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Is grammar school entry even more unfair this year due to Covid 19?

28 replies

Randomnessembraced · 19/06/2020 18:51

I know quite a few parents with DC in Year 5 preparing for grammar school tests and we have been discussing how their DC are affected. One DC very bright but mother a single parent (nurse) has had absolutely no time to do any prep with her DD and school is providing just links. Other parents much better off as have tutors online on Zoom and actually more time to prep due to lack of school. It looks like it is even more unfair than usual as Year 5 teachers who can usually push the brightest but less rich kids cannot do so properly this year. What do you all think and what and should grammar schools be doing to level the playing field a bit? Or did the same prep school kids/rich state school kids plus tutors always have the big advantage so it won't make much difference. It will be interesting to see what primary schools in grammar school areas might do over the summer holidays with any extra funding the government provide. In these areas, Year 5s should arguably have been those back at school just as in areas with infant schools and transitions it should have been Year 2.

OP posts:
CoronaIsComing · 22/06/2020 17:07

There will be a wider gap this year I think. Some children will have done extra 11+ work instead of school work, some will have done the work set by school which will vary widely and some children will have done less work than usual so will be behind.

It is perfectly possible to pass without a tutor though. DS did and starts in September. He only decided he wanted to do the test at the end of last May and we prepared for it by doing an hour’s work a day over the summer and practise tests in September. I think the lack of pressure from knowing that your parents have spent a fortune on a tutor helped TBH!

Porcupineinwaiting · 22/06/2020 17:13

It's never "fair" though is it. This year there may even have been less tutoring making it fairer.

TW2013 · 22/06/2020 17:19

Yes the lack of motivation is a big factor. School work has just consisted of worksheets which are too easy on an unstable platform. At least the 11 plus preparation is more challenging and uses books so can't crash.

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