AS primary 7 students woke up to find out what school they would be heading to on Saturday, what should have been a joyous occasion turned to heartbreak as many did not get a place at a school of their choice or, as was the case for 280 children across the North, they hadn’t received an offer for any school at all.
With transfer tests being cancelled due to the Covid pandemic many schools had different criteria for entry this year.
Martina Sloan’s daughter had applied for St Dominic’s Grammar School.
“When she logged into the portal to find out where she was going there was just a total silence," said Martina. "We kept asking her where she got into, then she told us that she didn’t get a place anywhere.
“We were in disbelief. She began to cry and in the end we were all crying with her as she didn’t feel like she was good enough. This morning she didn’t want to go to school because all the rest of her friends had places and as yet, she doesn’t know where she is going.
Martina's husband, Gerard added: "We had to explain to our daughter that she is a victim of the pandemic. Had the transfer test gone ahead, then we have no doubt she would have got a place in St Dominic's but because of Covid she was judged on her surname. They didn't even take into consideration the work she had put in to get the place."
Martina and Gerard’s daughter is not on her own. Toni-Marie Mailey’s daughter had applied for a place at Dominican College, Fortwilliam and on Saturday, she found out that she had received no offers of a place at a school. Detailing her experience, Toni-Marie told us: “My daughter didn't get a place in any school and now doesn't know where she will be come September.
“She was completely heartbroken and so was I as her mum. She was thinking she wasn't smart enough or even good enough for any school, even though she is one very intelligent child who worked extremely hard to get a chance to get into a grammar school.
“She was preparing for the transfer test, paper after paper just for it all to be cancelled and end up with no school at all even though she met all of the criteria. If the transfer test had gone ahead I have no doubt in my mind that she would have got into her first choice school. Yet because of her surname she is left in limbo.”
Frances Kane’s daughter had also applied for St Dominic’s and her second preference was Dominican College, Fortwilliam. When they logged in on Saturday they were told that her daughter had been offered a place at Forthill Integrated College in Lisburn – a school her mother had never heard of before. Speaking to belfastmedia.com, Frances said: “I had never heard of Forthill Integrated College and when I contacted the Education Authority they told me that we had it as our second preference.
“I believe that this has been an administrative error on their part as Dominican was listed as Dominican College, Fortwilliam and fell under the “D” category when selecting not “F” for Fortwilliam of Forthill.”
An EA spokesperson said: “Admissions criteria for each school is established by the Board of Governors for that school. In our correspondence to schools prior to the application process for post-primary admissions, EA reminded schools of their responsibility to have regard to Department of Education guidance on admissions criteria.
“If a pupil remains to be placed in a post-primary school or if a pupils parent/guardian wishes to appeal a placement they can find information on the process on our website and clicking on the link entitled ‘Information on your Post-Primary Application and what you need to do now’.
“We appreciate how important the transfer from primary to post-primary school is for families and we have a dedication admissions helpdesk to support parents/guardians:
By phone at 028 9598 5595 or via email on postprimaryadmissions@eani.org.uk.”
