Grammar school tests to be made 'tutor-proof'

[breadandbutterfly]

www.telegraph.co.uk/education/secondaryeducation/9653189/Grammar-school-tests-to-be-made-tutor-proof.html

Incidentally, you have ignored what I said earlier on about not leaving it to one teacher to suggest which children might be put forward for a grammar place. Of course it's not at all fair if a teacher who barely knew a child was asked to make such an important decision.

In their various efforts to introduce an exam where tutoring is less relevant, our local grammars have simply produced a system where my DD will have to sit two different 11+ exams within a week of each other. Two lots of exams to stress about, sit and potentially fail.

Good luck with that Retropear.

It's just sad for those very clever kids at all schools whose parents aren't drilling them in 11+ skills.

I think the current system suits ambitious and involved parents very well, which is probably why most people defend it. It's just shit for bright children whose parents won't/can't do this, and whose teachers can't advocate for them. I can understand why someone who's doing what you're doing wouldn't want the power to award places at grammars put into the hands of teachers.

Well his grandad and uncle didn't- quite the reverse.

And interestingly the 11+ material seems to be right up his street.He works very hard with a good work ethic- when he needs to.Often he doesn't need to as he's bright.That said he's in the top booster group(not led by his class teacher)now for writing anyway but so are several others.

Would love to see a teacher making that choice. Is she going to cross reference with their maths results,which maths,science,their speaking and listening,VR they don't even do,comp abilities etc?

Well I actually asked in order to get a second opinion if they were suitable and got told they were so we're alright on that score.

Also some kids with less interested parents may well be in better schools.Maybe if motivation is important with kids it's important to have motivated parents too.Who knows.

All sorts of things are unfair.My dc have had a pretty rocky time at their school in the past,the help they get from me is a bonus but they've had their share of negatives.You could say that with any kid.I actually think quality of primary education is the biggest benefit and lots of kids with disinterested parents may well go to better schools than mine.Plenty of disinterested parents send their kids to private schools so they can relax- I don't have that type of cash so do what I can.

Couldn't give a stuff if that offends.

There is no teacher who has spent more time in Dd2's company in the last 3 months than I have. Most of the supply teachers they have had haven't been prepared to give appropriately differentiated work for her, either.

mrscakes where I live there are two possible grammars! one 30 miles away in one direction, one about 20 miles away in the opposite direction. Two different tests with the same elements but tested slightly differently. It was fine. Almost all the kids I have known who have sat for both have passed at least one.

I don't think there is any way at all to make the 11+ untutorable.

And as long as it's decided on the basis of a test which parents have to opt into, bright children whose parents aren't ambitious, or whose parents aren't knowledgeable or confident about a grammar school education for their child, will be left out.

Schools whose intake is shaped largely by the church-going, private school fee-paying, tutoring, pushing behaviour of parents, rather than on the innate ability of the child, will always have their doors closed to a proportion of very clever children.

"Couldn't give a stuff if that offends."

No worries. We're allowed to disagree.

Without wanting to be a pedantic old cow, thought it might interest you (given that it's the sort of thing which crops up in 11+ tests) to know that 'disinterested' means 'impartial', and not 'uninterested'. here

Hope that doesn't offend! ;-)

(ps - don't mind comments on my grammar, always wanting to learn. I have a particular problem with 'which' and 'that'....)

The thing about which and that is that US English (which is increasingly the thing that informs style guides) and real English don't completely agree on their correct usage. I think - but am not sure - that the popular US usage of momentarily is in fact as wrong wrong wrongetty wrong as it is in real English, though. Regardless - it's gaining currency. Especially with younger people. :(

Thanks for the reassurance about sitting 2 exams, Herc.

mtprscake at the end of the day! maths is maths whether it's examined in long or short form questions! or by multiple choice. There are only so many permutations of VR questions. For English, yes, one test might have a written essay and written comprehension, the other might be more multiple choicey - but again, it's all about comprehension and if you comprehend then you will be able to cope with different structures of question. For both my girls the school they wanted most was the first exam, but for others they were able to use the first exam as a dry run for the one they cared most about. Honestly - if you downplay it, make sure that they understand the world won't end whatever the result is, and don't make them so shitloads of unnecessary work for months or years beforehand, they will be fine. It's the ones who have been wound up by their parents who can implode. Not all the calm cool ones pass, of course - but they are better placed to cope with not passing/being selected than those for whom it has been escalated to the most important thing in the world. When Dd2 did the 11+ exams last autumn! she was preparing for two music exams, a ballet exam, and to have a reasonable sized part in a big show at our local theatre (in the half term straight after the 11+). We encouraged her to regard all those things as more important (didn't take much encouraging, it's how she is) so she was able to view the 11+ in perspective. She had one friend for whom the 11+ was the ONLY thing of note happening between probably this time last year and Xmas. The friend imploded, totally. :(

Mrs I actually think 2 is preferable as if they bottle it on the first they can pick up points on the second when they've got used to it.Telling myself that anyway.

We're dealing with it by making them presume they'll go to the feeder(bigging it up accordingly),giving the grammar a punt but looking forward to secondary as a whole wherever they go iykwim.

At the moment tbh with one of mine the idea of a lunch card and mobile phone next year regardless of where he's going is causing a lot excitement.That said a lot doesn't ride on them getting places,alternative is absolutely fine and actually has some benefits.

Tbh nobody is guaranteed a place and anything can happen on the day so it's pointless planning on preferences and best to not put too much stock into it.Knowing my luck I'll over cook the alternative,they'll get grammar places and be gutted.

The not knowing for me as a mum is a pita though.

Quite a few of my friends children are getting subsidised tutoring as they receive tax credits whereas we pay in full for ours - seems pretty fair and evens the playing field a bit

Pardon? Taxpayers' money subsidises tutoring for grammar schools??? Oh for God's sake the whole system is skewed towards the middle classes. Let's simplify the system and dismantle it. Here's a thought: no schools to discriminate on the basis of religion, parental income or some ridiculous attempt to divide kids. Let's have every kid at their local school - and the poorer the intake, the more staff they get. When will the parents of this country stop scrambling over everyone else? We are a nation. Our children all deserve the best....

Ewieindwie1

Yes that's right, people in receipt of tax credits can get help with extra tutoring - not sure how that means the system is skewed towards the middle class? Surely it's the opposite and means that not only children who's parents can afford tutoring have a shot at a Grammar school.

Just thinking of the original post, yes I think the test could be tutor proof in theory, but not in practice.

In practice, a single grammar school in London may have around 1000 applicants! That's a lot of marking. It makes more creative, subjective type stuff pretty near impossible. It definitely drives multiple choice style questions with specific right answers.

Meanwhile, because of the small number of grammar school places compared to a rising population, the grammar schools are left trying to distinguish the top 2% from the mere top 5%. A difficult thing to do in the long right tail of a standard normal distribution. In an effort to "spread the field," the questions get harder and harder. They effectively go beyond what the children are normally taught. This makes tutoring a distinct advantage. And once everyone starts doing it, a necessity.