Covid-19: Transfer test causing 'extreme concern' to parents

Over six in ten parents who responded to a Stormont survey said they were "very or extremely concerned" about children taking transfer tests this school year.

That is according to a survey on post-primary transfer carried out by MLAs on Stormont's Education Committee.

There were more than 8,500 responses to the survey, including 6,150 parents and 1,858 teachers.

Respondents were self-selecting, so the findings may not be representative.

The transfer tests are used by almost all grammar schools to select pupils.

However, a number have said they will not use them to admit pupils for 2021 due to disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The tests have also been moved back from their usual dates in November until January 2021.

The committee commissioned the NI Assembly's Engagement, Communications and Education Service to develop a survey to collect views on the subject of post-primary transfer tests.

MLAs from the five main assembly parties sit on the committee.

The survey - which took the form of a questionnaire - was carried out from 20 July to 7 September and the results have just been published.

A separate young people's survey was also carried out during that period to which 753 children responded - three-quarters of whom were in primary seven.

Over half of the children who responded (55%) said they were not concerned or only slightly concerned about taking the transfer tests during the Covid-19 lockdown period.

However, almost a third (31%) said they were very or extremely concerned about taking the tests.

Of over 6,000 parents who responded to the survey, 85% said that they were intending to enter their children for the transfer tests.

However, almost two-thirds (63.9%) said they were very or extremely concerned that children had not had enough time to prepare for the tests.

Only one in eight (12.5%) said they were "not concerned at all".

When questioned about what they would prefer to happen about transfer in 2020/21, the most popular option chosen by parents was for post-primary schools to use non-academic admissions criteria instead for a year.

Parents felt that in the absence of tests, pupils should go to their nearest suitable school or a school where a sibling already attended.

However, a slightly higher proportion of parents wanted the tests to go ahead in November 2020 rather than be delayed until January 2021.

Of the 1,858 teachers who completed the survey, almost two-thirds (63.6%) said they were very or extremely concerned about children taking the transfer tests following the lockdown period.

Over half said they were concerned that children would be disadvantaged and over six in ten said they felt children had lost too much preparation time due to lockdown.

Around half (49.1%) were "extremely concerned" that there would be further disruption to schools due to a second wave of Covid-19.

The chair of the Stormont Education Committee, Alliance MLA Chris Lyttle, called the response to the survey "unprecedented".

"The committee will bring a motion to the assembly after Halloween in order to discuss and debate the overall findings of the survey," he said.

"We will also be calling on the minister to bring forward contingency plans for post-primary transfer arrangements."