11 Plus Exams Forum

I teach in a primary school and I know how hard we all work to cater for the huge range of abilities within the classroom, including the most able. How dare you generalise!

I don't think the comment was meant as a generalisation but probably specific to the posters schol. However, if you are able to cater effectively for the wide range of abilities in a primary school classroom I am most impressed. My experience of my children going through primary has been very much a case of letting them drift because they have found everything easy in the classroom. Maybe our school is an exception but I suspect it is more likely that yours is.

Thank you Ed's mum - thank you!!

I was beginning to feel like I must be an alien from another planet

I want my child to be successful......and he will be, whichever road he takes in life.

Anonymous wrote:

I teach in a primary school and I know how hard we all work to cater for the huge range of abilities within the classroom, including the most able. How dare you generalise!

I don't think the comment was meant as a generalisation but probably specific to the posters schol. However, if you are able to cater effectively for the wide range of abilities in a primary school classroom I am most impressed. My experience of my children going through primary has been very much a case of letting them drift because they have found everything easy in the classroom. Maybe our school is an exception but I suspect it is more likely that yours is.

In my son's old school (a state primary), he was left by the teachers who were too busy trying to bring other kids up to the standard. He felt really left out and bored and complained that teachers ignored him. Those teachers were not very happy when the first private school my boy went to, snapped him by offering him a very generous scholarship. He is very happy now and feels positively challenged.

In my son's old school (a state primary), he was left by the teachers who were too busy trying to bring other kids up to the standard. He felt really left out and bored and complained that teachers ignored him. Those teachers were not very happy when the first private school my boy went to, snapped him by offering him a very generous scholarship. He is very happy now and feels positively challenged

A clear example of buying your way out!!

I am really annoyed to read and hear comments of parents about their child being 'bright'. What does that mean? All children have unlimited intelectual abilities, and the environment or the development atmosphere can influence them. You can direct and influence your child's progress. If you don't water your flower, it will dry. But if you do and care for it, it will thrive. All children are bright. Direct their abilities properly, and they will all be sitting at the 'top tables'.

As there are only 'bright' children in grammars, are they all identical? As all children are educated in the same way in grammars, are they all identical? They can never be, it is not my point. What I am trying to say is all children have high intellectual abilities from the start. They are all 'bright'. But if their abilities are not supported and properly routed, they will make less progress.

Hi to 11+ mum, I know it is possible to pass 11+ without a tutor as my eldest sons wife did just that and is now doing well at uni, as is my eldest who did not sit the test, as he did not want to. Both have had outstanding GCSE and A level results and their futures look equally good. You were brave to encourage your childs natural talents to shine through on the day, but many do not feel they want to send their children in blind.

Whilst I feel that able children who have not had the benefit of some coaching or home tutoring with parents, may be disadvantaged, I do feel that we all as parents are only trying to offer our children the best future we can! and there is no right or wrong way to do that, its a matter of choice.

The boys at my sons grammar, CRGS, are not all from private schools, they are quite a mix and the amount of coaching they had did not have too much bearing on how highly they scored in the test. I think the most disadvantaged are those whose parents feel that grammar schools are only for posh kids. As Katel said in an earlier post, it is sad that all children cannot have an eaqual chance to improve their futures. But the parents who post on this site seem in the main to be those who realize that a good education is important and can be life changing to those lucky few. Maybe we should campaign for more grammar schools, they are a way of providing outstanding education for our children, if more schools were available more children may benefit. But the problem is that people associate grammar schools with a class thing and thats a huge problem. All of you who post here must be aware that these schools are taking children from a variety of social backgrounds and that what the children have in common is a strong ability to learn and improve.

So if we tutor or not thats up to us as individuals, as long as we do not pressurise our children, after all they are the ones who go to school, not us.

My youngest loves his new school, it was right for him and if its right for him, its right for me too.

Bad Dad wrote:(a) cash for a tutor or private school or (b) a nice educated middle class parent to coach them.

Bad Dad, why do you assume that it is only Middle Class class parents are well educated and have high expectations for their children.

Prep schools have been coaching kids for 11+ for years. I am sure there a lots of working class people who are more than able to give advice to their own kids on 11+.

I live in a 2 up 2 down. I chose to stay at home to look after my own child. We have a simple life and grow our own to help ends meet. We have have an amazing family life taking pleasure in the simple things life has to offer. It has been hard on one less than average wage. Yet my boy got offers at 2 Grammar Schools and a 100% place at a top Private School.

We choose are own paths in life. We make our choices but ultimately we can all get to the same place, even if the route we take is different.

Bewildered wrote: I agree. If they took the school assessment, and 'progress made' into account, it would help level the playing field.

Way back in the mists of time (1971/2), in Surrey, everyone took the 11+. Some children passed. Others were near misses, who were then given interviews by teachers from the local grammars - who also looked at their school work (and maybe reports from the school). The best of these were also offered places. That worked well and was fair. The only child I knew who was heavily tutored was asked to leave the school at the end of the 2nd year, as he just wasn't up to speed with the rest of the cohort.

The school's are well aware of their most able students, but on an academic front only. The able students, who are able in other area's such a music, sport, chess, tennis, art etc shouldn't be overlooked either.

That's why schools become specialist schools, including some of the grammars. But what if you're brilliant at music, yet your grammar is a sports specialist school?