11+ being scrapped

[musu]

At one school in Essex here

Interesting development which follows on from Bucks CC overhauling their 11+ and trying to make it tutor proof (although everyone I know in Bucks is still employing tutors).

[Verycold]

I agree with Ilikethebreeze that the pairing up in Latin idea is just ludicrous and wouldn't work at all. High level Latin is an intricate puzzle that takes some time to decipher, which is what the challenge is for those with the right ability. And that's what's Latin is about, not some washy washy discussion about the meaning of the text.

[pickledsiblings]

Ilikethebreeze, interactive teaching and learning is fantastic for developing all children's meta cogniitive skills. The students that can translate the passage must do so in a way that makes it clear and coherent to their partner - they may have to think of analogies and other strategies to do so. It's certainly one way of making a dead language a bit more alive for all concerned. Who knows what the level of discussion that follows (about the passage) might be like - I think you'd get a broader range of responses, that's for sure.

[Yellowtip]

seeker taking exams early isn't in itself a badge of success. But getting good results early which then frees up bright students to get on with work which challenges and stretches them appropriately is of course a successful model.

[seeker]

"Latin is an intricate puzzle". And there was me thinking it was a language that people had written wonderful literature in. I must have been taken in by all that wishy washy discussion about texts I did..........

[Bonsoir]

Statistically, given that ability is distributed on a bell curve, the top 10% of DC and the bottom 10% of DC have a wildly much broader range of ability than all the other deciles. The deciles with the least range of ability are the two middle ones either side of 50.

[MomOfTomStubby]

Seeker - that is a left wing caricature?

Upthread a poster made the comment that you seem to think that what happens in your small part of Kent is true for the whole of the UK. I think I see what they mean now.

Around here primary school Sports Days consists of kids winning points for their House. There are no individual winners of races. For our talent show we "celebrated what a bunch of talented kids we had". Plans to award individual prizes was vetoed by the HT.

Here on MN posters regularly post that too much emphasis is placed on going to uni and getting well paid jobs. Others talk about how prize giving upsets their kids because they are never the fastest or the best speller. How can anyone read these threads and then regard my school as a Viz caricature? You are so out of touch with life outside your patch of Kent seeker.

[FadedSapphire]

Taking exams early not always a good thing- maybe a B rather than an A etc and then made to take the bloody thing again.
All that pushing and for what?

'As long as you get there,
Why worry... tum, tum, tum, tum...
What's the hurry'.

The tortoise in Fingerbobs...

[seeker]

Of course primary schools have "win points for your House"sports days. There are valuable lessons in team work and co operation to be learned- and learning them when you are little is a good thing.

Why you think this means that a secondary head teacher is going to do the to same a school football team is beyond me. Or is it only in "my bit of Kent" that there are active and very competitive inter school sports fixtures?

[seeker]

Or is that the new thing to say to dismiss anything I say? "Only in your bit of Kent, Seeker"!

[Yellowtip]

DCs 2,3,4,5 and 6 have taken 57 GCSEs a year early between them and I saw no evidence of them being 'pushed' FadedSapphire.

[seeker]

A bit of a difference between "a year early" and "ready for an A* in year 8", surely?

[Yellowtip]

I'd argue that 11A in Y10 can compete with a single A in Y8 seeker, tbh. I think there's some parity there, yes.

[MomOfTomStubby]

It is beyond you. Therefore it can't possibly be true eh? .

[FadedSapphire]

I don't see the point in exams being taken very early. Not as if it is something that is going to come up in job interviews unless you want to look boasty and pretentious...

[MomOfTomStubby]

And I am not dismissing what you are saying seeker. I am merely pointing out that just because you haven't experienced something in your 'patch of Kent' doesn't by default invalidate what the other person is saying.

[FadedSapphire]

Guess might be a good boast for university though....

[MomOfTomStubby]

The cynic in me thinks that they want two stabs at the cake (is that the correct expression?)

If the DC doesn't get the league table pleasing grade then she can take the exam again.

[Ilikethebreeze]

FadedSapphire, I meant acedemic results.
I agree up to a point that syphoning off 10% is going to give the 10% a somewhat distorted view of society.

[seeker]

Because I never actually venture out of my "little bit of Kent" I have no family or friends, never read the papers, never watch television.........

[Yellowtip]

Absolutely the only valid argument for taking exams early is the educational one. Besides which I don't think good employers like boasty people too much so if that's the long term game plan it might well backfire.

[FadedSapphire]

Sorry for being deliberately irritating Ilikethebreeze .

[MomOfTomStubby]

That would explain your prolific presence on MN, seeker.

[Ilikethebreeze]

pickled, I agree it will help them up to a point. But that is quite a short point. And tbh, that could be done equally as well if not better, if it was done in the hypothetical 10% school. There are still going to be the "extremes", even in that group.
On the whole, it is a very bad idea.

[seeker]

What's your excuse? After all, others have actually tried to help you broaden your horizons, but no, back you come............

[MomOfTomStubby]

Anyway, I have TomStubby to pick up. The thread will probably hit 1000 by the time I get back so until the next thread seeker.