Eleven Plus Rewards

Dogs learn to associate a range of commands, familiar noises, whistles and call with well drilled and almost automatic actions. It takes a lot of repetition and hard work on the part of an owner or trainer before their dog is able to be obedient. Years ago some circuses used to use pain and cruelty to train animals. Owners and trainers today are more inclined to use praise and reward.

Horse whisperers also appear to use a mixture of insight and kindness when they are training and developing their horses. The words `horse breakers’ must have almost been eliminated from our vocabulary.

A dog training session will often start with an intense session – which is often repeated five or six times a day. The sessions do not last too long so that the dogs (and the trainers) do not become too bored. Dogs are instructed in a variety of commands. Key ones include:

Sit. The dog is often expected to sit on the left side. Lots of praise and a range of rewards are usually needed.

Stay. This command is sometimes accompanied with a hand movement.

Lie. Here the dog is expected to lie down – often in a position of submission with the head resting on the paws.

Fetch. Come on dog. Collect the ball, stick, newspaper, sheep or what ever takes the trainer’s fancy.

Some owners are also very successful with `come’. Often prolonged praise and rewards are needed to drive this command home.

Do some eleven plus children respond to a similar range of commands? Some children, for example, may not choose to address the softly spoken query: “Is it time for work, dear?” A selective hearing loss could be covered by: “It is time for work! Go NOW!”

Does all eleven plus topics have to become familiar and well drilled or is there an argument for a liberal and broadly based approach?

Should children have to work through a thousand or more questions or is that an educational travesty of justice and endeavour?

The one dog training technique which should not be entertained is the use of the clicker. Some dogs learn to associate the noise of a clicker with the need to pay attention and concentrate. Imagine the eleven plus examination hall with little groups of eleven plus children using their well used eleven plus clickers to stimulate their brains at key moments.

An Eleven Plus Revolution

Watching some eleven plus children at work is sometimes more than edifying. A child bent over an eleven plus problem is more than the question – that he or she is working on - at the very least, the child is the product of the parents, the school and the educational opportunities.

We have a picture of gentlemen back in the Eighteenth Century who were witty, urbane and well educated. Yet these gentlemen were not taught from a wide curriculum – they were often taught the humane subjects as well as the classics. The Industrial Revolution, however, demonstrated that men and women needed to have knowledge of the sciences as well as some knowledge of manufacturing and mathematics.

Little by little schools became more complex and offered more educational opportunities. This broadening of the curriculum has continued over the years and today very few parents would want their child to go to a grammar school that offered only a few `A’ Level subjects. A viable grammar school is one where children have the ability to make choices from a sensible range of subjects.

An eleven plus examination based around verbal and non verbal reasoning focuses the minds of children into pretty stereotyped forms of thinking and reasoning. A child from a home where discussion and the promotion of learning is paramount will, hopefully, do better in the eleven plus than a child who has simply been drilled.

A bright, articulate and motivated eleven plus child should succeed in spite of the present narrowness of the eleven plus syllabus. If England today needs more engineers and scientists surely the eleven plus should look for children with ability in these areas? In one sense elements of the eleven plus could be considered a throwback to pre Industrial Revolution days. Someone, somewhere, needs a good talking to.

Eleven Plus Preferences

Some parents are sometimes faced with which eleven plus tutor to choose. There could be a list ranging from the highly prized specialist tutor who ALWAYS gets results (but lives a long way away) and a tutor who lives less than a mile away.

Another factor is the `before and after’ effect of tutoring. Does one tutor select only strong candidates and another does not mind as long as the child and the parents are willing to work hard?

There was a research experiment based on two towns in America. They were thirty five miles away from each other on the Hudson River. Both towns had a water supply that was fluoride deficient.

One town had its water supply treated with sodium fluoride.

After ten years it was found that the children who had been brought up on fluoridated water all their lives had a fifty eight percent chance of less tooth decay.

These results appear to be conclusive. Yet there could have been other factors that could be compared like bone structure, vision, hearing and ability.

In eleven plus terms the wonderful tutor who lives far away may be a better choice for a parent to approach. The eleven plus child, however, may prefer to spend an hour a week less in the car. The eleven plus child may prefer to follow a highly structured approach. Some parents may prefer not to be told every week just how good the tutor is and what wonderful results had been obtained in the past. Preferences, however, do not help parents make a scientific judgement.

At some stage, however, some parents may prefer to say: “What ever!” and go with the flow.

Outstanding Eleven Plus Results

Today offers an opportunity for a celebration.

A girl, who attended lessons with us, had test results that were simply extraordinary!

On the Kent 11+ tests she achieved 140 on each of the three tests – mathematics, verbal reasoning and non verbal reasoning.

The Bexley tests cover mathematics and verbal reasoning. We understand that she only dropped one mark.

What an outstanding girl.

What wonderful parents.

What a good school!

The Eleven Plus Routine

Some of our eleven plus children will have been brought up in an atmosphere where they are expected to develop in an organised and systematic manner. Many parents will hope and pray that their children will adopt a `metronome of routine’ into their eleven plus studies.

Wake
Read
Cleanse
Eat
Travel
School
Travel
Home
Food
Homework
Break
Eleven Plus Study
Read

And so on ….

Within the Eleven Plus study period some parents will hope that their child will be prepared to settle down quietly to work on an eleven plus topic or a paper – with out equivocation or prolonged discussion.

Within these parameters children will be expected to develop and grow into studious academics. The eleven plus child will be expected t be ambitious and responsible. There will be no room for any form of discontent or individual disorientation.

The reward for parents is their child has a place in the grammar school.

The reward for the eleven plus child is an opportunity to have an outstanding education.

The price for some children could be a dislike of the `metronome of routine’.

Eleven Plus Papers

Some parts of the present eleven plus syllabus seem to be based on the nineteenth century curriculum which was built around the theory of `transfer of training’. This nineteenth century school of thought was that if a child acquired `mental discipline’ or was `trained formally’ then this could be applied to any other field.

Over the years there have been many instances of young men and women being thrust into challenging position by virtue of their education. We can look, for example, at the number of Prime Ministers that have been educated at Eton. Years ago these prime ministers would have been educated mainly in the classics. The concept of transfer of training’ was supposed to carry into other fields of leadership and endeavour.

Today we work on some rather specious verbal reasoning questions – especially those taken from venerable sources – and must wonder how this `transfer of training’ is supposed to work in the actual examination. We expect children to solve questions and problems on eleven plus papers – and then apply this knowledge in the actual examination.

We all hope that working through paper after paper will be of benefit in the examination. If would be wonderful if some erudite scholar could work out a formula where children could apply to spend as little time as possible on eleven plus work.

Parents, Children and the Eleven Plus

Is it possible that the eleven plus could have been easier back in the seventeenth or eighteen century? We know that the size of families was about the same as today. So even if we look back over seventeen or eighteen generations there was still a father, a mother and some children. We can only surmise that the parents had to work just as hard as today. Their roles would certainly have been difficult but many parents may have been faced with the same dilemma as to day - how to give their children the best possible opportunities.

The word `coterminous' springs to mind. This is where we need to be able to share similar boundaries. The family of years ago would have had grandparents that may or may not have been able to read - unlike most of today’s elders. Today’s grandparents may or may not be able to work out some strange non verbal reasoning question - but both sets would have tried to do their best.

Luckily for some of the children two hundred years ago verbal and non verbal reasoning tests had not arrived at the degree of test sophistication that we expect our children to achieve.

Surely, however, a bright child some two hundred years ago would have been able to answer a question like:

Which word is opposite to GOOD?

kind bad deep rude wrong

What about a question like:

The young knight Harry was eight years old two years ago.

His best friend William is two years younger than him.

Harry’s cousin, Mary, was one year older than William.

How old is Harry now?

Perhaps we should not always talk about eleven plus children but about children who have parents who want the best for their children.

Eleven Plus Study Methods

Do you remember the Mock Turtle chatting to Alice?

“Will you walk a little faster?” said a whiting to a snail,
“There’s a porpoise close behind us, and he’s treading on my tail.
See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance!
They are waiting on the shingle—will you come and join the dance?
Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, won’t you join the dance?

We can build this into an Eleven Plus chant:

“Will you study a little harder?” said a mother to her child’
“The exam is close and near to us, and its stressing out my mind.
See how eagerly the other children study
They are working on their Bond books, won’t you do some too?
Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, will you do some work?
Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, will you do some work?

Eleven Plus Algebra

Some eleven plus children absolutely love algebra. Their eyes sparkle. They become animated and highly receptive.

Some adults, and some children, seem to have a negative emotional response to symbols and letters.

Some lucky children, however, do not need to have any barriers broken down because the challenge is all. It is new and exciting. Give me more!

