O’Loan rejects grammar school option for Northern Ireland

BARONESS Nuala O’Loan has said she believes grammar schools have “had their day” as she criticised them for perpetuating a structure of academic selection which is “profoundly wrong”, writes Sarah Mac Donald.

Speaking about the role of faith schools in a pluralist society in Dublin last week, at a conference hosted by the Irish Catholic newspaper, the former police ombudsman for Northern Ireland who is chancellor of Maynooth University said: “Christ never categorised children at 11” and children grow at different rates.  

She told Catholic educators and representatives of Catholic schools trusts that over the years grammar schools were better funded and tended to attract students whose parents had higher incomes.
The message they sent out was that “some children are more valued than others”.

She noted that overall only 14 per cent of students from grammar schools come from homes where the income level was such that they are entitled to free meals. That compared to 40 per cent of students in non-grammar schools.