The last 11-plus transfer test will be in 2008

The Young Life and Times survey follows last month's announcement that the transfer test and academic selection in Northern Ireland were to be abolished.

On Saturday, thousands of 10 and 11-year-olds are to find out the results of the tests, in english, mathematics and science, which determine whether they will go to a grammar or secondary school.

The authors of the joint Queen's University and University of Ulster report asked more than 900 16-year-olds about their experience of schools.

About 70% of those surveyed said the transfer test placed too much pressure on children but 76% agreed that selection had to happen at some time in a child's education.

Most of the teenagers surveyed had experienced religiously segregated schools.

Positive

The survey suggested that boys had a less positive feeling about school life than girls, although experiences were found to be mostly positive.

Of all those asked, 70% expected to attend university or college after leaving school, while 84% intended to stay in full-time education beyond the age of 16.

Paula Devine of the Northern Ireland Social and Political Archive, a joint project between the two universities, said respondents were generally "deeply critical" of the current selection procedure.

"While the majority of respondents reported an overall positive experience of school at age 16, young men in the survey reported significantly worse experiences of school than young women did," she said.

"At a time when there is much debate about how boys are performing badly at school, reinforced by society's emphasis on obtaining qualifications, these experiences of school are a matter for concern for teachers and policy-makers alike."

The last 11-plus transfer test will be in 2008. Pupils currently in Primary 2 will be the last to do it.

The abolition followed recommendations by a government-appointed working body, the Costello Group, which was set up to suggest alternatives to the current transfer tests.