Letters or symbols may seem to be rather general or abstract. The fact that a symbol can transform into a different value is also perplexing to some children – but others love to be intellectually challenged.

2a = 16.

Find a.

Love it or hate it – it is part of our lives.

Zen and the Eleven Plus

Our eleven plus children live in a fast moving world of excitement and endeavour. Life cannot be boring if there is always eleven plus work to be done. A mother told me today of her daughter who only dropped three marks in her eleven plus examinations. The ten year old achieved 140, 140 and 137. A lot of hard work had gone into marks as good as these!

Do you remember the story of the Zen student? He had trained for many years. He was asked a straightforward question:

“Where does your Zen training lead?”

“It is only a step by step approach. I wake up in the morning and think that the world is so beautiful that I can hardly stand it.”

It must be obvious to any eleven plus reader:

“Where does your Eleven Plus work lead?”

“It is only a step by step approach. My child and I wake up in the morning and think that eleven plus work is so beautiful that we can hardly stand it.”

Enjoy the moment. Your child is growing remarkably quickly through the eleven plus year!

Eleven Plus Standardised Scores

There are several steps that have to be taken before tests are standardised. One criterion is to see that the test is representative of different children. It is no good trying to standardise a test based only on able eleven plus children. The results could be skewed.

An age standardisation test takes into account your child’s age, so that you have an indication of how well your child is performing relative to other children of the same age. In the olden days there was a look up table with the raw score down the left side of the page and the child’s age in years and months spread across the page. Each cell of the test contained a standardised score – which is the standardised score adjusted for your child’s age. In today’s world the eleven plus tests are marked by a device similar to a scanner – and it knows your child’s age and how many correct answers you child made – and so working out the standardised score is completed in milliseconds.

An average standardised score is 100 with a standard deviation of 15. This means that if your child achieves a score of 100 then your child is average for that test. About two thirds of all children will have scores between 85 and 100. About 16% will be above 115 – and this is where eleven plus children need to aim.

The pass mark – or the standardised score pass mark can vary from group of children to group and from year to year.

A lot of caution needs to be taken with tests and test results. We worked with a girl up to the recent eleven plus tests who started on her eleven plus course around February of this year with around average results. She passed the examination with outstanding marks – around and above 130. The difference was not because we taught wonderful lessons. She made the progress because she wanted to pass the examination, she wanted to go to grammar school, and she wanted to work very hard to achieve her goals.

Her mother believed in her. Her school were, we understand, delighted.

We ate the chocolates and basked in the reflected glory!

An Eleven Plus Drum Roll

When a grand announcement is made there is often a drum roll.

We were working today on the roll out of our venture into developing a virtual eleven plus school – and the question of animation and sound was raised by one of the team. We looked for an animated gif of a drummer belting away at a drum – but all the animations looked a little tacky. The executive decision was made to abandon the drummer and his drum. The discussion then grew into the drum that Sir Francis Drake owned. When he was dying in the West Indies he ordered the drum to be returned to Plymouth. The drum still hangs in Buckland Abbey.

Drake vowed on his deathbed that if anyone attacked England he would return to fight.

When Napoleon was brought as a prisoner to Plymouth it is said that the Drake’s drum made a deep and resounding sound. The drum sounded again in 1914 when the First World War started.

In 1918, at the end of the First World War, a drum was heard on the battle ship the Royal Oak when the German fleet sailed into the Scapa Flow to surrender. No could find the drum or the drummer. When the Royal Oak dropped anchor the drum roll stopped – victory had been secured.

The drum was also heard during the retreat from Dunkirk.

Drum rolls are used in many epics of pageantry. Up in Scotland (where there is no eleven plus) a drummer often accompanies a piper or band of pipers – warning of a brave fighting spirit and a desire to win.

If any readers would be kind enough to roll their fingers in a mini drum roll across the key board that would be a spirited and joyous way for us to announce our virtual eleven plus school.

Eleven Plus Standardised Scores

A question today was emailed in by a mother about how easy it is to compare standardised scores. Is one standardised score more reliable than another? In the eleven plus tests standardised scores are used to place children into rank order. The children who have scored high enough pass and these children did not quite make it do not pass.

A proper measuring scale has zero as an absolute point. An example of a scale that has equal units - but not an absolute zero - is a centigrade thermometer. The zero is placed at the temperature of freezing water. We can say that the temperature rises as much from 0 to 25 degrees as it does from 25 to 50 degrees. It is impossible, however, to say that we will find the temperature at 50 degrees twice as hot as at 25 degrees.

Strictly speaking the standardised score is standardised against complex criteria. We can’t say, however, that a child with a score of 140 out of 140 is twice as clever as a child with a score of 115. There are limitations that must affect the way we look at standardised scores. A child who passes one eleven plus test with a standardised score of 120 is not all that much better than a child who passes a different eleven plus test with a standardised score of 117.

Eleven Plus Solutions

I was telephoned today by a mother with a dilemma.

Her daughter has just passed three different Eleven Plus Tests.

The family now have to make a choice of schools. The nearest school is a mere 20 minutes walk away from home. There are no transport costs involved. The location of the other two grammar schools, which have higher GCSE results, would include a walk, a journey by train or by bus, followed by a further much shorter short walk. Naturally there would be a reverse journey at the end of the school day.

The mum’s possible solution was to encourage her daughter to go to the nearest school – which would save a lot of potential transport problems over the years.

Her rationale was that her daughter could move schools in the sixth form if necessary.

Attending the nearest grammar school seems to be a viable and a practical solution to a real problem.

The Early Development of Eleven Plus Skills.

It may be useful sometimes to remember the work of Skeels and Dye. They wanted to see if they could improve the orphanage environment by making it more active. They initiated a controversial experiment.

They transferred one and two year old orphanage children to a training school for feeble minded girls. These girls acted as mother substitutes and cared for the children, talked to them and played with them.

Two years later the I.Q.s had improved by 27 points. The I.Q.s of children who remained at the orphanage had dropped by around twenty-six points. The children placed with the feeble minded mother substitutes had made considerable progress.

Some parents, during the eleven plus year, may be tempted to concentrate on academic development. The experience, as out lined by Skeels and Dye with the babies must however remind us that there is far more to the eleven plus year than work and more work. Some parents may need to be reminded that their children must be able to play and live relatively normal lives – to try to ensure that their children do not become too one sided.

The Responsibility of Eleven Plus Success

The results of an eleven plus examination gives all of us knowledge about accomplishments of some children and the individual failures of others. Acceptance of eleven plus results must also leave us with an attitude where a degree of give and take is necessary. We need to be grateful for any successes but compassionate for those that did not manage to pass.

What brought this to mind was working with an eleven plus boy today who had gained full marks on his mathematics test. He had achieved a perfect score. (This is a standardised score of 140.) He will complete Year 6 knowing that he has achieved a level of eleven plus perfection something that very few can hope to reach. Perhaps one day he will go on to become a leader.

There will always be men and women who are gifted and energetic – and extremely ambitious. Perhaps some of them started off as boys and girls who had to pass the Eleven Plus Examinations or even the Common Entrance. Perhaps some of them will also go on to achieve perfect scores on examinations at school and university.

The boy explained that his Head Teacher had been very proud of his results. The boy also added that his teacher had said; “Well done.” His school must naturally bask in the reflected glory of this boy’s success. It is unlikely that he would have scored 140 unless he had had extremely good teaching at school and at home.

All we can do is hope that he will use his obvious ability to overcome powerful obstacles and always behave in a scrupulous and responsible manner. What a lucky school to have a boy like this joining the ranks.

Stringing an Eleven Plus Child Along

The words `The Eleven Plus Stairs to Success’ have a solid yet imaginative feel. It is easy to imagine the impatient and eager eleven plus candidate springing lithely from stair to stair aiming at success and triumph.

Staircases are made by carpenters who measure, cut and fit together component parts with great precision. A staircase is not a piece of elaborate joinery – but it works!

A stair is made of three elements:

Treads
Risers
Stringers

The supports on the edge of the stairs are the stringers. The top edge of a string is made parallel to the lower edge.

Steps are often made from two boards – one being horizontal and the other vertical.

The strings often have vertical and horizontal grooves into which the risers and the treads are secured.

Wear and tear can overcome a staircase – in the same way that too much pressure can overcome an eleven plus child.

One interpretation of the word stringer is that a stringer prepares copy for newspapers – but this is not a regular job as a stringer works freelance. A theory is that a stringer is someone who is anxious about being strung along by an editor.

Eleven plus parents want their children to keep climbing towards the examination. They want their child to climb firmly and securely towards the goal. But few eleven plus parents would want to place their children under too much pressure so that their child beings to feel pressured.

Eleven Plus Probability.

