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Original poster

Selective (grammar) secondaries may go back to allocating places to the brightest children from borough junior schools.

66 replies

Bubble99 · 10/04/2007 21:01

Hoorah!

Isn't this what selective schools are meant to be about? To give a chance to bright children whatever their background?

In our area selective schools are full of children who have been at private prep schools or children who have been privately tutored/kumon'd.

Bright children whose parents aren't 'in the loop' are missing out.

OP posts:
pooka · 10/04/2007 21:35

This is something I actually don't understand - the extent to which you can be tutored. My mother was a secondary teacher and she said to me that research into VR and NVR tests (was it piaget that did the IQ tests?) showed that the only way to increase your score was to do ONE practice paper. After that, it was not possible, apparently, to skew the results to give yourself a higher score.
So not sure really what the benefits of tutoring would be?

Mercy · 10/04/2007 21:35

So how do they currently select children then?

Tinker · 10/04/2007 21:32

Aren't IQ tests (and possibly the 11+) geared towards particular cultural and class references?

No danger of kids of gps, solicitors etc from my eldest's

wheresthehamster · 10/04/2007 21:32

I can feel my initial enthusiasm waning.

What a shame.

OttersPool · 10/04/2007 21:30

not all kids are tutored

JanH · 10/04/2007 21:30

They still call it 11+ in some areas but it tends to be English/Maths/Science/Verbal and/or nonverbal reasoning these days.

wheresthehamster · 10/04/2007 21:28

I thought the 11+ was mainly an IQ test. It was in 1967.

JanH · 10/04/2007 21:28

Probably, Tink

I suppose they could ask the primary schools which children they would recommend, but if my kids' school is anything to go by (which it isn't, please god!) the head would only recommend the children of GPs, solicitors, MDs, barristers etc

Tinker · 10/04/2007 21:24

But won't those "brightest" children also have been privately tutored?

wheresthehamster · 10/04/2007 21:24

I thought it just meant children from the local state schools. Otherwise what's different?

SenoraPostrophe · 10/04/2007 21:23

so all you lot are in favour of the new bit on the ucas form about your parents' jobs then?

JanH · 10/04/2007 21:22

At the moment, yes, Otter - this seems to imply they will use some other method - but there will still have to be an objective test. (Unless it just means they will no longer admit children from private schools?)

OttersPool · 10/04/2007 21:19

isn't that what the 11+ does?

JanH · 10/04/2007 21:18

How will they decide who is brightest though?

wheresthehamster · 10/04/2007 21:16

Brilliant! Let's hope every LEA considers this. It's a travesty as it stands.

pooka · 10/04/2007 21:06

What a fantastic idea - exactly what they're supposed to be.