To ask the Minister of Education (i) what plans he has to support children taking transfer tests who have lost or will lose class time due to isolation related to COVID-19; (ii) whether he has any plans to change special circumstances entry criteria to post-primary schools for September 2021 to account for circumstances related to COVID-19; and (iii) to outline alternative plans to sitting the transfer test in January 2021 should it not be possible due to COVID-19.

The “Engage” programme aims to limit any long-term adverse impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on learning by supporting the learning and engagement of pupils through provision of high quality one to one, small group or team teaching support in every school in Northern Ireland. This support is for all children regardless of whether they take the transfer test or not.

Additionally, I have also provided funding for the purchase of online virtual learning resources for children going into Year 7 to help with literacy and numeracy skills and funded a number of summer schools.

The application of admissions criteria are matters for Boards of Governors including consideration of special circumstances arrangements. Current guidance makes clear that it is important that schools that use the results of an entrance test as part of their admissions criteria make use of a special circumstances procedure as part of their process.

The arrangements for the transfer tests do not fall within my Department’s remit and are a matter for the test providers and those schools that use the tests results as part of their admissions criteria. Should the tests be impacted because of wider public health concerns in the autumn, it will be a matter for individual Boards of Governors in those schools that use the scores from the tests in their admissions criteria to decide what alternative criteria they may wish to use.