A number of parents find it relatively easy to build an
eleven plus support network. There is the close fraternity of the playground as
well as the attraction of the anonymity of the internet. To each his own!
But what about eleven plus children? How can they build
support networks? We can easily visualise how children from different schools
and varying levels could come together to organise an eleven plus study group.
After all some eleven plus children have access to telephones, emails, and
social networks. The work children could do in an eleven plus study groups could
only be limited by their imagination.
Children, with the obvious consent of parents, could arrange
to meet each other to encourage work on a variety of eleven plus activities.
The children could go over papers with each other to clarify
points and work in close co-operation.
Some children may care to raise specific eleven plus
problems – and would then be grateful for any help and assistance from peers.
Some children may find that simply listening to each other
may be helpful.
All this sounds rather utopian – but the message is that
some children may benefit from being able to talk about their problems, their
successes and their failures – without feeling that they are being judged and
categorised. There could even be some children who would want to discuss the consequences
of success or failure without having to behave like mini adults.
