AQE assessments - update on 21st December

21 December 2020

AQE assessments

Dear P7 parents and carers,

On Friday 18th December our Education Minister Peter Weir released a statement to urge all stakeholders to try to work together to make it a reality that children can sit the transfer test in their own primary school setting, which I had previously communicated to you via email. 

Today our Education Minister spoke at length at the Ad Hoc Committee at the Assembly, which I was able to watch remotely.

AQE has now rejected Mr Weir's suggestion that the tests should be held in primary schools, as opposed to secondary schools as planned. 

Today I have been in contact with AQE myself and they have reiterated that they will not allow for AQE assessments to be carried out in the primary schools. The test provider AQE has also released a statement which is outlined below:

"The Board of AQE Limited notes the comments the Minister of Education made on 18th December 2020 in relation to primary schools hosting the Common Entrance Assessment. AQE Limited, as a private company, has no remit or authority over primary schools. The Common Entrance Assessment (CEA) is due to be held on the 9th, 16th and 23rd January 2021 in the existing venues.

The health and wellbeing of the candidates and staff is AQE Limited’s first priority and we want to reassure you that AQE Limited, in conjunction with our Member Schools, will follow all relevant and current health and safety guidance from the PHA/DE and all of our centres will be required to risk assess the hosting of the CEA. Each host centre will contact parents and candidates in the next few weeks outlining how the Common Entrance Assessment will be conducted. We acknowledge that some candidates may not be able to sit some or all of the papers. If that is the case, we strongly advise candidates who are in a position to sit one or two papers only, to do so. If children are self-isolating they should not come to the centres to sit the assessment during this period. There are established procedures set out in the website to deal with the circumstances. They are available here
https://aqe.org.uk/special-circumstaces-provisions/

It is the responsibility of the Boards of Governors of grammar schools to ensure that admissions criteria are published and take account of the current uncertainty. In the event of no assessment taking place at all, schools will publish appropriate, alternative admissions criteria. AQE Limited has no role in this process. The Board of AQE Limited will continue to review the progress of the pandemic and will keep parents and candidates updated."

In short, the AQE assessments will take place in the post-primary school which had been previously arranged. This is far from ideal for our pupils. Please explain this information to your child and reassure them that all we ask of them is that they do their very best. We will continue to support your child in preparation for AQE on their return to school from the Christmas holidays. 

If you have any further questions please email on [email protected]

Yours faithfully,

Mrs Taylor