Some parents need to be very proud of themselves. You may well have played the game, even with your eleven plus child, where you ask your child to guess which hand you are holding something desirable.

The first time your child may choose the left hand.

For the next three times he or she may choose the same hand as the previous time.

The same hand gives you probability `s’.

The different hand gives probability `d’.

You then suggest that s + d = 1.

Your task then is to work out the probability that he or she will choose `s’ on the last occasion.

Parents always know best and will be able explain this lucidly to their eleven plus child – who will not say: “What?”

The mums and dads who did `A’ Level statistics at school or university will no doubt explain that (s + d) to the power of 3 and (s – d) to the power of 3 can be written as:

A half of (1 + (s – d) to the power of 3).

Other mums and dads might want to give a simpler answer. Both sets could be right!

Eleven Plus Temper

Do any parents ever feel a sudden rush of blood to the head when their eleven plus child offers an apparently inconsequential answer? Imagine the scene, you have working peacefully together on a nonverbal reasoning exercise. (For the words non verbal substitute any other eleven plus term you would like.) You make a perfectly acceptable suggestion and this is rejected with no regard for your feelings. You experience a sudden rush of blood and are imbued with a desire to throw something or do commit a violent crime.

Step 1

Place your pen or pencil carefully on the table. You could do a serious injury with the point of a pencil in the thigh.

Step 2

Take ten great breaths. Breathe deeply and count slowly. If can count in Russian you may feel happier.

Step 3

Say to your self: “My child is only nine. My child is only nine.”

Step 4

Explain to your child calmly, but forcefully, that what was said was completely unsatisfactory. Try to avoid unsavoury and deeply wounding words.

Step 5

Try to forgive your child – but explain your forgiveness at great length – and use lots of repetition.

Step 6

Try to defuse the situation with humour and laughter. (This, however, is a last resort.)

Step 7

Never, ever, under any circumstance ignore the slight. You may grow frown lines and grey hair. You could harbour the rudeness for years.

Step 8

Temper! Temper!

Learning Eleven Plus Work.

Some of us may sometimes need to be rather careful that we do not insist on too much over learning. We probably over learn how to form letters. Some children may, for example, have to over learn some tables while degrees of over learning probably took place when the nursery rhymes were learnt.

We do know some things about over learning.

Eleven Plus children should not be drilled too much in case they lose the freshness, the wonder and the pleasure in tackling obscure eleven plus questions.

An eleven plus child will remember significant material longer than meaningless stuff.

It is likely that most parents will find that bright eleven plus children learn very quickly – and do not forget at the same speed.

We can’t be sure that if something is learnt at a perfunctory level that it will be forgotten. If parents and children spend time together on a topic then it is possible that some faint trace will be retained and even remembered at a crucial moment in the examination.

Ideally something that a child and a parent learn together towards the eleven plus will be retained to a lesser or greater degree. Parents can only hope that the valuable something of the subject is remembered when their child is sitting in the examination hall.

A Synthetic Eleven Plus Scenario

Every now and then we are offered more information about the forty sounds that go together to make up the English language. The sounds are called phonemes. A phoneme is the smallest phonetic unit that can carry meaning.

Whenever we see films about children in America learning to read on farms we see the earth mother tracing letters of the alphabet – and the child going on from there to read the bible. We are also aware of children in prairie schools with all ages being taught by committed and distinguished teachers. These early schools had remarkably few resources. The children were, however, taught phonics.

Phonic based reading means linking letters, or combinations of letters, to other letters and groups of sounds.

Children who are taught synthetic phonics are expected to sound out the phonemes in a word – and then blend them together. The educational theory behind synthetic phonics is that learning to sound out words and then blend them together gives children the confidence to be able to read unfamiliar words.

Will there ever come a day when `Synthetic Eleven Plus Teaching’ is introduced? This is where children are taught to analyse a question word by word and then draw all the words together to arrive at an understanding of the question?

Some parents are already doing this – they are encouraging their children to read each question carefully and then synthesise the concepts to arrive at a meaningful answer. Various dictionary definitions of the word synthetic do not lead easily to linking the word `synthetic’ to the words `Eleven Plus’.

A synthetic product is made by a chemical process.

A synthetic answer can be insincere.

None of us would welcome a chemically induced eleven plus lesson. Very few of us would welcome an insincere approach to eleven plus work. Many of us would, however, welcome an approach when a child reads a question carefully before trying to supply the answer.

Eleven Plus Problems

How do Eleven Plus problems arise?

Usually it is teacher or a parent who sets the eleven plus problems – be it in mathematics or the reasoning skills.

Eleven plus children are used to problems like:

Underline the one word which is different from the rest:

Picture Drawing Painting Frame Photograph Portrait

A different eleven plus favourite is:

Find 10% of 56.

But eleven plus problems can also be found in areas like:

How much time should be spent every week on eleven plus work?

Is the eleven plus material that is being set at a demanding and useful level?

The eleven plus candidate can have problems with where and when he or she is expected to work. In the bedroom? In the study? In front of the T.V.?

The eleven plus child could be asked to write down a list of problems. There may be some that can be solved. Some, however, may not be immediately solvable.

You could ask your child to keep a record of problems – social, emotional and physical – as well as intellectual. For example at one time or another:

Mum might be a problem.

Dad might be a problem.

A sibling might be a problem.

Mum might solve the problem.

Dad might solve the problem.

The sibling might solve the problem.

Many eleven plus problems can be solved after a good night’s sleep. The real problem is establishing whether or not the problem is really important and pressing. If solving the problem is likely to be profitable and important to the eleven plus journey then it may be worth addressing.

Eleven Plus Congratulations

I went round a number of our centres today to thank our teachers for the hard work they had done in the lead up to the recent Eleven Plus examinations. We have had some incredible results in the Bexley examinations.

Congratulations too to all the mothers and fathers. They must be very proud of their children.

I spoke to one set of grandparents – and grand mother had tears in her eyes with excitement over the opportunities that now lie ahead.

Well done to all the children for all their hard work and endeavour.

And finally well done to all the teachers at all the different schools - without their inspired input our children would not have achieved their dreams.

We can only hope that next year will be better!

Eleven Plus Noise

What would it be like if you could simply dial one number and have instant access to all the different eleven plus information you need? Your child’s needs will change over the next few months. Your desire and demand for information will also need to be serviced. The `One Stop Eleven Plus Shop’ could help. Here you could find all the eleven plus social media including at least popular forums, books, papers, advice from tutors, advice about tutors, publishers, Face Book applications, DVDs, CDs and Twitter comments. This would give you access to a veritable cornucopia of ideas, advice and solutions. You may even be able to have s sensible dialogue about `Sound and the Eleven Plus Child’.

It is possible that your child would really like a sound proofed bedroom. Unfortunately there are few really practical ways of keeping sound out of the Eleven Plus Room’.

Perhaps others in the family will need to be good neighbours. A thick carpet outside the door could eliminate at least one pet hate. Moving siblings is not so easy – unless you live in an `Eleven Plus Castle’.

Every parent will use the technique of moving a wardrobe or cupboard to the wall where most noise emanates. A cupboard full of games, clothes and general `junk’ will help to eliminate most noise.

When the `Studious Eleven Plus Candidate’ complains that he or she can still hear the source of the sound – then parents could consider building `An Eleven Plus Wall’. This would be a new wall – spaced away from the existing wall with battens and plaster board. The cavity would need to be filled – but most mothers would have ideas on that point. (Foam or expanded polystyrene may spring to mind.)

The space around the doors is another potential source of noise. Draft proofing may help.

One further thought. The famous `No Entry – Eleven Plus Candidate At Work’ sign may bring immediate quiet through out the home.

The best thing about a sound proofed room could be something that may not spring to the eleven plus mind.

Your child may occasionally hear those dreaded words: “It is time now to go to work”.

A sound proofed bed room could keep out any crashing and banging.

What price `Eleven Plus Peace?’

Eleven Plus Books

Some eleven plus parents have a problem finding books for their aspiring candidates to read.

“What about all those lovely books I got you last Christmas. We are in October now and you have not read any of them. Your Aunt Edna will be so disappointed that you did not find time to read the trilogy that she bought you.”

“But Mum, they are so boring.”

“Yes, but your father and I love reading. We can’t understand why you will not read. You are always playing on the computer. You never pick up a book and sit down to have a `nice’ read.”

There could be a solution.

John Grisham has written `Theodore Boone – Half the Man, Twice the Lawyer’. (Hodder and Stoughton 2010 ISBN 978 1444 71448 7) It is about Theo Boone who is only thirteen years old and thinks that he is a lawyer.

If your ten year old child ever needs to read a book that is inspiring and utterly compelling then this is the one. I can not believe that any bright child will not be able to identify with Theo Boone.

