11 Plus Exams Forum

Just got back from a shopping trip, getting ready for the new term and I was involved in a conversation in one of the shops with a mum whose dc is sitting this year's 11+. Great excitement all round and then she says if her dc fails they will appeal, and it'll be alright 'cause one of the teachers at the grammar told her because her husband's on a low wage her dc will get in

Now, I can understand daft rumours like this going on between parents who know no better, but for the teachers themselves to be passing this off as gospel, well, it just makes me so mad! Either they should say nothing at all or get their facts right. That poor woman, sitting there thinking everything wil be OK, unfortunately as I knew her I told her the truth She then imparted to me another woman had been told by the same teacher her son would be ok because he'd be given more points because he's a boy

Sometimes I'm just lost for words .............................................. (yeah, I know, it takes a lot to shut me up ).

that's ridiculous. I feel so sorry for the parents and children who have had their hopes built up like that.

Indeed. Especially when parents are advised not to believe the rumours or gossip unless they hear it from the school directly. Normally this is good advice...

The problem is that very little is talked about in schools about 11+. I think for a county like ours where grammars are very much alive the schools really need to do more to advice parents. My DD's class teacher teacher told me they have absolutely nothing to do with 11+ and that if I wanted to put her through I should get papers from WHS. Then in June we got the information on the closing dates for registration and thats it. I have friends whose DC has gone through the process but just one was helpful so its all clouded in some sort of mystery and I think this can really out off some parents with able and strong candidates who find the whole thing confusing.

This forum has really been my saviour and when its quiet I wonder if it was just me who didnt know a dime thing about 11+. Now I think I could even be an Educational Advisor, thanks to this forum.

Do you really think a teacher might come up with that type of a comment though? Do you think that a teacher thinks it's worth their job to basically promise a place to someone when that individual teacher has absolutely no say in the matter? Wouldn't have believed a word of it to be honest!

i knew very little about the 11+ until i started tutoring and even then i had to dig for advice.it is shrouded in mystery

Oh I am not suprised at all that teachers can promise that. In my daughter's school there is a group of mums forever hanging with teachers and their kids seem to get preferance. For a long time I didnt even know what table my daughter sat on but these mums knew exactly who could and couldnt read. Its amazing what they knew.

One mum asked me once if my daughter was sitting the 11+ and then she told me a list of the girls who were going to pass who had that "natural" talent. How she knew that was beyond me. I am sure these mums would have asked the teacher in advance if the teacher would help on appeal and then perhaps get that answer.

FITV, you wouldn't believe a word of it because you (I, and a whole lot more on this site) know better. There are an awful lot of naive people out there. This isn't their fault, there is no information which is easily available until you have to start rooting through things to find what you need, it's only then you find out the reality.

I have some teachers living next to me who believe (honest, this is hand on heart) that they can get their children into the school they teach in, even though it's about 20 miles out of catchment and the school is oversubscribed!

Let's face it, teachers don't have anything (apart from writing letters of support) to do with appeals so, unless they've been through one themselves, they're not really in a position to advise are they.

it's like we're chasing some black market education which annoys me. Our head was thrilled for us, really thrilled, big grin and everything, when DS2 got Pate's, as was the school sec, but lots of the rest of them acted like it hadn't happened. Sports achievements however? now you're talking. That's allowed, and encouraged and praised in assembly.

familyinthevalley wrote:Do you really think a teacher might come up with that type of a comment though? Do you think that a teacher thinks it's worth their job to basically promise a place to someone when that individual teacher has absolutely no say in the matter? Wouldn't have believed a word of it to be honest!

Sadly teachers, Heads and educationalists do make such comments on Admissions and Appeals, and parents believe them. After all, they are the professionals, and therefore they "must know what they are talking about". There are more examples on the "Myths & Legends" Sticky on Bucks.

When a myth concerns admissions there is usually sufficient written information available that a parent can read, learn from and use to debunk the myth for themselves. Sadly, when it crops up on Appeals there is far less written guidance for parents and Heads, and a misinformed Head can do a great deal of damage.