Search This Blog

Sunday, August 08, 2010

The Stigma of the Eleven Plus

The men and women who decry the implications of the eleven plus examinations may care to look at how eleven plus parents and teachers have been able to embrace technology. The eleven plus is a competitive examination – which children pass or fail. Parents have to be competitive – and many try to give their children the best possible advantages.

The eleven plus examination stimulates an attitude and approach towards education and learning where the `best man wins’. There are, however, rules and regulations that parents, children and teachers have to adhere to. Some parents will naturally continue to strive to give their child the best possible advantage. To this end eleven plus teachers, tutors, books, papers, courses, lessons, CDs, DVDs, the internet and online lessons are all used.

We have heard, with great pleasure, of some school teachers sending eleven plus papers to their pupils, on a weekly basis, over these holidays. This sympathetic attitude towards the examination, and close working with parents and children, must help to reduce some of the stigma that is sometimes associated with the eleven plus.

No comments: