County Down school merger: Selection tests may be used to select some students

Academic selection tests could be used to select almost half of pupils in a major Catholic school merger in County Down, according to a proposal.

The proposal advocates for the amalgamation of three post-primary schools in Downpatrick.

The schools earmarked for the move are De La Salle High School, St Mary's High School and St Patrick's Grammar School.

The new school would operate initially on the three existing separate sites and have 1,600 pupils.

According to an extensive proposal document, seen by BBC News NI and written by the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS), the merged school will open in September 2021 "or as soon as possible thereafter".

However, when the proposal, called a Case for Change, is published, it will trigger a full public consultation.

Parents in the area had expressed mixed opinions when previously informed about the planned merger.

In response at that time, Bishop Donal McKeown, who chairs CCMS, said it was the "right thing" and that education which did not rely on academic selection would benefit everyone.

St Columba's College in Portaferry, though, was subsequently withdrawn from the amalgamation plans.

A formal development proposal on the merger has now been submitted by CCMS to the Education Authority (EA).

According to the proposal, the new school will have an admission number of 250 pupils, with up to 40% being admitted through an "academically selective route".

The Case for Change said that pupils in 11 local primary schools closest to the new school would not have to sit transfer tests to be admitted to it.

However, academic selection tests would be used to decide if pupils in 24 other primary schools in the area would transfer to the school.

Currently, for example, pupils from primary schools in towns like Strangford, Carryduff, Newcastle, Crossgar, Dundrum and Ballynahinch transfer to St Patrick's Grammar School.

The three existing school sites in Downpatrick would be used initially, but the long-term aim is for a new school to be built on the land where the adjacent St Patrick's Grammar and De La Salle High schools stand.

EA will soon launch a formal two-month consultation on the plan.

A final decision on whether the merger will go ahead will be down to the permanent secretary at the Department of Education (DE) or a future education minister.

CCMS said the proposal would strengthen quality education provision for post-primary pupils in the Downpatrick area.

"The creation of a new, sustainable 11-19 co-educational voluntary grammar school will provide high quality education, a broad curricular offer and provide a range of learning experiences for all pupils," CCMS said.

"The amalgamation process provides significant legal and administrative certainty to the management of this process."

CCMS said the project board believes this will enable a process whereby each of the schools "brings its ethos and values into the new school".

"The proposed school would offer the opportunity for all children from the one family to be educated together in a co-educational setting."

However, the Parents and Friends Association (PFA) of St Patrick's Grammar School called the proposal "ill-conceived and badly planned".

It also expressed concern it would lead to some parents in the area seeking to send their children to grammar schools elsewhere.

"The board of governors, staff and parents are overwhelmingly opposed to this proposal," the group said.

"It suggests that our children are pawns in a flawed social experiment."