Ulster Unionist Education Spokesperson, Danny Kinahan MLA, has called for an end to threats over the size of schools, the competition between grammar and non-grammars and the divisive debate over the future of selection. 

Danny Kinahan made the comments after expert witnesses from the University of Ulster once again highlighted the differential in attainment for grammar schools as compared to the non-grammars, between maintained and controlled schools and between grant maintained integrated and controlled integrated schools. 

Mr Kinahan, who is also Deputy-Chair of the Education Committee, said; 

“As part of the Education Committee's Inquiry into the Education and Training Inspectorate and the School Improvement process, witnesses from the Institute for Research in Social Sciences, School of Criminology, Politics and Social Policy, University of Ulster presented their findings which again raised the significant difference in the educational attainment across different types of post-primary schools. 

“For instance in 2011/12 93.6% of pupils attending Voluntary Catholic grammar schools achieved  5 or more GCSEs at grades A*-C compared to just 25% pupils attending controlled integrated schools.  Catholic maintained non-grammars achieved 40.9% compared to 30.3% Controlled non-grammars. 

“Schools are aggressively competing with one another and are operating within an environment of uncertainty and suspicion on the future of academic selection; something which is overtly encouraged by respective Sinn Fein Ministers of Education. Subsequently as the report from the University of Ulster reiterated the current system is failing to make any significant impression on the huge educational attainment gap which exists between grammar and non-grammar schools. 

“Instead of grammar schools aggressively chasing pupils, sometimes of ranging abilities, to fill their enrolments they need to be working with their local controlled and maintained secondary schools to ensure that all the young people in the area are attending the schools that are best suited for them. 

“We must stop the divisive debate over selection, size of schools and whether comprehensive and grammar are better than one another. We must work out as they have highlighted how we can best encourage everyone to work together to share expertise, use peer learning, have a shared education premium – in addition to the pupil premium which the Ulster Unionist Party were first to propose - and concentrate on giving schools the resources to help each other and help pupils all do better than they are individually expected to do. 

At our party conference I hosted a fringe event called 'levelling up' to explore exactly these issues and how different types of post-primary schools can work together in a way that helps all pupils. The presentation to the Education Committee, by two of the most eminent academics, confirms this way forward.