Kent Test review

[frustrated]

So, what do people think about the news this week that KCC has set up an urgent review of the 11+ due to privately educated and tutored/coached children having an 'unfair advantage' over those less fortunate to have parents who can't afford the cost of coaching?

KCC have asked a group of headteachers to 'investigate whether there could be changes to the exams'.

I was speaking to an older neighbour of mine who used to be a headteacher of a primary school, and he says that they have done it before (we are going back decades now - he has been a long time retired!)................. ?

I can think of some advantages should the test be changed (one of which is that it will definitely be much fairer for all), but will they or won't they?

[pheasantchick]

It may be fairer in the first year or o, when the test is new. However, when people become amiliar with it, won't tutoring commence again? Maybe there should be some teacher input as well, against some well defined guidelines

[yoyo123]

10% of privately educated children get grammar school places..so 90% of non privately educate children get grammar school places...

statistics can be tricky little beggars

[frustrated]

I think that it will be more of a fact finding exercise myself. If the test were to be changed, then it would need to be changed year after year to be completely fair on everyone at all times. That's will cost a lot of money............

Or they can put some rules in concerning the coaching/tutoring/practice/familiarity culture that could be strictly monitored

Oh, but that would drive the tutoring/familiarity/practise papers/coaching culture underground

Pheasantchick - spot on

[laurash]

I heard that the Headteachers were going to look for a test which more closely monitored literacy skills as many of the children who pass the 11+ are very good at maths but poor at English. Two of the main 'super -selectives' in TW regularly bemoan the standards.

[mystery]

A few years back I heard noises that they were going to base it on primary school continuous assessment. Yuck. I really don't see how that could work any better than the current flukey test system, and I really don't see Kent primary teachers wanting to do it either. If they go down that route, at least I've got plenty of written evidence at home as to how poor the teachers are at my children's primary are at predicting the future performance of my children. As a teacher myself I think it's very hard to judge these things.

It really does sound to me as though KCC likes to sound as though they are keeping the public happy from time to time. Where do they get the time and money from for these things, and which heads would want to take part in that? They can't prepare children for the 11plus, so why should they get involved in ideas for developing a new test?

[twellsmum]

He who must not be named says it is in 1 in 9 which is a tad more than 10% and at Tonbridge Grammar (a superselective) a staggering 62 places out of a possible 150 were offered to private school pupils which is approximately 41%. My daughter (Y7 at TWGGS) has I think five out of 29 girls from private schools but I think her class has the smallest amount of "private girls" in the year group. That is approximately 17%/ The 1 in 9 figure is presumably therefore for Kent as a whole. I wish they would change the format of the 11+ but the big question is what to. As someone else said it would be only be fair for a year and then the coaching would start again. I don't think continuous assessment would work either as IME schools often get predictions of how boys will do quite drastically wrong. I think in my daughter's year (current Y7) there were five or six boys told that they were not even grammar school material and they all passed but in the current Y9 at the same school five boys and one girl were told at the end of Y5 that they were grammar material yet did not get through (although one did on appeal). I think there should be more of a literacy element as children as bright as my older daughter did not get through because they were stronger at English than Maths.

[MarbleRun]

*cough*They could just stop it altogether.....

[Samlet]

Perhaps they could merge with the Medway test - English extended writing, Maths and VR. No individual pass mark so strength in either Maths or English can achieve a pass.

Plus those living near the borders wouldn't have to take two tests.

But, as the English can't be marked by computers, it would cost more.

[mystery]

Maybe just go for NVR and VR as they are a bit more resistant to coaching than the maths paper?