New test likely to increase tutoring & pressure on pupils

[mystery]

True - balance is always good.

[pippi]

My personal view is that the CEM-test part of the Bucks "playing field" would be more level for longer if this web site was closed down!

Looking at this from a different angle - the more you concentrate information into the hands of a few people - i.e. the tutors who are able to gather feedback on content from one year's pupils to the benefit of the next - the more you increase the power of that small group and leave parents feeling that their only option is to use paid tutoring services. Keeping what information there is available in the public domain and accessible at no cost at least offers those who might wish to self-tutor the option to do that.

As worked so well for the previous 11+ test in Bucks? It reached the point where parents HAD to tutor/coach their children to access grammar schools - why else did the test have to change? That may not be the case at the moment, as your alter ego pointed out helpfully below (while selling your "Technically yes" playing field levelling intensive CEM courses), most tutors in Bucks don't currently know what is likely to be in the CEM exams - though I guess they can access everything need on this site. How many would be able to gather information from other regions?

This site has received many enquiries at our office since Bucks changes were announced for courses, one to one tuition and mock exams that cater for the CEM 11 plus test - most parents report that they have had difficulty in getting any information about the CEM exam from the tutors in Bucks (probably because the vast majority of Bucks tutors would only have needed to teach the GL style Verbal Reasoning for many years). Some parents are naturally panicking because apart from the added factor of the unknown exam, there are additional subjects to study and also with the exam being bought forward there is less time to prepare this year.

We are therefore now offering intensive courses in Easter (Maths and Verbal Reasoning) which will include CEM 11 plus question styles. Further courses will also run in the summer holidays for Non Verbal Reasoning.
Details can be found here http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/servic ... CEM-11plus

[mystery]

The old bucks test was particularly poorly conceived. If the new test is a better one standards will fall at the uppers and rise in the grammars in bucks. This will make some people strive even harder to help a borderline child to pass.

[pippi]

By the way, it's a Company, not a Charity.

Technically yes, but it is a company that does not aim to make a profit. The site owner does not take a salary from any revenue earned by the site and when profits are earned they are ploughed back into improving the resources on the site or, in some years, donated to childrens' charities. All the site Moderators are volunteers who work for free because they wish to support parents, having in the past themselves grateful recipients of the advice on the forum and site. There are many other businesses and websites relating to the 11 plus - but you will probably search in vain to find one which is both impartial and non-profit-making.

I assume you've seen the latest Company accounts?

[Sally-Anne]

I assume you've seen the latest Company accounts?