11 plus Results Go Out To Tunbridge Wells' Children. But What Next?

With the 11 plus results out yesterday and Monday if you

were registered on line to receive them, families all over Tunbridge Wells and

the rest of Kent will be frantically applying for grammar school places for

their children.  A pass doesn’t guarantee

you a place these days and with so many families applying and with the standard

so high it really is a very stressful time.

I spoke to some parents about the process and it seems there

are very few who come out unscathed. ‘It is not an experience for the faint

hearted’ said one mother, Melissa Cherry, who luckily was absolutely delighted

with her daughter’s good pass rate. But as the only exam currently offered that

you can’t retake, the 11 plus puts families under enormous pressure.

Another mother, Louise Henderson, told me that Monday was

the day she had dreaded pretty much since her twins started school! And whilst

she should have been basking in the pride and joy of two successful passes, she

instead felt in need of a holiday to recover from the intense stress of it all.

‘The summer of practise papers, the nail biting exam days and now the

distraught faces of those who have failed - FAILURES at the age of 10! - is

quite depressing to see. ‘

Melissa Cherry, a Latin teacher, used the Bond Practice Papers together with the NFER

papers. Melissa told me ‘One of the books that helped us the most was the

Bond parent book ‘How to pass Maths 11 plus’. There were so many helpful tips

about the range of topics that need to be covered in order to secure a good

grade. ‘

Fortunately her daughter was very keen to sit the exam as team

effort is critical to success; child and parents all on board is vital. In Mrs

Cherry’s experience it was worth gathering information in year 4, first question

whether your child is up to the exam ( i.e look at Cats scores etc ) then start

to work gently through Bond in the summer / spring of year 4 and onwards.  To gauge how high the standard is set

consider the maths paper which only covers the year 7 curriculum.

Of course the most important piece of advice and which any

parent would do well to keep uppermost in their mind when choosing a school is

that a happy child will thrive and learn. So choose a school where the pastoral

care is good. Also children blossom and develop at different speeds. ‘The 11

plus is a lottery and not a pleasant one at that.’ One parent told me her main

concern about this exam is the damage it can do to those whose confidence is

not great. It is a narrow field of testing and a comprehension and some more

written work including problem solving should be incorporated to see how the

student copes. An interview to see how the pupil relates to others would also

benefit both the children and the school. 

That was how it was done in my day!’

Melissa Cherry is now about to apply for schools on line. ‘We

waited until the results were out before venturing down that road. The thing

that is so hard to explain to your daughter/ son is that even though they have

passed the exam, there may not be a suitable place available for them.’

Louise Henderson remarked ‘ I guess it's all over for me...

but seemingly not. As helpful folk are keen to point out, our street is 'the

street too far' to get my daughter into her grammar school of choice. So an

appeals committee beckons.  And for many

there is an uncertain future, for there will be those who have successfully

risen to the challenge only to be disappointed at the final hurdle.’

If you are considering private tuition to help your child,

visit this link

for contacts.