GMT
"All schools - primary, secondary and grammar - agree that the 11-Plus test is flawed and should be abolished," Mr Poots said in his letter to Mr Storey.
Finally, a man of substance who is eloquent enough to challenge this myth that the eleven plus is somehow a requirement within our education system. I would be willing to bet that those who support the existence of the eleven plus are those who do not understand the first thing about child development or those nurtured in the air of academic snobbery that seems to pervade Northern Irish society. The exam has no place in our society and academic selection by inistitution is fundamentally wrong until at least 14.
Posted by Conal Stewart | 18.02.09, 17:34 GMT
So "Academic selection was retained", while that may be true in an abstract way, the outworking is somewhat different. Because ALL our politicians couldn't agree we are in the current mess. Grammars accepting 'non-academic' grades, the perception of non-grammars poisoned by the debate in our media, and all the while children suffer. Mean while our economy goes to the dogs andthe education system continues to churn out more Accountants, Teachers and Solicitors (who can't get jobs anyhow!)
When the Catholic Grammar schools accept their Bishops position on ending selection, (and if as Catholic Grammar Principals maintain there was a mass exodus to State Grammar schools) then the DUP spokesperson could well be asked to explain why they expended so much political capital to save academic selection for Catholic Children. I can't wait for their answer!
Posted by Exasperated | 18.02.09, 15:33 GMT