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A general comment on the approach to Grammar School entrance in Wiltshire
First consideration:
Many parents will ask themselves if they should enter their child for Grammar School Eleven plus in Year 5. I am concerned that in the light of inadequate state education provision too many parents are submitting their children for Grammar School entrance. We all have a vested interest in supporting children in their school efforts, but for parents to assume that a better education is only available at Grammar School is a mistake and so often in my experience leads to stress and unhappiness in children’s studies. The commitment to Eleven Plus is one the first major decisions for a child’s education. In the my local area the available places have remained stable for some years now and yet the numbers of applicants continue to increase. Some parents may choose to ignore or avoid objective assessment and advice; the catch phrase being “we’ll give it a try and see what happens.” It is not suitable for all and can be an expensive undertaking if tuition is undertaken. The workload now being assumed by marginal students is astounding, particularly when those students are engaging in many other organised “after school” activities and clubs. Many students will pass without tuition but some genuinely require some support in a weaker subject.
So as one part of the decision process all students will benefit from an objective appraisal and explanation of the required commitment.
Second consideration:
Academic ability is not the sole requirement for a student at this time. The commitment is significant and young children may get quite tired during a week which includes other “after school” activities. While we wish our children to succeed, weekends are a good time for family and relaxation. I personally see nothing to condone Saturday morning tuition unless there are exceptional circumstances. A child’s learning should be nurtured. Academic progress also comes from reading and other media from which children learn to develop analytical and critical thinking. These are all important tools which are applied to the subjects they study. We all know how much Maths there is in an afternoons shopping or a game of Monopoly with the family.
Third consideration:
Many children are good at their studies but do not react well to stress or competition. Make no mistake about this; some children will see this as a competitive exam. No matter how we may explain the issue of possible failure, it may be seen as just that, failure. By submitting a student for the exam we are in effect entering them for a race and those that get in are the winners. We know that this is not the case but the translation in the eyes of a child is not always that sophisticated.
The pressure of wishing to succeed and not let anyone down or suffering an alternative school can be immense. This pressure is sometimes self-induced and signs can be difficult to recognise. There is no stigma attached to not being a suitable candidate for Eleven Plus and the schools themselves wish to accept students who have a natural ability to study and aren’t artificially coached to pass an exam. I wish to avoid committing students to a life at Grammar School which they may not be suited to, either academically or emotionally, and subsequently I believe tutors should be candid in the assessment.
Fourth consideration:
Again concerning the character of the possible candidate, students have to maintain a good level of work throughout Grammar School. I have unfortunately been asked to tutor too many students who have found the level of required learning difficult and subsequently needed additional help. I fortunately do not hear of students leaving the schools because of the excellent system of appraisal used by the schools, however I do hear of some unhappy students who struggle. Has your son or daughter the type of character that will welcome the challenge of this type of school?
In brief then these points may be worth considering in some depth:
- Current level of work -but also historical levels and trends of work and the speed of work-Have you got enough information?
- Does the student want to do the exam and if so WHY?
- Will you be able to cope? Will the student be able to cope with the pressure of Eleven Plus and subsequent Grammar School life?
- In the event of not passing will the student accept not gaining a place at Grammar School?-What are the alternatives?
In mentoring some students who are approaching the exam and some students who have taken the exam, I am sometimes struck by the lack of consideration given in the final decision to the student. All parents wish their children to succeed but in doing so may become over enthusiastic about the possibilities and forget or ignore the possible consequences of the incorrect promotion of the exam. As a teacher I encourage my students to reach for the moon, but as a counsellor I ask them to consider where they might land if they do not reach their target, because in contrast to one of the modern teaching “strap lines”; *it is not always the stars! I think we all do well to consider what a student might need instead of what they might want.
*This was heard at a primary school locally from a Year 5 teacher. “I tell my students to aim for the moon, because if they miss they will always become a star”
