NI paper review: Single transfer test 'trouble' and a new Royal baby

A split has emerged over plans to create a single transfer test for children, the Belfast Telegraph says on Thursday.

The front page reveals that Catholic grammar schools have "overwhelmingly" supported plans for a single test while supporters of the AQE assessment, largely used by other grammar schools, has insisted the proposals were "indefensible and should trouble parents".

An 11-plus exam run by the Department of Education was scrapped in 2008.

That led grammar schools to develop their own transfer tests and means some children sit four separate tests.

In 2018, the two separate testing organisations unveiled draft plans for a common test.

The Belfast Telegraph reports that the Post-Primary Transfer Consortium, which operates the test used in Catholic grammars, said proposals to move to a joint test costing £20 per pupil had been backed by Boards of Governors.

Through the proposed new system, it says children would sit two papers of one hour each on successive Saturdays with a supplementary paper for those children missing one paper due to illness or other circumstances.

The Irish News leads with the story of Gerry Adams denying he had ever been in the IRA, but said he will never disassociate himself from the organisation".

The paper says the denial came as he gave evidence at Belfast Coroner's Court during an inquest into the deaths of 10 people in Ballymurphy in west Belfast in August 1971.

In response to questioning, the Irish News says Mr Adams replied: "I was not a member of the IRA. I have never disassociated myself from the IRA and I never will until the day I die.

"I understand that victims of the IRA won't like what I'm saying...I deeply regret there was a war".

The News Letter leads with a story in which Sinn Féin is accused of abusing the concept of human rights by setting up "Irish and gay" rights as preconditions for the return of Stormont.

In the story, former chief commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC), Professor Brice Dickson, criticises republicans for refusing to re-establish devolution until gay marriage and Irish language rights are first established.

"The party seemingly won't even agree to establish the executive and assembly on a time-limited basis to see if those rights can be agreed therein by a certain deadline," he said.

"For me, this is an increasingly indefensible position."

DUP MP Jim Shannon had the highest expense bill of all UK MPs last year, according to Thursday's Daily Mirror.

The paper reports that the Strangford politician "topped the average claim from the country's 650 MPs" by claiming nearly £240,000 in 12 months.

The story refers to figures from the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, which showed Mr Shannon had exceeded the average claim by £87,000.

It says his greatest expense was £150,000 for three staff members.

The story reports that Sinn Féin MP Orlaith Begley claimed the least of all MPs with an expense bill of just over £8,000.

Mr Shannon was not interviewed in the story.

Most of Thursday's papers also feature photographs of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex with her newborn son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.

The News Letter highlights the couples break from convention by deciding not to use a title for their baby boy.