Revealing Kent Scores to your child

Eleven Plus (11+) in Kent

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Gercha
Posts: 90
Joined: Thu Sep 18, 2008 5:47 pm

Revealing Kent Scores to your child

Post by Gercha »

Hi

Just wondered what people thought about actually revealing their scores to their children. Obviously i'll tell my ds whether he was deemed selective or not, but am unsure whether to tell him his actual score. His brother passed the St Olaves test in 2006 and in the first half term of school all the boys did was compare entrance scores. I kept telling him it didn't matter as he had got in!! That's competitive boys for you!!

I just don't want my youngest son to either brag with his friends or indeed feel inferior. Any views?
twellsmum
Posts: 349
Joined: Wed Jul 16, 2008 2:16 pm
Location: Tunbridge Wells, Kent

Post by twellsmum »

As we are very close to the school that we want, I am not actually that bothered by the scores per se as long they add to the right number! I would ask for them as a matter of interest and would also tell my DD is she wanted to know, but again I don't think it would mean that much to her. I told her the scores she got when the school did an assessment (121, 126 and 137) but I doubt whether she has either remembered them or took them in when I told her, or was that bothered.

I heard that so many boys are coached intensively for a local super selective that one year not so long ago 80 out of 120 had 100% in all three papers! Apparently the school get them to do a similar test in about the October after they have started to get the "true" as in uncoached scores so that they can set them accordingly!

One thing against revealing scores that I can think of is that my DD2 (two years younger) is brighter than DD1 and I can predict that DD2 will be eagerly comparing marks and taunting where applicable!
Gercha
Posts: 90
Joined: Thu Sep 18, 2008 5:47 pm

Post by Gercha »

The scores are quite important to us as we are in Bromley and if my son doesn't get St Olaves our next choice is Judd which of course require the top marks. So just passing does not automatically give us a grammar school as we are so far out. In the past Wilmington Grammar school for Boys has come out this far but what if there are a lot of boys who pass and who live nearer - then we'll be unlucky I guess. We are more fortunate in Bromley that we get 6 school choices on our CAF so at least 3 of these will be taken up with grammar schools - albeit 2 of them super selective - gulp. Roll on March 3rd!!
happynow
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Oct 23, 2008 2:13 pm
Location: kent

Post by happynow »

DS told me the day after results were out that all the children had been comparing scores at school. While they'd all been under strict instructions not to use words like pass and fail the teachers had neglected to ban score comparisons! I haven't told my son his scores - partly because his are apparently a fair bit lower than those he's been told by some of his friends and I don't want to dent his confidence, but also because I think it's enough that he's passed. Please don't hate me but it does make me smile a little as I know that many of those 'top scorers' have been tutored and my son hasn't.
twellsmum
Posts: 349
Joined: Wed Jul 16, 2008 2:16 pm
Location: Tunbridge Wells, Kent

Post by twellsmum »

I know exactly what you mean "happynow" (good name!).

My DD was not intensively tutored and has spent her whole school career in a large mixed intake primary school (with some particularly unhappy and disruptive boys n her class too) and she has never been less than one of 30/32 in a class. At first when I heard some of her contemporaries' very high scores, I started to worry that DD1 was nowhere near as clever as them but when I thought about and realised that either they had been at a private school with tiny classes and/or been tutored twice a week since Y4, I breathed easier.

I wanted DD1 to pass on her own merits as having been through teh GS system myself, I wanted to be sure that she had the right kind of intelligence to cope with it rather than coaching her like mad to get her in and then having to continue with tutors throughout her secondary education or worse, her not coping and being unhappy.
TinDad
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Oct 23, 2008 1:34 pm

Post by TinDad »

I told my eldest DD when she passed the scores as everyone else seemed to know and yes they all compare notes. When she joined her GS some of the shall we say not so nice girls who came from the same primary school used to taunt her they got better marks and she had "only just" got into the school as it was a SS type of GS. However as has been indicated not only the GS but non selctive schools test in the first year to stream as both 11+ and SATS can be heavily tutored in various ways. Needless to say we kept her focussed on her achievements and lo and behold she has been streamed well above her tormentors as the heavily prepared ones fall by the wayside!
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