Cash Threat for Grammars Turning Private

By Kathryn Torney

Ulster grammar schools threatening to go private if the Government ploughs ahead with plans to scrap academic selection risk being hit by massive financial penalties.Any school switching to fee- paying status could be hit with a bill amounting to millions of pounds as payback to the Government for public funding in the past.The Association of Teachers and Lecturers – which has a high concentration of its membership in the voluntary grammar sector – also claims that any school which starts charging pupils for their education will become “comprehensive schools for the rich”.The Association’s Northern Ireland director, Mark Langhammer, has called on grammar principals considering moves towards private schooling – including the head of Methodist College in Belfast – to “pause and reflect”.Mr Langhammer said: “Creating educational ghettos for the privileged is not a sensible direction of travel.”Mr Langhammer said that a successful case taken over the protection of historical state aid to the Carysfort teacher training institution in Dublin forced clawback of many millions from the religious order running the institution. Methodist College principal, Cecilia Galloway, confirmed that going private is one of the options the school’s governing body is considering.”One of the drawbacks of going independent is that as a voluntary grammar we would have to pay back something because of the funding we have had over the years.”This has happened before in other schools in England, although I have no idea how much we would have to pay.”The school also risks losing [Pound]41m in Government funding announced this week for an extension and refurbishment project.