I hope also that reading the book turns some very able children into believing in themselves. A child who is able and articulate may not always feel that they can fit into the company of `mere mortals’. Theodore Boone is loved, respected and admired. These are all attributes that some eleven plus children crave.

Every single Eleven Plus parent in the world will want their child to be loved, respected and admired.

A word of warning. If you do hand the book over you may not be offered a single word until the last page.

The Eleven Plus Black Box

Your mission. You have been tasked to obtain the Back Box recording of your child sitting the first Eleven Plus examination.

You are waiting for your child’s results. There may have been some confusion with the instructions in the examination room. You have been told that two experienced invigilators were on duty and `running’ the examination on behalf of the authorities.

The examination was due to start at 9.30 in the hall. This is situated in a normally quiet and peaceful section of the school – rather away from the other buildings and definitely shielded from the busy road. You know too that any dustcarts and lawn mowers were banned from the school over the duration of the eleven plus examinations.

We pick up the transcript just as your child notifies the invigilator of an approaching disaster. Were this an unforeseen circumstance, plain neglect or lack of training?

Invigilator to Class: Er, good morning. We are just about to start the Eleven Plus examination. I would ask you all to listen carefully – but if you do not understand please do not hesitate to ask for help.

Class Member: What do we do if it rains today?

Invigilator to Class: That is possible, but try not to think of anything that you can not control. Just focus on the task.

Class Member: I am getting drops of water on my paper.

Invigilator to Class: Please try to stop crying. You will only upset yourself and the rest of the children. Just use the tissue you were asked to bring.

Class Member: I am sorry to speak again. The drops are growing in size. My paper is getting wet.

Invigilator walks towards the right rear of the room: Er, what is happening here? (Looks up at the ceiling.) Oh! There is a large puddle forming in the roof. We had better move away.

The children, teachers and invigilator leave the room in a hurry. Papers, pencils and rubbers are left on desks.

There is an ominous sound and a section of the roof gives way to a flood. The Eleven Plus Back Box picks up shouting from outside the room.

Questions

Depending on the circumstances; do the parents of these children have a right to appeal?

Should there be a Black Box recording of eleven plus examinations so that parents can know exactly what was going on?

Eleven Plus Planning

What next after the Eleven Plus?

It is easy – fleeting thoughts will enter your mind about Grammar Schools, GCSE examinations, the A Levels and the International Baccalaureate. Your focus will move to which university will deliver the goods. It looks as if university students are going to have to pay more for the privilege of attending university. Which course would offer the best return?

Step One is UCAS (http://www.ucas.ac.uk/) where the application is made.

Step Two is BMAT (http://www.admissionstests.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/adt/) the admissions tests from Cambridge.

Step Three is UKCAT (http://www.ukcat.ac.uk/) the UK Clinical Aptitude Test)

Step Four is LNAT (http://www.lnat.ac.uk/) the Law Aptitude Test.

Step Five is for pupils interested in studying in the USA (http://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings.aspx).

It is not too early to start planning ahead. After all you started planning for the eleven plus before your child was born – so the next few years will go very quickly!

Good luck!

Eleven Plus Stars

We have been thrilled to receive the results of the Eleven Plus children from the Medway towns who have passed. Congratulations to all these wonderful children and their fortunate parents. Earning a place in a grammar school could change the course of the lives of some of these children.

The Medway examination is interesting because a proportion of the marks are awarded to the ability to communicate in writing. One of the children who has passed has always had some problems with his spelling. We added a little spelling to his program to try to help.

Some educationalists look at a spelling problem and try to categories it into two different areas. One area suggests that the child may well have a reading and a spelling problem. A different child may simply have a spelling problem.

When a child reads there is often the ability to look at contextual clues to help with spelling. Spelling, however, demands a recall of words that have been learnt and assimilated.

The eleven plus child with a spelling problem may have to be able to generalise rules before being able to spell unfamiliar words. Children sometimes use one strategy for writing words down – and a different one for checking the spelling. Some children may even be able to analyse the word into components – like root, suffix and prefix.

Eleven plus parents will hope that their child will be able to pick up spellings easily and intuitively.

Some children find it useful to collect all their spelling mistakes into one place – and then try to learn the words. Rote learning of spellings, however, is sometimes very difficult. It may be more helpful for the bright child to learn various strategies.

So congratulations to all the stars that have passed. Super Nova congratulations to the star that had a spelling problem and still passed!

Eleven Plus Control

“My dear, the answer lies in cybernetics.”

When a ship drifts off course the helmsman has to move the rudder to the port or the starboard to compensate for deviation. The word cybernetics is derived from the Greek word for a `steersman’.

When the eleven plus child drifts off course then gentle chat is sometimes needed to guide the candidate back onto the preferred route.

Suppose your child starts reaching failing marks on eleven plus exercises. You hope that your words will help to bring his or her grades up `Controlled guidance’ could be an invaluable asset.

Persuasion and the Eleven Plus

Some parents may sometimes feel that their attempts to persuade their child to feel a little more confident are falling on deaf ears. Naturally by the time their child has reached ten years old, parents have a pretty fair idea of how their child will react to most situations. Some parents may feel, on occasions, the need to be slightly heavy handed in their persuasive methods.

The eleven plus, however, because it is such a demanding examination, may sometimes throw up apparently childish perversity and utterly unpredictable behaviour. Some parents may also feel that their conventional methods of persuasion are being treated with some degree of suspicion.

One problem that some children may fear is that the dialogue with their parents is heavily weighted on the side of the parents. Their parents are urging them to respond in a particular way – but the children may not offer the hoped for response.

Able and articulate eleven plus children are probably good at more than just answering multiple choice questions. Combinations of sport, dance, drama and chess could be part of the makeup of the after school life of the eleven plus child. Work and study may need to fitted into a busy academic and social life.

We have a boy who comes to us for an evening lesson – and he has already done two after school activities.

Somehow some eleven plus children may feel they need a balance in their lives. Missing the odd lesson or exercise because of fatigue or overload is not going to upset the final balance of marks in the examination.

Some children may need to feel that they are keeping their parents pacified. These children may want their parents to be easy, thoughtful and appreciative. Persuasion, under these conditions, may be less consuming.

Taking Stock of the Eleven Plus

All the big retailers – and many of the smaller ones – will take part in a stock take. Years and tears ago the stock take took place on a certain day and everyone joined in the count. The results were laboriously collected and then analysed.

It would a dream for every retailer if all the stock could always be sold – but some items will remain obstinately on the shelf. Unsold goods must be taken into account when calculating the gross profit at the end of a financial period.

Every time we go into a large supermarket we see hardworking people counting and analysing stock. Of course the tills will record every transaction and warn when stock levels drop – but canny shop keepers also make their own regular checks.

We could, for example, illustrate the importance of stock with a little eleven plus example.

Mrs.Winterton, who runs a wedding hire business, has a child working towards the eleven plus. She needs to buy some stock for her shop.

July 14th Buys 6 six small chairs for £80.00 each

July 15th She sold two chairs to a customer for £160.00 each.

July 16th Bought two more chairs for £100.00 each.

July 16 Paid £20.00 for flowers.

July 18th Sold three chairs from her original lot for £500.00 the lot.

July 18th Paid delivery charge for £20.00

July 18th Paid chair covers £20.00

The eleven plus question: `What is the value of her stock?’ An eleven plus child can work out the actual arithmetic in this question. But the value of the stock is a bit more confusing.

Any book keeper or accountant would tell you immediately that a debit is made in the Stock Account while a credit is made in the Trading Account.

Eleven plus parents take stock of their child’s progress every day. All week long parents are crediting successes – and debiting failures. All parents can do is hope that they land up in a profitable situation at the end!

Eleven Plus Interests

The interests of eleven plus children are changing all the time. The interests of bright and able children will cover diverse areas like T.V. programs, music, mathematics, art, dance, literature and science. It would be wonderful for many children if more eleven plus questions could touch on some of these areas.

Many, but not all, eleven plus questions seem to follow a fairly rigid formula. Just because questions from major publishes seem to follow a remarkably set pattern, so the myriad of teachers, tutors and smaller publishers have churned out eleven plus questions that all seem to be remarkably similar.

If we asked children to devise their own tests for entry to grammar school we could conceivably be enchanted by questions that do not fall into the present categories.

Chatting to an eleven plus child a teacher could conceivably ask:

Which would you prefer?

a) Going to school
b) Visiting an art gallery
c) Going to an adventure centre.

What is most important when you are studying towards the eleven plus?

a) Keeping fit
b) Working through eleven plus papers
c) Being the best you can at school

The responses of some child would naturally follow a desire to answer in a manner that would please the teacher. Other children would answer for themselves. Others would enjoy the whole experience and offer unexpected and delightful answers.

