The North's Education Minister, Mr Martin McGuinness, has said extra money has been allocated to Holy Cross primary school in north Belfast to ensure traumatised pupils due to sit the 11-plus exam suffer no disadvantage.
As the dispute over Catholic parents walking their children to the school in Ardoyne entered its seventh week, Mr McGuinness said his department was increasing its efforts to minimise disruption during the exams.
"Funding has been agreed to enable the teachers to provide additional curriculum support to pupils at Holy Cross taking the transfer test this year," he told the Assembly yesterday.
Sinn FΘin Assembly member Mr Alex Maskey had asked for reassurances that the children would have equal opportunity in the exams. Mr McGuinness stressed the loyalist protest outside the school could not be justified.
He expressed hope that it would be called off before the first exam on November 9th.
"The department has also been in touch with the school authority who will take whatever steps they consider appropriate to ensure the children can take the transfer test in a calm and orderly atmosphere," he said.
SDLP Assembly member Mr Alban Maginness asked if the Education Minister supported a suggestion from the Holy Cross board of governors chairman, Father Aidan Troy, that parents could take their children to school by car or bus as a short-term solution during the current bad weather.
Mr McGuinness said: "It is absolutely vital that people have the right to access to school. How they do that is a matter for the parents." PUP Assembly member Mr Billy Hutchinson asked what was being done to halt attacks on buses carrying Protestant children to school.
Mr McGuinness condemned all attacks on schoolchildren.