Strule Shared Education Campus delays 'creating instability'

Repeated delays to the Strule Shared Education Campus have created "uncertainty and instability" for schools in Omagh.

The absence of a Stormont executive has also "negatively impacted" confidence that the campus will be built by 2027.

That is according to governors at Loreto Grammar School in documents published by the Education Authority.

Loreto Grammar and Christian Brothers' Grammar have also confirmed that they want to continue to use transfer tests.

The Omagh schools had previously planned to end academic selection.

Having carried out an initial consultation they have now put formal proposals to the Education Authority to maintain selection for some admissions.

Strule is the biggest school-building project ever in Northern Ireland but Arvalee Special School, which opened in 2016, is the only one of six schools to be built so far.

The campus had originally been due to open in 2020 but has been delayed a number of times and the budget has risen well beyond original estimates.

More than 4,000 pupils are eventually expected to move into new schools on the site of the former Lisanelly Army base.

Loreto Grammar and Christian Brothers Grammar as well as Omagh High School, Sacred Heart College and Omagh Academy are due to relocate to the campus when it is finished.

In their case for change published by the Education Authority, Loreto's governors said delays to Strule had "created uncertainty and instability for the post-primary sector in Omagh".

"Loreto Grammar School is currently in a period of transition towards migration to the Strule Shared Education Campus, the repeated delay of which has caused uncertainty regarding the future direction of the school," they said.

"Without an Executive at Stormont, confidence in meeting the current projected date of 2027 is negatively impacted."

Both Loreto Grammar and Christian Brothers' Grammar also confirmed plans to continue to use academic selection.

In 2016 both schools submitted previous proposals to the Education Authority in which they said they planned to "discontinue" using transfer tests by 2020.

The Catholic Church opposes academic selection in Northern Ireland but many Catholic grammars continue to use the transfer test system.

Both Loreto Grammar and Christian Brothers' Grammar were among schools which abandoned transfer tests during the Covid pandemic.

But Loreto Grammar has proposed to use transfer tests to select 50% of new pupils, while Christian Brothers' Grammar plans to use transfer tests to select 75% of pupils.

The other 50% and 25% of pupils, respectively, would be admitted to the schools using non-academic criteria.

It will ultimately be up to an education minister or permanent secretary to make a final decision on the plans.

A new common transfer test is due to be held in November, replacing the separate tests run by AQE and PPTC.

It is the biggest change to the post-primary transfer system since 2008 when the state run 11-plus test ended after about 60 years.