Eleven Plus Expectations

The perennial question – how easy is it to meet the expectations of eleven plus parents?

Teachers, schools, tutors and publishers are all concerned with satisfying at least part of this weighty anticipation.

Parents want, at each stage of the eleven plus process, information about how much work has been done, what work needs to be done and what are the chances of passing. There are many factors to take into account:

The health of their child;
The emotional maturity of the candidate;
The degree of social adjustment;
And, of course, the innate intelligence and motivation.

Many parents are reassured by marks and percentages – as these give physical evidence of progress. Factors like work ethic and study skills are far more difficult to quantify.

It can be argued that teachers and tutors with access to evaluative instruments and carefully constructed standardised scores should have an advantage. Who can argue, however, against the confidence of the much loved and highly experienced tutor who can tell at a glance if a child can pass?

Special Eleven Plus Brains and PHP

One day, is possible, that some of our current eleven plus students will decide to go into computers. Some may want to manufacture, others to sell while one or two may decide to concentrate on web design. It is almost a certainty that any web user will have come across a website written in PHP.

PHP is a programming language designed for creating dynamic websites. It fits into a web server and processes the instructions in the web page before the instructions are sent to the server. PHP talks to a range of data base systems. A good example of PHP in action is an online store – where you enter the search word and then find the product that you want.

When we log into an online store we may decide to change the number of items that we are purchasing. For example there may be only one product in a particular line – but the customer can be given the opportunity to change how many are purchased.

A brain that can cope with this sort of programming does not necessarily have to be an eleven plus brain. Eleven plus brains have to be able to think and reason – and perform a range of calculations. Some even have to cope with comprehension and written English.

Eleven plus brains have to be mature and forgiving. (Is there ever an eleven plus child who is able to say accusingly: “But I have already done it!”)

Eleven plus brains can not say that the dog ate their eleven plus paper – especially if there is no dog in the family.

Eleven plus children have to respectful and accommodating. (Sometimes parents are right!”

What parents do want is for their child to adopt a dynamic approach to the eleven plus. They want their child to be able to check work carefully. They want their child to be able to follow instructions. Parents do not want to have to repeat something – especially if it to be contentious.

Receptive Eleven Plus brains are pretty special!

Eleven Plus Change

How can an eleven plus child suggest to his or her parents that there may be an alternative route towards the eleven plus? Some children may choose to use a form of a suggestion scheme – but this depends on how receptive their parents are likely to be.

One problem an eleven plus child may face is that his or her parents may not want to hear the solution that is being promoted. Eleven plus children learnt when they were very small that timing is all important. How ever good the suggestion is, it could fall on deaf ears if the timing is off.

One suggestion to any child who is thinking about changes in attitudes towards the eleven plus is that it is possible that a novel approach is needed. It may not be good enough to argue and keep arguing. Eleven plus children seeking change may need to create a whole new image for themselves.

Any eleven plus suggestion may need to include saving time. Parents may feel that they under pressure – and that prolonged negotiations can only waste time. (That is when children go on and on!)

Children may also take note of how governments for years have brought in change – namely the leaked secret. The leaked drip could be offered with maximum publicity just twenty four hours before any crucial meeting. Eleven Plus children may have limited financial resources – but major emotional resources.

So eleven plus children wishing for change may need to:

Argue less
Think of novel approaches to developing suggestions.
Forget negotiations.
Try dripping away.
Play on the emotions of the parents.

The Eleven Plus and Arbitration

Some eleven plus children need to embrace change. Working towards the eleven plus examination will mean changes to their lives. Some may need to adjust to working to a schedule. Others very bright children may need to do some real academic work for the first time in their lives. There could even be a group of children who, although they are doing very well at school, are challenged by the complexity and the range of eleven plus work.

Listening to some eleven plus children it almost seems as if they don’t understand that targeted work will help to give them a better opportunity. There are even a few who appear to think that resentment is a necessary price before change and improvement takes place. Some children will not try to be negative but if there appears to be a hint of criticism then the emotions can become turbulent.

When things go wrong in the adult world there are various mechanisms to help mediate and give advice. Some adults may feel the need to turn to Samaritans, others to the Citizens Advice Bureau – while others will need to engage professional negotiators – witness how strikes are handled.

The eleven plus child does not have access to a professional body. The `sometimes grumpy little face’ may feel that there is no one to turn to. But parents must have non arbitrational rights. No child can be allowed to breach health and safety. No child needs to be rude and offhand. No child needs to be disagreeable. Eleven plus children probably want to be treated in a right and fair manner. Many will want to voice their thoughts – which can be useful - unless it goes on and on!

In the world of business people usually try to effect change when the business is expanding. The expansion helps the business to be able to move people to different jobs without losing their seniority or suffer pay cuts. The eleven plus child does not have this luxury.

If agreement can not be reached within the immediate family then any unresolved disputes may need to be submitted to arbitration. The arbitrator could be a much loved grandparent, or an aunt or uncle. Sometimes an older brother or sister could help immensely.

Imagine the pride of Grandmother Molly. Her new family title:

Grandmother Molly – The Eleven Plus Arbitrator.

The Eleven Plus and the Ryder Cup 2010

A number of us will have been working with eleven plus children – and then enjoying watching shots of the Ryder Cup.

A number of eleven plus children will have been watching the Ryder Cup with their parents.

Today was Day 2 – and the Ryder Cup foursomes were out in force. The commentators were commentating, the players were playing and the crowds were crowding.

Eleven plus child can learn from golf – they can learn the need to concentrate. They can also learn the need to play as part of a team. (The attire of the players from both teams was a thing of beauty.)

The one extraordinary habit that I hope no eleven plus child will pick up was displayed by both sides. This is something that we never see a boxer doing after a good blow to the head of an opponent. An Olympic swimmer can not do this action in the middle of a race. The winner of the stage of the Tour de France usually raises both hands as a salute – but then he has cycled 200 kilometres.

These Ryder Cup golfers – on both sides – when they have sunk a putt – raise their eyes to the crowd. They then clench their fist and use a dramatic pumping movement to show their joy at sinking the putt.

The hope is that your precious eleven plus candidate does not get into the habit of clenching the fist and pumping after every answer. This could be quite off putting to others in the middle of the real examination!

Variety in the Eleven Plus

It is very hard to generalise – but here goes – a reasonably significant number of parents will hope that their eleven plus children will go onto university.

When their child reaches university there will be a bewildering variety of courses to choose from.

The primary school is already a veritable cornucopia to some bright children – with the opportunity of a wide range of activities and a number of different subjects to study. There is often time for a variety of outside classes and activities. There is also the spectre of the eleven plus. Preparing for the examination takes time and effort.

The eleven plus examination itself can be regarded, in some areas, as a remarkably narrow examination. Coping with analogies, for example, in verbal and non verbal reasoning is a skill that can be learnt.

The GCSE years can be full and exciting – with many GCSE options to choose from. I have already mentioned the ex GCSE grammar school boy who has just joined us to work with our super bright eleven plus children and who has thirteen A* GCSE subjects!
There is some degree of specialisation in the A Level years – but still a range of subjects to choose from.

Why can’t a fresh look be made at the present system of the eleven plus? Some ten year old children may miss out on a prized university place simply because the examination is much too narrow in scope and design. Naturally it must be argued that once a child has jumped over the hurdle of the eleven plus then he or she can be called fit to be able to cope with the variety that will become available in later life. Yet the eleven plus examination may militate against some super bright children..

The Sands of Eleven Plus Time

Every now and again the question of paying reluctant eleven plus candidates to do papers comes up.

“Oh, Mother Dear, of course I will do the paper – but it will cost you!”

“Well, all right, but you can’t rush this paper. You must take your time with the questions.”

“Oh, no! You are not going to use that egg timer on me again? I hate the pressure.”

“Well, dear, you need to remember a little story.

In an hour glass the sand takes exactly an hour to empty from the top to the bottom. You usually have to take fifty minutes on a paper – but remember we are giving you an extra ten minutes to look through the paper so that you can plan your time.

We will use our other sand timer – the one that only lasts ten minutes. When the sand runs out on those ten minutes you can start. You can not start before the time – and you can not leave your desk before the sand in the hour timer has run out.”

“But mum, it is not fair. An hour is a long time. I am sure I can finish ahead of time.”

“Yes, but the sand timer was invented to allow work men to be paid for each hour that they worked. Any way if you finish early you can always watch the sand running. You will be able to see that the conical shape of the sand in the bottom glass matches the shape of the sand in the top glass.”

“No more. I will do the test for nothing. Please don’t give me more information than I need. Please just leave me to it.”

More Eleven Plus Questions

A few more questions about the eleven plus:

Will the content of the eleven plus have any bearing on the future development of bright children?

