11 plus

ibizafan_2

I went to a grammar school back in 1964, when everyone took the 11 plus. I had an excellent education, and there was a good mix of people there, from the local council estates right up to the "poshest" areas of town. No-one looked down on anyone. Fast forward to the late 80's and we decided to move into Warwickshire from a neighbouring county in order to give our sons the chance to get a similar education. There wasn't much tutoring then, although we did practice papers with them, in order to give them practice in answering the questions in a certain time. Back then, it was well known that if you hadn't answered all the questions, you had little chance of passing, so it made sense to do some past papers. Unfortunately, now the 11 plus is done on a Saturday morning instead of at the primary schools, and is quite a stressful occasion, with many children from outside Warwickshire also trying to access the places. Now, tutoring is more or less essential. Parents just daren't leave it to chance, and I can't blame them. Grammar schools nowadays seem to be full of middle-class children whose parents can afford the tutoring, and of course, quite a few children who have been to private schools from the age of four, whose parents want to save on further school fees if they can. This seems a shame compared to my day, when anyone had a chance to get a place. Although there are some excellent comprehensive schools, a good grammar school education is still seen as the best education you can get on the state. I wanted to give mine that chance and luckily it paid off. I do agree though that it doesn't suit every child. Although one of my friends at junior school passed the 11 plus, her parents were advised that it might be too much pressure for her at the grammar school. She was (reluctantly) sent to a secondary school where she ended up doing better in her A levels than some of the grammar school pupils. Unfortunately, whatever her teachers at junior school had identified at the age of 11 resurfaced when she got to college, as she dropped out with stress after the first year, never really recovered, and has never worked since, having suffered most of her life from anorexia. It's difficult being a parent, especially these days when you want to give your child every advantage education wise, with the way the world is going.

Caroline_a

My dad was a primary school head for many years. At that time border line children often had decisions based on what the head said (people have bad days, etc). One child's parents asked my father at open day whether their child would pass her 11 plus. My father said no, he didn't think she would. In a fit of indignation they moved her to a school where the 11 plus was actively coached. She passed and ended up in the same class as me.

Poor thing was bottom in every subject and found it almost impossible to cope. She became a figure of ridicule to the ones who were just above her (girls are so cruel!), and must have had a horrible 5 years until she left.

My father thought it was the worst decision that the parents could have made. He said that the problem was that most parents think that their children are swans, when in fact most of them are ducks.