1. Restructuring the School Estate:

The Minister's statement referred to "introducing more flexibility and agility into structures" and listed "a number of possible options".

(a) What are the estimated costs of restructuring the current school estate in Northern Ireland to these new structures?

(b) Should an overall cost estimate not be available now, what steps have been taken and/or will be taken to estimate the costs of the restructuring?

(c) The Minister's proposals are neither addressed nor provided for in either the draft PfG or the draft budget. What specific line(s) in the budget will fund the changes and transitions proposed? There are huge implications for the future of the schools estate — this is not reflected in the draft Investment Strategy so far — when will this be done and where will the new capital funding come from?

(d) What were the costs and timescales involved in setting up the school structures for the Dickson Plan two-tier system in the Craigavon area?

(e) One option listed by the Minister was 11-14 schools (Junior High Schools as in the Craigavon area). What will be the minimum enrolment for such schools and optimal size?

2. Decisions at 14:

The Minister's statement referred to "admissions decisions at 14".

(a) What precisely is a "process of formal, structured election" — detail please?

(b) What exactly does "it will take account of the outcomes of..." the following mean in practical terms:

(i) "the outcomes of three years of post-primary education"?

(ii) "teacher...guidance"?

(iii) "parental...guidance"?

(iv) "careers education, information, advice and guidance"?

(c) What weightings will be given to the above in the process of "matching of children to suitable provision" — in both an over-subscribed situation and where places are available in the school(s)?

(d) Finally, will the parents/guardians of the children ultimately make the final decision and will there be a role for the receiving school(s)?

(e) Please provide details of the Minister's proposals to avoid selection by postcode. Answer to include what practical steps will be taken to avoid a postcode lottery and the related pressures on the housing market please?

(f) In addition, what plans are there to ensure that pathways chosen at 14 genuinely reflect ability and aptitude rather than coinciding primarily with social and economic background and thus replicating the worst effects of academic selection?

(g) Furthermore, how will the Minister's proposals protect rural communities in this process and ensure that pupils do not travel excessive distances, increasing congestion and pollution?

(h) Finally, where will the resources come from to invest in the current secondary schools to ensure their sustainability and make them as appealing as today's and future grammar schools?

3. Decisions at 11:

The Minister's statement referred to pupils transferring to post-primary school in September 2010 and "from 2010 the criteria will include: Community, Geographical and Family criteria".

(a) How will these criteria be applied?

(b) Please confirm definitions for these three criteria?

(c) Please provide details of the Minister's proposals to avoid selection by postcode. Answer to include what practical steps will be taken to avoid a postcode lottery and related pressure on the housing market?

(d) Please provide details here of the results of the actions taken by the Department to recommendation 6 of the committee for PfG 'Report on Schools Admissions Policy'.

(e) Under the Minister's proposals how will the situation of over-subscription to schools be dealt with?

(f) Bearing in mind the Equality Commission for NI response of 7 March 2006 on the consultation on the draft Education (NI) Order 2006, could the Department respond to the point made that "community-focused/geographical criteria will very likely reinforce existing social divisions, and widen the economic disparity between groups" in the context of the Minister's statement regarding the proposed inclusion of community and geographical criteria for pupils transferring to post-primary school in September 2010 and beyond?

4. Area-Based Planning:

The Minister in the Assembly on 11 December said that "area-based planning will design an area's provision to ensure that it has the capacity to match young people to suitable provision post-14 years of age, potentially with models catering for 11-14 year-olds, 14-19 year-olds and 11-19 year-olds".

The Bain Report recommends (in paragraph 9.25, sub-para 14) the specifying of target dates for a number of key steps, (a) to (g), in setting up and implementing an area-based planning strategy.

(a) Recognising the Minister also said that she will "make a statement in the New Year... including an update on the development of area-based planning" and "In 2013, the key education decisions for a young person will be taken at 14", what plans are targets are in place and actions taken now to meet the Bain Report's key steps?

(b) What will be the process by which schools will be identified and selected for transformation to an 11-19 school, an 11-14 school as listed in the Minister's "possible options" — detail please?

(c) What support in financial and human resource terms will be offered to schools that are being selected under the Minister's proposal (as reflected in (b) immediately above) and what is he policy for allocation of teaching staff?

(d) With regard to the potential for a postcode lottery, what steps will the Minister take to ensure equality of opportunity between rural and urban pupils?

(e) Reference the Minister's statement "planning of education in their local areas", will these local groups have a role in planning the restructuring and possible relocation of schools to facilitate the new model?

5. Grammar Schools:

The Minister's Statement referred to her forthcoming discussions with some grammar schools "to reach an agreed way forward to facilitate the transition".

(a) What options will be explored in the Minister's discussions to facilitate transitional arrangements?

(b) Will the option of the use of academic assessment or ability be included in the Minister's options during these discussions, bearing in mind the point in the Minster's statement "I am conscious that many grammar schools have been admitting a wide ability range for some years now and will receive all their pupils in September 2010 without regard to academic assessment"?

The Minister's Statement referred to "If any school ... chooses to operate independent admissions arrangements ... there is no obligation on the Department to assist with funding".

(c) Does this only refer to funding of independent admission arrangements or will other areas be denied funding?

6. Legislation:

The Minister (11 December 2007) referred to "I will bring proposals for the future of post-primary transfer ... draft admission criteria regulations for transfer in 2010 and beyond" and "I want a legislative basis for my proposals?"

(a) Is there a non-legislative means to implement admissions criteria for transfer to schools in 2010 and beyond?

(b) What is the Minister's timescale for the period of consultation to bring forward regulations governing the operation of post-primary schools for 2010, and the introduction of and making of regulations?