Universities selecting kids at 11

[hellywobs]

There is an article on the front page of the Times today talking about universities identifying the brightest kids when they are 11, keeping in touch with them etc

11 is far too young for this as it will penalise late developers. However I can see why the universities want to do something to get round GCSE and A level grade inflation. In 1990 4 people in my school got all A's at A level - this year there were 23 and the school's sixth form is not 6 times bigger than it was....I don't believe the population is getting cleverer (though better at taking exams maybe)

What do people think?

In response to the OP: that's the dumbest thing I've ever read outside of Heat magazine.

I think the idea (not saying it would work, or even is particularly good) is to identify the bright kids at age 11, the ones who should, all being well, get three As at A-level, and then try and make sure they don't get "lost" along the way, in those difficult teenage years. As a state school product who saw lots of my contemporaries fall by the wayside (academically anyway) I can sort of see where they're coming from.

totally agree with Dinosaur; I don't understand how it will penalise late developers, it will just help prevent the bright sparks from falling thru the cracks.

I think the notion is that headteachers will be answerable for those children isentified who don't make the A-level expectations, so there may be a temptation to focus resources on these kids and iss those who develop later. As a late developer myself who ahd been put into unmoveable low sets at 12 and was classified as borderline Sn in all but English and am now getting B's at Uni, I ahve some sympathies with this idea.

I think if they are identified early and the Uni's do the proposed summer schools etc then that is an excellent plan, i don't think it should be carried into schools and I think later developed should also be given access to the Uni respources when they (and I ahte word for kids) 'qualify'.

I see the points made by late developers, and certainly a lot of early ones don't amount to much.
Remember Ruth Lawrence ?

Again, I think the universities have a useful role to play for late developers. Many late developers already fall though the cracks, and having someone else taking a fresh look look at kids may catch them.
The article said "as young as 11", not "from 11th birthday". If I were running such a programme I'd be looking across a broad spectrum of ages, both rather higher than 11 and lower.
Schools may not like their assessment of kids challenged, certainly mine didn't.

The aim is fundamentally that children who are identifed as being very able at 11 are not let down by their school and denied(?) the opportunity to land 3 A levels which would then see them into a good university presumably.

DC I defend Latin - without it I would be rubbish at crosswords and suchlike :)
I went on to do several foreign languages, quite right to ask what the heck has it done for me though... Although Latin made all those other languages much easier to learn.
I can read French recipes which may sound like an insignificant irrelevance - but in the case of a tarte au poire is not
I am an example of an highly educated girl who just wanted to have kids and raise them properly herself.

It (football) is a no brainer really, what is celebrated in a primary school playground is stature and in 2 of the 3 primary schools my ds (academic and wholly unsporting) went to, he was rejected for being unable to play the "beautiful game". So not participating in it makes primary school life difficult for many non players...

However a joking aside - his (ds)analysis of statistics was so advanced, that at age 4 he was able to predict that France would win the World Cup being hosted in their country.
I decided to have a little bet on his thought.
We came out £700 richer, so sport ain't all bad

Certainly again with reference to NAGTY who (judging by the Times article in question here) will be "nurturing" these children.
My son is 12 and is just being inducted into NAGTY at yr 7. MY ds's school (a grammar) keeps identifying children past GCSE stage for NAGTY. So late developers should not be at any disadvantage.
I will wait and see what if anything this programme does for ds.
I remain sceptical but... hopeful :)

I'm glad to hear late developers may be caught as well.
At 2.0's school they select for entry at 4...
They say that the "allow" for the fact that at this age one child may be as much as 25% older than another.
Except, nearly all the kids have birthdays in September-November, only two kids after Xmas, and 2.0 is almost the youngest in his class.