Taking the sting out of the 11+

The angst that surrounds the 11+ can be tied to three principal vehicles. In triggering an open discussion around these three areas, one hopes that we can begin to reduce the irrepressible frenzy that girdles this pressing Tunbridge Wells topic.

• Firstly, the vast majority of schools are inclined to disregard the issue and not talk about it; nor do they appear to offer any assistance to pupils or parents. This creates a secretive aura around the issue, which presents a significant challenge to parents regarding their knowledge of how preparation should be approached most effectively. As a consequence, a fervent atmosphere of competition can make it even trickier for parents to know what the best course of action should be. My advice would be to seek an informed opinion from a specialist within this domain and put on the ear-muffs at the school gates!
• Secondly, our great nation’s media would do well to dig beneath the veneer of this issue and develop a more profound debate about ‘tutoring’, our approach to assessments as a nation and grammar schools at large. I would suggest that the 11+ narrative, as projected by the media, has become stuck in a vacuum. Within recent years, an ever-wider demographic have begun to gain access to supplementary learning, as rates have been driven down by the emerging prominence of small group learning. Nowadays, more children than ever are benefiting from a more diversified educational experience and, consequently, are having the ceiling of aspiration removed, thus enabling them to realise their true potential.
• Lastly, it goes without saying that parents always have the absolute best intentions for their child; however, all too often, this can boil over, producing high degrees of anxiety that can filter down to the very people for whom they desire the best for. This tension can be alleviated by talking to professionals who specialise in the area of the 11+ and by making sure that discussions around this topic are always open, honest and frank.

Supplementary learning, in the form of preparation for the 11+, should be carried out in a calm, systematic manner. A child must be taught in an inspiring way that aims to achieve a dual objective; consolidating knowledge and skills that are in tune with the national curriculum, whilst generating a love of learning that allows children to embrace those extra demands of the 11+ syllabus. In preparing for this quiz, the intention should always be to instil children with the core fundamentals of learning; the ability to problem solve and think logically, thus making a child a productive learner for the 11+ and beyond.