What is the room like your children sit the 11 plus in

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southbucks3
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Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 11:59 am

Re: What is the room like your children sit the 11 plus in

Post by southbucks3 »

The school hall, which again has lots of catering noise, as it is adjacent to kitchen, and a fair bit of circulation noise. Home from home really, as ds always does work whilst I am cooking tea, all he needed was the cat jumping on his lap constantly.
I think disregarding distraction is a life skill that needs to be acquired, but it is difficult for 10 year olds. Once again a difference has been highlighted between schools focussed on achieving good 11 plus results, and those who"s teaching staff consider the test an annoying inconvenience.
When there is only 20 seconds to answer a question, trying to ignore all of year 5 running along to the changing rooms and back, becomes 3 or 4 marks, ditto the quick daydream about lunch, as cooking smells waft over the hall.
Also many state school halls have shocking reverberation issues, whereas money is ploughed into sound absorbtion for halls and class rooms of independent schools, which of course it should be.
However, the reality is, that many of our children do have to contend with less than ideal exam conditions, so it is best to do their home study, in a normal, frantic, family environment, even though it is tempting to give them a perfect learning environment. I decided in the end over the summer months, that me yelling at his bruvs to be quiet, was worse than their noise!
mystery
Posts: 8927
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: What is the room like your children sit the 11 plus in

Post by mystery »

I think the bit about staff (or headteachers) who think the test is an inconvenience is key here. Yes, a lot of schools don't have a perfectly soundproof place for a test, but for just one or two mornings a year one might be able to be a little creative about reducing unnecessary background noise and appropriate seating and furniture. e.g. not arrange a noisy p e lesson on a room directly opposite, rearrange some furniture so that kids have enough space to open up their question paper and place the answer sheet convenient to them, maybe even have a packed lunch day, not send children down the corridor to change for p.e, find the quietest classroom with the least passing children and put the test in there etc etc.

Exam conditions at GCSE, A level and degree level tend to be much better than a lot of schools seem to provide for the 11plus, and a lot of this seems to boil down to primary headteachers and whether or not someone else is enforcing some decent conditions or not. Primary schools in which the test can be taken are usually in authorities with a widespread grammar school - non-selective system so you would think that heads might be a little more savvy about giving children the fairest chance at passing without preparing them for aspects of the test that are not covered by the National Curriculum.

It's silly really when so much is being spend on tests, and new test development to improve things, not to look at this. e.g. In Kent 13,500 took the 11 plus last year. The last test contract cost £1.1million with GL assessment over three years. This is approximately £27 per child just to provide the test paper and standardise the individual pupil raw scores ( I think the marking is done by the authority).

Some state primaries have the most amazing pass rates e.g. Amherst Junior in Sevenoaks, Kent - a large majority of year 6 each year pass the Kent test. I bet they make sure they are providing the best conditions they can for the children. I really cannot understand why any head would not wish to in an authority which still has this archaic system.

Kent is tendering for a better test to even things out a bit more as the feeling is that it is not a true cross section of the school population that is passing the test. Maybe as well as looking at the test itself they should consider these other factors, and also consider what goes on at appeal panels when they make their judgements about whether a child is of grammar standard or not.
secondtime
Posts: 138
Joined: Sat Apr 17, 2010 3:53 pm

Re: What is the room like your children sit the 11 plus in

Post by secondtime »

Mine sat it at the grammar school. They split them into small class-room sized groups to make it less intimidating. DC from the same school were sat in same room :) . They were the only ones in school - Sat morning - so well handled.
um
Posts: 2378
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 1:06 pm
Location: Birmingham

Re: What is the room like your children sit the 11 plus in

Post by um »

This is so important to many parents and children that I think some effort should be made to conduct the test quietly and appropriately.

To be honest I was surprised that my dd sat her Walsall exam in a Science lab up on high stools on a lab surface. And being quite picky :roll: I was a little annoyed when she mentioned that her desk at the Birmingham exam had quite a lot of graffiti, including a slightly disturbing face which she tried to keep covered with her eraser :D .

But some of the noise disruption mentioned earlier is unfair. That said I would always prepare children for disruption. It isn't unknown for there to be a child nearby who is crying, being sick, or suffering from a nasty cough. Then if you're on a main road, you'll get traffic, emergency vehicle sirens, and so on.

Fortunately in our household the thought of being able to work in peace and quiet is a mere distant dream so we're used to working in crazy conditions. I still remember ds1 (now in Year 10!) preparing for his 11 Plus with a newborn baby yelling in his ear and a 2 year old (now 6 and diagnosed autistic) sitting under the table biting his knees throughout his practice work sessions. I still remember ds1 coming home from one exam, saying it felt so straightforward without dc4 biting his knees under the table :lol:
2Girlsmum
Posts: 1034
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2010 11:41 pm

Re: What is the room like your children sit the 11 plus in

Post by 2Girlsmum »

DD2 told me this week that when she was 7 and I banished her to our living room (books, computer, TV etc) when working with her sister she used to try to make herself vomit in the hope of me stopping work with dd1. She'd 'lick the carpet' :shock: as she missed me! This time I banished her sister (now in Y9) and she has read about 10 books as a result, though kept trying to disrupt us with 'Minecraft' stories.

Both daughters sat St Michael's Grammar as 1st choice. All Y's 7, 8 and 9 are off school, and the older girls are only allowed in the adjacent Science block so there is very little noise. All the children do star jumps/jogging/stretching before the tests start to help them relax (they both had My Ward, the headmaster, demonstrate!).
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