Some primary teachers opposed to 11 plus and grammars

[wonderwoman]

I'm a primary teacher and a product of a grammar school. I live in a rural area with a grammar system. My children go / have gone to a mixture of schools: grammar, private and secondary modern.


I cannot bear the system and would rather have no part of it. I don't agree that it is a system that gives ALL children the opportunity to flourish. My children are all of similar ability - left primary with high level 5s across the board. We're mostly level 5s in Y5. But performed differently in the test. What they are offered at their different secondaries is hugely different. They were happy well motivated pupils when they arrived at secondary school. The grammar experience has been terrible for one.

As a teacher I am there to offer advice and support to parents when considering secondary schools. I cannot tell them where to send their child and wouldn't presume to. I advise visiting schools during a normal day and open evenings and talking to other parents. I cannot say whether a child will be successful in the test or not and we follow the procedure correctly.
I'm always interested to hear how former pupils are doing and I have been teaching for so long that many are now working and have school children of their own. I am always saddened to hear when secondary school has not been enjoyable. Unfortunately it is the grammars more parents complain about and often the parents who were most keen to get their child there. They don't like the constant pressure, the lack of praise, being in bottom groups - all things that come as a shock after being an above average achiever in primary. All the local grammars are brutal about asking pupils to leave if they do not achieve high GCSE and AS grades. For me this is about league tables not what is best for pupils.

Most telling here is that several teachers who taught me and my OH, who went to a different grammar, are still at the same schools. They have spent their entire career there, were lazy, poor teachers 30 years ago and still are. They are allowed to stay because their bright pupils still succeed in exams despite them.

[crashtestdummy]

When my son and his classmates who did pass the 11 plus arrived at school on results day, understandably happy they had passed, their teacher said: "Well done, you have just guaranteed yourselves tonnes of extra homework when you go to grammar school." They looked a little shocked at this reaction. It was as though the teacher was trying to put the fear of God into them when perhaps a discreet "well done" might have been more appropriate. I can see the need for sensitivity in the school where not every child has passed what is a very tough exam, but children who have passed should not be made to feel like pariahs by their teacher!

[wonderwoman]

I think selective education is perfectly fine as long as the selection process is as robust and fair as possible. Even in non GS areas pupils are still streamed, surely this is just selection by another name?

But it is not a fair or robust system and I cannot think of a way to make it fairer.

In non grammar areas all children have the opportunity to transfer to an all ability school, that their parents have chosen. In our area grammar schools choose a selection of pupils and the other schools takes the rest. Parents effectively have little choice - take the 11+ or not. (It is rural so most parents only have 2 local schools.)

So if your child is chosen by the grammar they will take 12 or 13 GCSEs including a compulsory mfl no Btecs are offered, limited sport opportunities, a large 6th form. If they go to the secondary they will take 8 options, most are Btecs, mfl is optional and not offered at ks4 at some secondaries. No 6th form and the local grammar does not accept Btecs (generally) for their A level choices. The nearest 6th form collage is more than 20 miles away.

I don't think the choice is fair. And both schools fail to provide for above average pupils around the border of pass / fail the 11+. What a waste of talent and potential. Heartbreaking as a teacher to have to be any part of the system.

[rerumcausas]

I think there is a bigger issue here: should teachers pushing their politics (because that's what this boils down to) on students this young? Of course teachers will have strong opinions on Grammar schools, the 11plus, etc., but surely they should keep these opinions to themselves!

[klmh1968]

Even though i live in Kent i sent both my children to a tiny village school in East Sussex. I was adamant from the very beginning of their time at primary school (we moved house so moved schools a couple of years ago) that i wanted them both to sit the 11+. I was advised by the Head to send them to the local comp. DD is still at primary school and will sit her 11+ next year, DS however passed his 11+ last year and is at GS, enjoying the academic side of schooling tremendously.

Rather ironically the head of the primary school, who tried to persuade me to just send him to the local comp, spent most of DS' last year at school "bragging" about his achievement!! There was many a time when i was so tempted to remind her that if i had listened to her advice he would be at the comp! I must just add that the local comp is lovely and i would not have had any issues about sending him there if he didn't pass his 11+. Although a friend whose son attends the comp, incredibly bright lad, really wishes that he had sat the 11+ because he is just not being challanged enough.

[DC17C]

It is difficult to get an opinion from my kids school but the dd of the head is in the same class as my DS and ... she took the 11+. i have no idea if she got a place. DS needed a letter to support an appeal and it ticked all the boxes for us.