Does anyone know of any research into factors affecting 11+?
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Hi Bougalou
My children all got through 11plus but real battle! Elder two achieved tpp grades in GCSE/ A level & eldest at Oxbridge.
They have been assessed as having SLDs - paricularly visual memory & processing speed. Seems to be genetic
Any chance your children have similar kind of issue that impacts particular type of test?
Be thinking of you as you start the battle again!
My children all got through 11plus but real battle! Elder two achieved tpp grades in GCSE/ A level & eldest at Oxbridge.
They have been assessed as having SLDs - paricularly visual memory & processing speed. Seems to be genetic
Any chance your children have similar kind of issue that impacts particular type of test?
Be thinking of you as you start the battle again!
Interesting topic this one. My son has just missed the threshold of his preferred grammar by two points and we will just have to go on the waiting list and see as they will not make him an offer on first pass. His best friend also took the test and scored 19 points higher but scholastically there is nothing really between them. I to feel that that some people either just have problems with these IQ type tests or suffer from a touch of nerves on the day and it just brings the score down. My husband is an IT consultant and he struggled with the practice papers and no one where he works could do them well either! And they are all clearly fairly bright and good at problem solving! It really would be much better if selected schools selected on basis of teacher recommendation but I don't see that happening.
Louise
Agree with Etienne. My sister failed eleven plus many years ago. Head gave no support to my parents and had obviously not recommended her for a pass even though she was second best student in her class, the other being an incredibly brilliant boy. She flew in at 13 despite two years of bullying at her secondary modern because one of the teachers referred to her as the girl who would be leaving them at 13 and my sister is a tough cookie who refused to play the game of "I don't want to pass I want to stay here". Ironically she actually appreciated that teachers faith in her.
5 years later I passed and scored highly in everything except languages when I went to Grammar school. Found my confidential report card that had come from primary school many years later when the school was clearing out records and found that the head had assessed me as borderline, I wasn't. Basically it was a small village and my mother was not very popular. My sister is bright and works hard but unlike me she does suffer from nerves when sitting tests. She failed her first O'level spectaculary getting a U in english language, the rest she did well in, 3 months later in the Nov resit she got an A, this is a subject you can't really revise for so I feel it has always proved my point that nerves especially for the first test in a run of tests can make a huge difference to some children and was the reason she failed her eleven plus. To sum up not all professionals can be relied on to be professional ,in my humble opinion.
5 years later I passed and scored highly in everything except languages when I went to Grammar school. Found my confidential report card that had come from primary school many years later when the school was clearing out records and found that the head had assessed me as borderline, I wasn't. Basically it was a small village and my mother was not very popular. My sister is bright and works hard but unlike me she does suffer from nerves when sitting tests. She failed her first O'level spectaculary getting a U in english language, the rest she did well in, 3 months later in the Nov resit she got an A, this is a subject you can't really revise for so I feel it has always proved my point that nerves especially for the first test in a run of tests can make a huge difference to some children and was the reason she failed her eleven plus. To sum up not all professionals can be relied on to be professional ,in my humble opinion.
Oh dear, I hadn't come across other people's problems with teacher recommendations! I can't think what the 'perfect' system would be then. Perhaps an average of tests taken throughout the year? Would remove any teacher bias and at least not put everything onto just one day? Who knows, but I guess we have to work with the system as it is for now.
Louise
