London Consortium Independent Girls' Schools scrapping 11+

[jeanne16]

In the papers today, it says the Consortium is scrapping the 11+ from 2019 as it is now so stressful for pupils and parents and affecting their mental health. They will have an online verbal reasoning test only plus interview.

They also want to try to stop the incessant tutoring. Of course, the format will simply change with tutors focusing on verbal reasoning rather than maths and English comprehensions, so I'm not sure it will make too much difference.

However at least they are acknowledging that there is a problem.

Yes, I did.

The Telegraph says: "Ms Elphinstone, who has been headmistress at the £18,000-a-year school for five years, said that the verbal reasoning section of the old exam is the only part they want to retain."

Also CATs basically have components of VR, NVR and NR in them, code-breaking etc. So it's barely a departure from what is already in place, just a more polarising version of it.

Tuckerella, I agree. DD is a bright dyslexic. Sufficiently bright to take five A levels at Westminster School. Yet she is awful at timed aptitude tests: CAT, Tiffin 11+, UKCAT. Rotten scores on all.

Maths and English tests enabled schools to see how good her maths were, and satisfy themselves that she could cope with the English. Extra time on VR/nonVR for a 10 year old with slow processing speeds means longer having to concentrate very hard. More stress not less.

One reason for paying for private was that with her CAT scores and her assumed (very average - based on top 2% for some things and bottom 2% for others!) IQ there was a real risk she might get lost in the middle. As it is, and with the right support, she has done much better than many/most at London Grammars.

Grammar schools are moving away from just VR/nonVR as they are aware that it gives a real bias towards those who have practiced intensively. It seems odd that Independent schools are now looking to encourage the sort of tutoring that blights childhoods and takes away from their ability to think creatively.

At least when DC were being tutored in Maths and English in preparation; they were learning Maths and English which was potentially useful to them going forward. There isn't much use for the little NVR visual puzzles and VR codes.

There is a website up now for the new consortium test: london11plus.co.uk

I am disappointed that it is not an interactive, on-computer (adaptable) test (as used by several leading schools for entrance and other purposes), but rather very, very similar to grammar school tests and with the same pitfalls, including it becoming a speed competition more than about ability. Creative use of computer interface to make it fun (less scary) and more like a game, and more unpredictable for tutors and parents? Not at all!

My earlier optimism has therefore now faded - I DON'T think this will reduce the tutoring much, but simply redirect the effort towards VR and NVR, with kids being put under pressure to "learn" how to recognise and do endless different types of such questions.

Mental health impact??! I honestly think that there is a high risk that this will have a negative rather than a neutral or positive impact on the children - and parents! - now that all the children must learn to do NVR and VR, and the poor kids might also be "drilled" to achieve speed.

Thankfully I don't have more kids to put through this stress-fest.

Their excuse (in the FAQ section) for not making it computer-based is that they don't have enough computers. Come on! Either solve this practical problem or take comfort in the difficulty/futility in cheating on a truly adaptable test with a bank of many (e.g. 300?) all-new questions at different levels of difficulty of which each child e.g. does 60, and invite people in 2, 3 or 4 batches on a single day. If you actually care, invest!

I know what you mean, NW, it does seem like more VR and nVR. My son had to do that on top of English and maths for his 11+ but it was so great last year with my dd that we didn't bother with any of that nonsense about having to know the various meanings of the word sage...

The English and maths is all part of basic state school stuff anyway, we just needed to do some practice comprehensions. This test seems (though I don't understand the nuances of CEM vs the other brands etc) to be similar to the grammars.

I have a second daughter who'll be doing this stuff.