Frustration as school transfer letters fail to arrive

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Frustration as pupils’ school transfer letters fail to arrive

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Hundreds of children across Northern Ireland still do not know which secondary school they will attend in September — more than 48 hours after they were due to find out.

Parents of more than 23,000 children had been expecting to receive letters confirming their choice of school on Saturday morning.

However, the hugely anticipated results have yet to be delivered to hundreds of homes, particularly across Belfast and Co Down.

And, without an emergency contact or online back-up plan, the children are unlikely to find out before tomorrow where they will be spending their next five years in education.

Royal Mail, which was forced to apologise for the late delivery of transfer test results in February, has denied responsibility for this latest fiasco.

“We are continuing to look into the matter, but following a thorough check we can confirm that all mail due for delivery was delivered,” a spokeswoman told the Belfast Telegraph.

In Belfast, scores of children living in the south of the city, particularly around Balmoral Avenue, are still waiting on their results.

The spokeswoman said the route had not been serviced by its regular postman, but denied there was a “resource problem”.

Among those directly affected is SDLP MLA Conall McDevitt, who is still waiting to hear if his son has been successful in his first choice of school.

The Stormont education committee member said: “It is inevitable that some letters will go missing, but it is not acceptable that when no post arrives, parents have no emergency contact point either in Royal Mail or within the education and library boards to be able to establish to which school their primary seven child will be going.

“The transfer system is already a mess. It places children under great and unnecessary stress. I am calling on the education and library boards and Royal Mail to review their contingency plans.”

In November, thousands of children sat transfer tests from two separate organisations to determine which post-primary school they can attend. The results were released in February and children then applied to the schools of their choice.

Company director, Brendan Mulgrew’s eldest son is transferring from St Bride’s Primary, also in south Belfast.

“James has applied to three schools and, to be honest, we’d be happy with any of them, but we’d just like to know,” he told the Belfast Telegraph.

Schools set their own entrance tests after the 11-plus was abolished in 2008 without political consensus for an alternative.

The transfer tests went ahead at the end of last year without the Department of Education |support.

On Saturday, Education Minister John O’Dowd revealed that the majority of children have been successful in securing a place in their first choice school.

[Straight4ward]

Frustration for postie as school closes for half-term.

Delivering to a small primary school on Friday only to find a thumping great padlock on the gates.
No keepsafe set up. I ought to return them as “inaccessible” but won’t of course.
A great number of letters marked for “The Admissions Officer”, so obviously very important to a number of anxious parents.

Sometimes schools don’t help themselves.

[not me]

The Stormont education committee member said: “It is inevitable that some letters will go missing, but it is not acceptable that when no post arrives, parents have no emergency contact point either in Royal Mail or within the education and library boards to be able to establish to which school their primary seven child will be going.

how would RM know what school they got?

[arnold cheshire]

The Stormont education committee member said: “It is inevitable that some letters will go missing, but it is not acceptable that when no post arrives, parents have no emergency contact point either in Royal Mail or within the education and library boards to be able to establish to which school their primary seven child will be going.

how would RM know what school they got?

its all done BY EMAIL in england and they dont start till september so whats the rush

[DGP1]

My office got all theirs and they all where delivered, this does sound very much like the duty wasn't covered on Saturday (this is one of the P&L areas that had so much trouble just before Christmas).

[maisymoo04]

so it waqs left in then hahaha

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/ ... 06460.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Royal Mail has apologised after hundreds of children were left waiting up to 72 hours before finding out which secondary school they will be transferring to in September.

Letters confirming the school choices had been due to arrive on Saturday.

However, some children living in Belfast and Co Down had to wait until yesterday before learning where they will be spending the next stage of their education.

Royal Mail had insisted that it “investigated the matter fully” and claimed all mail due for delivery on Saturday had been delivered.

However, yesterday the company conceded that a second investigation had been launched.

“Royal Mail would like to apologise to those customers in south Belfast who did not receive a delivery on Saturday,” a spokeswoman told the Belfast Telegraph.

“We can confirm that there is an ongoing investigation into this matter and that an individual has been suspended as part of this process.”


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[DGP1]

“We can confirm that there is an ongoing investigation into this matter and that an individual has been suspended as part of this process.”

A scapegoat or was it someone from management

[BT2010]

manager surely?

if its in a MC or DO that is down to the manager.

floating down a river or smouldering in the woods that is another matter

[DGP1]

manager surely?

if its in a MC or DO that is down to the manager.

floating down a river or smouldering in the woods that is another matter

You've no idea what goes on over here, the management are that 'unique' that they got sent to Scotland a few years ago to give them lessons