'11+ crackdown on rich kids' article

[hermanmunster]

Problem with the other elephant in the room is that intelligence has a very strong hereditary element - so ... intelligent parents may earn more and also have more intelligent kids.

Not always I know - some of the richest people I have seen would never get anywhere with a VR / NVR paper!

[Sally-Anne]

The article alludes to the importance of the quality of a child's education. (It specifically mentions early education, but let's assume that all education is important.)

These statistics are for 5 schools in Aylesbury, one of the real problem areas for the 11+ - hence the VAHT tutoring initiative referred to in the article. In turn, the figures are:

% Free School Meals
% achieving Level 5 in both English and maths
Number taking the 11+
Number qualifying
% qualifying (maximums based on 4 qualifying - the real figure could have been as low as 1, of course)

Code: Select all

	     FSM	Level 5	11+	Qual	% 
LON	 2.4%	  61%	  21	    6	28%
HAD	 3.8%	  40%	  53	   16	30%
ELM	18.8%	   0%	  34	   <5	(11% max)
ASH	19.4%	  10%	  61	   <5	(6% max)
BEA	22.3%	  15%	  44	   <5	(9% max)

[pheasantchick]

Maybe there should be a degree of teacher input. Ie. admit a number of pupils who failed the test, but he school feels should be at a GS.

[pippi]

The person who alluded to the quality of education was Head of an Independent Prep School. He also alludes to his school preparing children for the exam.

Mr Khan added that despite the children being prepared for the exam at the private school

Not the County's familiarisation sessions I assume?

[poiuyt]

The more I think about my idea the better it appears, in general of course. It takes into account all the factors listed and a good balance. It is not perfect but a good suggestion nevertheless. It's a starter for ten.

[Etienne]

Maybe there should be a degree of teacher input. Ie. admit a number of pupils who failed the test, but he school feels should be at a GS.

"The school feels ....." wouldn't be an objective test, so this too would breach the Admissions Code.

[Sally-Anne]

Maybe there should be a degree of teacher input. Ie. admit a number of pupils who failed the test, but he school feels should be at a GS.

Unfortunately that would be open to a lot of abuse, and it is what the appeals system exists to sort out already. The problem arises with children who might have real potential but are hampered by poor primary education and lack of parental support. They cannot produce the academic evidence required to win an appeal.

The person who alluded to the quality of education was Head of an Independent Prep School. He also alludes to his school preparing children for the exam.

Mr Khan added that despite the children being prepared for the exam at the private school

Not the County's familiarisation sessions I assume?

No, and if Great Kimble is a BCC Partner School, he has to sign a form each year to say that no other preparation has been provided by the school.

If I really had to nail my colours to a mast on this issue, I would go with this:

The easiest way to make it a level playing field would be for primary schools to acknowledge that children sit for it and to offer after school coaching free or subsidised, for the exams to be more, not less open, and for schools to provide free materials for practise to anyone who applied for them.

That is, of course, not permitted at present in Bucks, but the current familiarisation process is pretty woeful. Increase it by a factor of maybe 5 through after-school lessons, attract the children who want to succeed and it might do a better job of sorting the wheat from the chaff. Unfortunately it will never make up for years of poor quality education or belief in it from any source.

[Fran17]

If I really had to nail my colours to a mast on this issue, I would go with this:

The easiest way to make it a level playing field would be for primary schools to acknowledge that children sit for it and to offer after school coaching free or subsidised, for the exams to be more, not less open, and for schools to provide free materials for practise to anyone who applied for them.

That is, of course, not permitted at present in Bucks, but the current familiarisation process is pretty woeful. Increase it by a factor of maybe 5 through after-school lessons, attract the children who want to succeed and it might do a better job of sorting the wheat from the chaff. Unfortunately it will never make up for years of poor quality education or belief in it from any source.

This does sound like a very good suggestion to me. Lets hope Mr. Appleyard visits the forum! I hold my hands up, we had a tutor for our children. It does seem a terrible shame that bright children from homes with a lower income may miss out because of a lack of tuition. Even with the free downloads you can find on the net, not all parents have the time, energy or knowledge to be able to help prep their children for the 11+ unaided.

[pippi]

According to the interview “The idea is to find a test which is less easy to be prepared for”, not to find ways of providing more preparation.

Alan Rosen, headteacher at all-girl selective secondary school, Aylesbury High School, said he would welcome any positive changes to the 11-plus, although he claims that no students who may have been coached for the exam ever fail to keep up with others.

There's someone else in La-La Land....

[tedolita]

I'm I the only one that is getting a bit annoyed at the constant accusations from articles like this?.
Coaching is a dirty word, and they make it sound like everybody who has helped their DC's to pass an 11+ exam is a rich fat cat type, sitting at home chomping caviar and drinking champagne, while their spoiled rich kids are getting an expensive way to cheat their way into GS and steal the chance of a poor person for a better future.
Now, lets get to reality. I have helped my children to pass their 11+. I have not used a tutor, but I have had a lot of help, from friends, from wonderful websites like this one and from a variety of books, both new and second hand.
But really, my help started much earlier than that. It started back at nursery, when I always made sure I read to them, and instilled a love for reading which they both still have to this day. It carried on with all the support I gave them with their homework, from Reception all the way to now, always making sure it was done going a little bit further than required. I always told them how important a good education is, and therefore they worked very hard to gain their places at GS, not because I wanted them to do it, but because is what they want.
Not everybody thinks a good education is important, and that is fine. Each to their own, I respect their choices, but please respect mine. Please do not make me feel bad for wanting the best for my children.