Should working towards the eleven plus examination make the child a better citizen?

Will the academic nature of the eleven plus impact on the physical development of any eleven plus children?

Will any bright eleven plus children ever be given an opportunity to show just how good they are at school work?

Does it matter than some eleven plus children have to give up many of their treasured activities in order to be able to slog through a forest of eleven plus papers?

How well equipped will most children be when they walk through the hallowed gates of a grammar school for the first time?

And now for a little aside:

If the eleven plus examination is based entirely on a spirit of competition – where the favoured few are first past the post – then should eleven plus children be expected to turn out to be co-operative when they arrive at the grammar school?

Eleven Plus Questions

Do successful eleven plus children have a certain type of personality?

Do eleven plus children, who are struggling with their work, develop an excessively social attitude?

Are eleven plus children who are under achieving become hostile and display changeable moods?

Is the mental efficiency of the eleven plus child significantly affected by his or her personality?

Are some very able children excessively obsessive?

Do girls who make friends easily achieve higher eleven plus marks than their less sociable peers?

Do mothers have more influence than fathers over eleven plus work?

Does a child centred eleven plus regime obtain higher marks than one of pressure and more pressure?

Do some eleven plus children feel superior to other children?

Do steps to reduce anxiety and emotional disturbance help children to do better on tests?

How can the detrimental elements of eleven plus teaching be reduced?

Can any child survive a truly permissive eleven plus experience?

An Eleven Plus High Flyer

Spare a thought for the Eleven Plus High Flyer.

This is an exceptionally intelligent boy or girl who has been at the top of the class thoughout junior school.

The Eleven Plus examination selects him or her for grammar school where our high flyer is put into the `A' stream and immediately meets other high flyers. Our high flyer is immediately put under pressure.

Eleven Plus Choices

Most parents would like the final choice about the school they would like their child to attend to be theirs. Unfortunately a choice of school after the eleven plus results is not always a parent’s right.

Choosing a school for an eleven plus candidate is one of the most important decisions a parent can make.

Children who pass the eleven plus do not only come from privileged parents – because successful eleven plus candidates can come from every sort of home and background.

An obvious advantage of attending a grammar school is that your child is likely to obtain good GCSE results. We have, for example, a young man joining us to work in one of our centres who has just been awarded 13 A*s. He is obviously a very bright grammar school boy. The children he works with should benefit from his obvious intelligence and ability. He will be a wonderful role model for prospective eleven plus candidates.

Grammar schools have to be able to prove to parents that they are right place for their children. Grammar schools appear to pride themselves on traditional values. Most grammar school children seem to take pride in their work. Most parents would value this very highly.

Schools with a high standard of education, good discipline and a good work ethic would attract many parents.

Good pre eleven plus preparation may help some parents make a sensible choice.

An Eleven Plus Diversion

The eleven plus examination is not all about adults imparting knowledge – sometimes children gain their revenge. A solemn faced little angel asked me today:

“Think of a four letter common noun that names a tiny animal. Now change the second letter of the noun to the next letter in the alphabet. What larger animal, also four letters long, do you come up with?”

What was I to say? I didn’t have a clue. The question was not in one of the `++++’ books or even the `****’ books. I am not sure if it was a question taken from the `&&&&’ website. Perhaps the question originated from Mrs `????’ who is very successful with her eleven plus candidates.

The beaming face before me urged me to get a clue. I was, however, clueless.

Others joined in. How nice to see a teacher humbled. The single smiling face became a sea of smiles. The suggestions started flying in. Words that were longer than four letters were immediately ridiculed. My puny efforts were mocked.

“Do you want a clue?”

“Yes please.”

“Listen to the question – what is the size of the animal?”

“Sorry – you said tiny.”

“So?”

“We are all stuck. Please help?”

“It is a tiny animal that starts with the letter `g’ and ends with a `t’.

The suggestions flooded in. The noise and the laughter grew. I still did not have a clue.

“I will have to tell you. The word is gnat.”

A voice piped up. “It can’t be a gnat because a gnat is an insect.”

Our tormentor ignored this specious advice. “And the second word is goat.”

There were cheers of joy.

Eleven Plus Re-Sits

Why can’t the OFFICIAL ELEVEN PLUS AUTHORITIES allow some children to re-sit the eleven plus?

At the GCSE stage children can re-sit an examination to improve a grade. Surely it would be relatively easy to allow some children the opportunity of a re-sit? Of course in the eleven plus experience parents have the ability to appeal an eleven plus decision. But there is no opportunity for some children to be able to be given a second chance.

The questions could come from the same bank of questions.

Some candidates could improve their marks – and thus avert an educational tragedy.

In some cases the children may have to enter as private candidates but the authorities would no doubt institute a complex set of re-sit regulations.

Changes to the Format of the Eleven Plus

I watched two thumbed texting again today – along with predictive texting. The speed and accuracy were out of this world.

Surely the present format of the eleven plus is all wrong?

Why can’t our bright eleven plus children make use of modern methods of communication?

Eleven Plus Objectives

Cognitive Objectives

After carefully reading this blog you will be able to:

Distinguish between different types of eleven plus preparation.

State the main sources of information about the eleven plus.

Give an example of good eleven plus practice.

Deliver your own opinion, based on research, to a waiting audience.

Carry out a skills analysis of what you, the rest of the family and the candidate have to do.

Summarise why you want your child to embark on the eleven plus journey.

Affective Objectives

After reading this blog the writer hopes that you:

Are aware that no one has all the answers to the many stages of the eleven plus journey.

Use your already highly structured and professional approach to the eleven plus – leaving as little to chance as possible.

Feel secure in your mind that preparation for the eleven plus is highly practical – and is not a theoretical exercise that can only be carried by `the super people’.

Eleven Plus Stars

What would happen if the writers of the `Real Eleven Plus Examination’ came out of their lofty towers and started asking questions which allowed parents to respond honestly and faithfully?

“Do you think that we are doing a good job with the Eleven Plus?”

Strongly Agree … Agree … Strongly Disagree

“Do you think that the format of the Eleven Plus in your area should be changed?”

Strongly Agree … Agree … Strongly Disagree


The questions could roll!

What would happen if there was an attempt to engage the present crop of eleven plus candidates in some form of meaningful dialogue?

“Can you think of a different method of being tested for a place in a grammar school?”

“Is it fair that some poor children can not afford a tutor? Can you think of a solution?”


Educators, test boffins, teachers, parents and children could then enjoy some form of meaningful dialogue. It would be wonderful too if there was a full bodied representation from the grammar schools who would be able to explain and articulate their needs and desires.

Some nine year old children may find the whole exercise a heavy burden. But what about the clever little thinkers? They may care to have a say in an examination where they are the stars!

Eleven Plus Writing

We have children writing the Medway Eleven Plus tests in the very near future. Part of their assessment is written English. Last year the children were asked to write a letter. Will they be presented with the same task this year?

Who wrote the first letter? We just don’t know. The Chinese and Japanese have their own set of characters. Back in ancient Egypt, India, China and Central America writing was used for record keeping. In Mesopotamia the need for records and administration reached a point where people could not remember all the transactions and, to avoid disputes, clerks began make formal records.

Some scholars think that an individual in about 3300 BC produced a form of writing that can be recognised today. It is also likely, however, that writing was the product of an evolution of skills over a long time.

This same evolution exists today. The art of texting, for example, has allowed new forms of writing and communication. A message can pass within seconds over long distances. This is a far cry from the letter borne by Pheidippides when he ran the marathon to ask for help.

Was the first actual letter a business transaction? I hope not. It does seem sad if the first letter was a record of the delivery of some pots. It would be far more romantic to have the first letter from the pen of an Eleven Plus mother.

My dear

We all wish you every good fortune in your eleven plus examinations. You will be in all our thoughts and we are all very proud of you.

We will all go out for a big party to celebrate the end of the eleven plus. We know that you have worked very hard and we salute you for the effort.

Good luck!

Love

Mum

Eleven Plus Realism

A number of new eleven plus parents will be approaching the year with a sense of purpose. Other parents may try to visualise the problems that could lie ahead. By and large most parents will have a plan. They will also be able to articulate their objectives:

By October of next year, when the results are out, my child will have secured enough marks to be able to go to the grammar school of our choice.

Some parents will try to find the most efficient way of achieving the objectives. Some may feel that efficiency is to do with achieving value for money. Others, in these difficult times, will try to be as cost effective as possible. Most parents will naturally try to set a budget.

The budget will depend on the readiness of their child to pass the examination. A child who simply needs a little work on a few papers will cost a lot less than a child who needs to work very hard towards the examinations.

Books, papers, possible lessons, downloads and courses will cross the minds of many parents. Some may feel that their child needs a full package. Others will feel secure that their child should pass with a little bit of brushing up.

