Primary schools' attitude to 11+

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Alice73
Posts: 163
Joined: Wed Nov 07, 2007 6:15 pm

Primary schools' attitude to 11+

Post by Alice73 »

Is it only me who found the attitude of my child's primary school to 11+ exams unsupportive? It is not regarding abilities. After all, they say my daughter is likely to pass. But they do not like to talk much about it or support children who are keen to sit selection tests. There are no grammars in our borough, and my daughter is doing it in allocated centre, not in her school. Sometimes I think that they are even angry anybody mentions intentions to go to grammar school. Why?
Alice
Anne42
Posts: 53
Joined: Fri Oct 05, 2007 6:56 pm
Location: Medway

Anne42

Post by Anne42 »

Our school was exactly the same , there is quite alot about it on the Medway board .
Last week my daughter bought a survey home , about communication & standards at the school , i think they are going to be surprised by some of the answers.
Guest

Post by Guest »

We had NO information at all from our school,it wasn't even mentioned at the yr6 parents meeting, they were only concerned with the SATs.
Guest

Post by Guest »

Unfortunately that appears to be the case in my school also.

But they have no compunction in then printing the results of which secondary their Yr6 children transfered to in the prospectus. Duping unsuspecting future parents into believing that they are such a good school that they have successfully got children into the grammars. It makes my blood boil :evil:
Heaps of money is put into SEN, and rightly so, but brighter children's needs are ignored, and they are left to either help out other children or sent to wash up paint brushes as a reward for finishing work early.
Guest

Post by Guest »

We had the same problem with my daugters primary school. the headteacher doesn't hide the fact that he is against selective schools.

I had to remind him that if my child had talent in sports, she would be sent to a sports college why should it be any different in grammer school. Some people seem to be against the term selective when you want the best academically for your child, but they have no problem with other school which select on other terms e.g religion, sport, art, music, drama.


LOCATION: CHARLTON(SOUTH-EAST LONDON)
Grumpy Old...

Post by Grumpy Old... »

Sadly the hypocrites and the bigots run the asylum....
abcdef
Posts: 78
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 4:15 pm

Post by abcdef »

I wholeheartedly agree with all of the above comments. Our primary school is keen to praise children talented in sports, but not academically bright children. My son left the primary school last year and has gone to grammar. Even though he left with teacher assessments of 7/8 in maths and 6s in English and Science it was not mentioned once during his time at school that he might try for grammar. My daughter has just taken her selective tests, and, although she is not as bright as her brother, there is a chance she may get into grammar, but again it has never been suggested that she should give it a try.
Alice73
Posts: 163
Joined: Wed Nov 07, 2007 6:15 pm

Post by Alice73 »

Is it because the boroughs without grammar schools want to promote their own schools and get all more able children into them so that those borough's secondary schools results would improve? Can primary schools be also unsupportive in boroughs with grammars? Maybe yes, because all the interest of good achieving children is going towards applications to grammars while comps get less attention. They need more children with better results. Can I base my theory in this?
Alice
Bexley Mum 2

Post by Bexley Mum 2 »

Alice73: we are in Bexley where we have grammar schools and my children's primary school is wholeheartedly completely uninterested in the 11plus!! I think there are two main reasons. One, Bexley LEA states that schools are not allowed to prepare children for the 11plus. So, given the huge demands on schools, they're not going to try to do something they've been told not to. Secondly, schools aren't judged on how many children get through the 11plus, but on their SATS results. As a parent governor at my youngest children's Bexley primary school, I'm frequently reminded that "the 11plus doesn't concern us". Any attempts from me to discuss the fact that only a tiny few children from our school get through the 11plus are met with blank looks and puzzlement. When it comes to SATS, children are pushed so hard my eldest son, when he was in Year 6, was having nightmares (even though he was expected to and did get Level 5s). The school provides breakfast for all children on the morning of SATS tests - just to make sure everyone has eaten etc etc.

What I find particulary galling is that parents who are new to the system (like I was two years ago) will look to their child's teacher for some indication of whether or not their child might be selective. When I asked my eldest son's year 5 teacher she looked uncomfortable and made a comment about there being a lot of homework at grammar schools. I took this to mean she thought he didn't have much of a chance. However, he passed the 11plus by a very good margin and is in now in top sets and coping easily with homework in year 8 at a good grammar school. I now realise her unease was because she wasn't supposed to give an opinion. She's obviously gaining in confidence however, because the same teacher said of my second son earlier this year, "you know what sort of school I think he should go to don't you". A bit cryptic but at least she is now prepared to offer opinions!! I also know that the same teacher has, this year, tried to persuade one or two parents of capable children to do some practice with them. She clearly cares about the children as people and not just in terms of what SATS results they represent!!
yoyo123
Posts: 8099
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: East Kent

Post by yoyo123 »

Here in teh farthest deep and darkest south East Kent as far as I know teh year 6 parents evening is used to advise parents on what secondary school choice to make. All of teh schools I have been associated with will say whether or not a child is a likely candidate for teh Kent test.

However they are not allowed to practise for the test and only a few children tend to sit it. When my own children went through teh process it was very much a case of trial and error even though I am a primary teacher (but as a senco and y3 I was not often involved !)

I wish this site had been around then, they both passed but I would have liked to have known what I was aiming at. The only advice I ever received was to but the multiple choice papers
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