To ask the Minister of Education (i) whether the cancellation of AQE tests due to the COVID-19 pandemic is considered among the exceptional circumstances that must be proven to the Exceptional Circumstances Body in order to successfully appeal a decision by a post-primary school not to accept a pupil; (ii) the reasons for this; and (iii) whether this decision would be affected by a letter from a pupil’s primary school principal attesting the pupil would have been expected to perform well enough in the AQE test to secure a place in their chosen post-primary school under normal circumstances.

I appreciate that this has been a difficult year for those pupils for whom the transfer tests were cancelled and particularly those who did not get into a school of their choice.

The Exceptional Circumstances Body (ECB) is not part of the normal post primary transfer procedure. It is an entirely separate process which operates independently of my Department. While departmental staff provide a secretariat service, officials have no input to, or influence over, the decisions of the Body.

The ECB considers cases where a young person, because of their exceptional and personal circumstances, has to attend a specified school and no other. Panels of experts consider cases on an individual basis and the onus is on Applicants to provide evidence of exceptional circumstances for a panel to consider. For example, evidence in support of an application can include input from a social worker, a doctor or the child’s primary school. Indeed it is important that an application is supported by as much evidence as an Applicant considers necessary.

Before considering making an application to the ECB, parents will wish to satisfy themselves that three tests considered by a Panel are met. The tests are:

the circumstances are exceptional;

the circumstances are personal to the child in respect of whom the application is made; and

the child can only attend the school specified in the application.