Whatever the choices that are made most parents will monitor the situation on a daily basis and adopt a highly realistic approach to their children. The examination, after all is a competition. Only the best candidates will pass.

Eleven Plus Pressure

Would you believe that research some years ago showed that dominant teachers produced dominant and aggressive children?

Would you believe that integrative and accepting behaviour among teachers produced co-operative behaviour among children?

Would you believe, although I don’t know if this has ever been formally investigated, that nurturing and caring behaviour from parents would encourage their child to want to work positively towards the eleven plus?

In the traditional do’s and don’ts of eleven plus work on papers, is it possible that some eleven plus children may be able to do extraordinary work if they feel nurtured and recognised?

Where is the punch line? Try not to punch an eleven plus child with too much pressure.

The Eleven Plus and Reasoning

Deciding whether your child is ready for eleven plus work seems to depend on the experience of your child, the nature of the examination, underlying intelligence or reasoning ability and maturity.

Many years ago strong arguments took place about the effectiveness of coaching and practice. One side maintained that extra work on papers and eleven plus exercises was a complete waste of time. Other parents and educators felt that it was essential to give children the best possible chance.

Today few would argue that extra preparation could help towards providing children with the opportunities to acquire readiness for the eleven plus examination. There will always be some parents who maintain that their child was able to pass the eleven plus with remarkably little preparation. These fortunate parents, and their children, are to be envied. It is also likely that some parents may lack the ability to help their children. This could lead to bright and able children losing out to better prepared but less able children.

Eleven plus preparation, for some children, will be a series of small steps – where each processes is analysed and hopefully assimilated. Other children will relish the opportunity of being able to extend and stretch themselves without having to wait for others.

Children can be coached in how to tackle verbal and non verbal reasoning papers. They can be shown different methods of tackling questions and can be drilled with exercises. This could help some children to obtain good marks on reasoning papers. The coaching and preparation can only effective if the eleven plus examiners persist in presenting the same format of papers year after year. If the examiners looked for new ways of testing reasoning ability they may be able to develop examinations where truly bright children were identified.

Years and years ago an effective eleven plus question may have been:

If 123245678 in code is PARAMOUNT

What is 123358?

Very few candidates sitting this year’s examinations will not be able to know how to cope with this type of question. This could help to diminish elements of the eleven plus the ability to be a true examination of reasoning.

Eleven Plus Luck

Your child is working through an eleven plus paper at this very moment. A friend calls and suggests that your child should join a little group that are going out together to a local park. The park is near your house. Your child would be safe walking there – especially as the mother of the caller is going to accompany the children to the park.

“Of course, my dear. Just finish off those last few questions before you go.”

“Thank you mother. This will not take long.”

The paper was completed within a very few minutes.

“Did you guess any answers? That did not take long.”

“Oh no, Mum, I was very careful.”

Subsequent marking showed that all the answers that followed the call were wrong. A little doubt entered the mind of the long suffering mother. Had her much loved child guessed at the last few answers?

The assumption that all wrong answers were guessed may be completely wrong. Your child may have answered the questions with great care and still made mistakes. We are presuming that there were four answers from which to choose. The laws of chance would suggest that if there were twelve four point answers your child would score at least three. Sometimes your child would score more than three and on other occasions less than three. If the previous sixty questions had been answered correctly – and only the last twelve questions completed very quickly - then dark thoughts may cross your mind.

It is unlikely that if your child answered the first sixty correctly that he or she would suddenly start making mistakes on the final twelve questions. Yet it happened. One solution could be that the final twelve questions were of a type that had never been seen before.

The indubitable fact is that even if your child has missed the word `not’ at the start of the block of twelve questions the laws of chance would still have offered three correct answers.

Perhaps, and this is a perfectly acceptable conclusion, some eleven plus children are luckier than others. Some will be lucky to pass – and others pass because of luck. If your child passes I am sure you will not mind either way.

Eleven Plus Information

When parents go about gathering information about the eleven plus they are faced with a wide variety of conflicting information. On the one hand there is the bewildering amount of information on the internet and in books and papers. On the other there is the personal advice from close friends and family. The more parents satisfy one demand on their time – the more they may be inclined to be become frustrated.

Some parents may tend to organise their research into a systematic form of information gathering. Others may prefer to benefit from personal recommendation and past experience. Some parents may have been through the eleven plus themselves and others will need as much information and advice as possible.

Some of the information needs to be factual – the date and time of the examination, the number of papers and the type and range of questions. Other information may be far more subjective. Will my child and I ever be able to work together? Do I really need the services of a tutor? Will he or she ever settle down to do some eleven plus work without being reminded?

For some parents the evening of September the 15th 2010 means that it is all over. The last eleven plus examination has been written. Other parents still have a few more days or weeks of worry and concern. Yet others are just starting on the journey. They are still sifting information and opinions.

An Eleven Plus Story

A number of children in Kent will be writing their Eleven Plus English essay tomorrow. The results of the exercise are only used in the event of further evidence about a pass or fail situation.

One hundred years ago children in some English classes were asked to complete a story.

Hare Tortoise race discussion winner hare arrogant humility participants spectators audience timely plodding moral

There was little room for individual thinking. Children could demonstrate a wide vocabulary and careful punctuation. The very essence of a bright eleven year old, however, may have been stifled – the need to argue and discuss.

A ten year eleven plus candidate who can not put up a robust argument must be rare and unusual. Some of the children writing the examination tomorrow may go on to become lawyers, barristers and judges.

We hope too that at least some of the questions tomorrow will try to stimulate a bright and fertile imagination. We can only hope that some of the questions will try to inspire the children and encourage them to write with heightened visual imagery and decoration.

All we can hope is that the urgency of the eleven plus does not force some children into writing insincere and highly predicable stories or accounts.

Helping an Eleven Plus Child

As children settle down to their Eleven Plus examinations some of us parents and grandparents may be scratching our heads. It looks as if we can't do much right at all. What ever we try to do there will be a different opinion on our endevours.

A fascinating article in The Telegraph points to the advantages of early intervention. One finding was that a settled home along with more expensive equipment did help a little.

We then read a comment from the Independent talking about what holds some children back.

My father used to say: "Don't wait for a red London bus; another will come along very soon."

Eleven Plus Places

At the beginning of the twentieth England did not have an organised system of secondary education. There were grammar schools where the rich and selected poor children mingled – but the schools were called `grammar’ because of the curriculum that was taught in the schools.

Two institutions, Oxford and Cambridge, instituted local examinations for schools which had the effect of building a curriculum that could be followed by all the participating schools. There was, however, no connection between the teachers who were preparing children and the universities themselves.

All the universities had their own system of entrance test. This led to a diverse and chaotic system of examination. A central authority was introduced to try to bring order into the chaos. When children passed the `school examination’ and obtained a `school certificate’ they then had a qualification that the universities could rely on. With your school certificate you could apply to most universities.

We are preparing children for different eleven plus examinations – as there is no centralised system that looks after the concerns of children across the country. We have to prepare different courses for children in Manchester down to Kent as well for individual schools. The courses have common elements – but are not the same.

Parents, however, have to rely on their own investigations, word of mouth, the internet and advice from experienced teachers who operate to help children into grammar school. Teachers ploughing a lonely furrow with their children on a one to one basis have no input into the content of the examination.

A few selected publishers have great influence over what the eleven plus children are told to learn. Eleven plus teaching and examining functions, however, are kept separate. The prize of grammar school place is so great that parents will put up with almost anything as long as their child wins a place.

Eleven Plus Questions

We can’t blame the Eleven Plus for everything but big changes took place in England around the 1950s. Schools stopped teaching many subjects that had been part of a child’s education for many years. Teachers today do not seem to as involved in the classic subjects like Latin and Poetry. The whole tenor of the Eleven Plus would change today if elements of these two subjects were to become part of the so called eleven plus syllabus.

We know that some children are going to go on to be great explorers – these children will hear strange songs and dance to new beats. They will hear poems in other languages – sometimes with great epic stories. Other children will prefer to stay close to home and enjoy the familiar sounds and noises of their childhood.

Who is to say if the poem produced by one courageous child is better than one built up in a painstaking manner by a child who will never live more than a mile from the ancestral home? Should the poetry in the eleven plus then be about the analysis of a poem (as in the current GCSE examinations) or the form of a creative adventure?

There is a little song from Zimbabwe that may entertain. The song does not set out to be an epic. It does not try to scan. There is no need for an audit of feelings and emotions – it is simply a little song sung by some Mashona families:

Pasi Pamera Ziso

Pasi pamera ziso tururuzai wona

Wonawona ziso tururuzai wona.

Of course a multiple choice question is easier to mark and grade. Would an A Level English teacher at a grammar school, however, prefer a child who can think and create to one who arrived in the 6th form having been carefully drilled at the age of ten into answering certain types of questions?

Eleven Plus Luck

A number of children are writing their Eleven Plus tomorrow. All of us wish them good luck.

Passing the Eleven Plus

From the beginning of time individuals with superior intellect must have been regarded as being special and different. The criteria for designating people of above average ability must have changed from time to time. Factors like birth, wealth, physical stamina may well have played a part over the centuries.

The Eleven Plus was not designed as a vehicle for identifying bright children – in its infancy there was the worthy aim of identifying bright children from poor backgrounds – and supplying an education that would otherwise have been denied to them.

Today children from all walks of life have means to enter the eleven plus round. Papers, tests, tutors and anxious parents are the norm in parts of the country. The internet has played large part in opening up different approaches to how children learn and prepare for the examination.

There is still, however, a place for the truly bright child to be challenged and involved in the examination. This would be the child with the ability to sail through the eleven plus with scores over 136. A number of these lucky children must relish the opportunity of showing just how good they are.

Some parents can only hope that their children will be able to rise to the challenge of the eleven plus. Yet these children may be gifted in other areas. Being of `superior intellect’ does not necessarily mean gifted academically - but it probably helps a lot!

Passing the eleven plus today is probably the preserve of good hardworking children from good honest homes. We wish them well in their examinations!

The Eleven Plus and Food For Thought

It used to be common practice to ask a promising candidate out to dinner – or observe him or her in situations outside of the interview room. This would enable the `host’ or prospective employer to make inferences on the validity of the C.V. The dinner would also offer insight into the ability of the candidate to form relationships.

The prospective employer would also be able to observe the manner in which peas were eaten. (On the knife or off the knife.)

Did the candidate wait for grace?

Did the candidate offer to officiate at the ceremony of the grace?

Was grace deemed to be necessary?

Did the candidate sit before the host or after the host?

Was there small talk or did the conversation immediately revolve around the job and its prospects?

Did the candidate appreciate that the social situation of the dinner may be far removed from the niceties of holding down a responsible job?

Suppose that some of our eleven plus candidates were put into the same position.

Do you advise your child to order pizza – because that is the flavour of the month?

Should you suggest that your child order the fish soup – in the hope of looking genteel?

Does your child order a coke or a glass of sparking water?

Should the conversation revolve around your child’s accomplishments – or those of the interviewer?

Does your child adopt an obsequious manner – or try to dominate the conversation?

And finally:

Does your child leave three or four peas on the plate to demonstrate an appreciation of social niceties?

Last Word

Would you want your child to go to a school that wanted more than high scores on multiple choice tests?

Eleven Plus Methods

We are sometimes faced with yet another method of doing long multiplication.

“My teacher does not do it like that.”

“But Dad says I have to multiply by the number on the right.”

What would happen if yet another method was introduced?

Multiply 27 by 35.

Halve the numbers in the first column again and again. Ignore the remainders.

27
13
6
3
1

Double the numbers of the second number

35
70
140
280
560

Cross out the numbers in the second column that are opposite an even number.

The even number in the first list is 6 so the 140 of the second list is crossed out.

Add the remaining numbers.

Total = 945!

If this method is less confusing than that shown by the school then why not suggest to your child that he or she could contemplate an exploration of numbers and methods?

After all is teaching towards the eleven plus teaching a child to pass an examination or teaching a child about themselves?

Eleven Plus Potential

How can you try to maximise the potential of your eleven plus child? One way could be to treat your child as if you expect him or her to pass the examination. You could contemplate trying to instil the best possible working practices while working through papers and doing any extra eleven plus work.

Your child must view you as a strong eleven plus manager. Start the eleven plus journey as you hope your child will finish. This does not mean strict times for the work or completing a specified number of questions every day but it does mean planning and lots of motivational talks and exercises.

Try not to rely too heavily on one supplier of eleven plus materials. Look around until you find a number of different books, materials and tests. You want you child to think and reason in the examination. There is no royal road to success. Keep trying.

Keep everything neat, tidy and well organised in any work you do with your child. You may, heaven forbid, need to prove all the hard work and effort. Untidy books and scribbled on papers will not help all that much in an appeal situation.

Try to ensure that the eleven plus is part of your lives and does not take over. Allow some time off for your child to be a child and not an eleven plus automation.

A Median Eleven Plus Number

There were lots of us on the Mayor’s London Cycle Sky ride today. I was pulling a Halfords Cycle trailer with the granddaughter proudly ensconced – who was waving regally to the attendant crowds. Grandson was on his yellow machine – along with full suspension and fearsome brakes. At one time we were told that there were over eighty thousand riding the paved streets of London.

Dick Whittington would have loved to have been with us. He became the Lord Mayor of London. I am sorry to say that we did not see the present Mayor of London as we swept past the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace. I would have prized an opportunity to say thank you for the privilege of traffic free riding. I can, however, say thank you to the hundred of volunteers lining the route who made the ride such an enjoyable experience.

On the journey back my mind wandered, as it is wont to do on occasions, on how an eager eleven plus child would work out the average age of the cyclists. There was a wide spectrum of ages – with male and female seemingly equally distributed. Our eleven plus mathematician could not have approached all eighty thousand and asked their ages. He or she could, however, have selected a sample drawn over a period of time as the cyclists crossed the starting line. The prospective actuary could have closed his or her eyes and on a signal opened them to select a group of nine cyclists. Answers about the ages of a random sample of nine participants could have sought and recorded.

The ages could then be placed into rank order with the oldest at one end and the youngest at the other. The middle number of the nine would be the median age – because of the ranked order. Suppose that ten ages were obtained – because an enthusiastic member of the cycling fraternity also wanted to be entered into the calculation. The middle number would then be a number between the middle two ages.

(We saw a man on a unicycle but we were not counting wheels but ages.)

So if the question on the eleven plus paper, by chance, does not have an odd number we would need this formula.

The median of a set of N numbers which have been ranked in order is equal to the odd number in the middle. If the range of numbers is not odd, the median is half the sum of the middle two numbers.

Using this method we could have found the age of the cyclist in the very middle of the range of all eighty thousand and one cyclist. If, however, there were exactly eighty thousand some poor soul may have needed to be cut in half.

Who said the eleven plus is easy?

Eleven Plus Breakfasts

Is it possible that there could be some form of relationship between meal times and success in the eleven plus? Is a child nibbling on crisps and sucking chocolate bars more likely to less likely to want to eat meals at set and specified times? This are questions may perturb a minority. Most families will have their own rhythm and their own eating habits.

In some cases it must be a very complicated task trying to synchronise meal times in the family. Imagine having to cook special meals for the eleven plus candidate. The family, for example, may be eating a tasty roll of beef – but the eleven plus candidate is on fish brains and bananas – become some expert has found that mice react best on fish food and bananas. It is perfectly all right if the candidate likes fish – but must be a horrifying experience to watch the rest of the family tucking into a solid English meal while nibbling at desiccated fish.

We all know that breakfast in the most important meal of the day. I met an eleven plus candidate this year who stated that she never ate breakfast. Her mother explained that she too never ate in the morning. Should her mother have looked ahead when her daughter was a baby and started eating breakfasts to ensure that her daughter (when she reached ten) also wanted to break her fast? Should we believe the breakfast food manufactures when that state that we need to eat a hearty first meal of the day?

Suppose that a mother opted to provide her candidate with a `Full English Breakfast’ as a treat on the morning of the eleven plus. (Just to cheer the family up!) The breakfast food could revolve around eggs. (“Would you prefer scrambled, poached or fried?”) There could be bacon. (“How many rashers do you think you would like?) The meal could also have a little back pudding, toast, grape fruit, milk and possibly beans.

Other mothers and fathers may offer a more continental breakfast of croissants and preserves along with a cup of coffee. (It is suggested that the typical little shot of brandy that some continentals seem to prefer with their coffee may not be a good idea on the on the morning of the examination.)

And finally, the breakfast cereal, along with a slice of toast and jam or marmalade, may be a preferred offering.

Discuss the preferred menu ahead of the day – leaving you to shop, if necessary, for any unforeseen delicacies.

“Do you really want a chocolate cream egg this early in the day?”

Time and the Eleven Plus

I was asked today about time. “How do I help my child with time in the examination?”

This is a remarkably difficult question to answer. Time wears many hats and for many of us the eleven plus develops into a race against time.

It is high time that you wear your watch when you are working through eleven plus papers.

If you are not careful you may ruin out of time. Time waits for no man (or any eleven plus child).

I have told you more times than I have had hot dinners that keeping time in the examination is simply a question of managing time. “If you do not use time wisely, you may lose it!”

You may find that time is running out in the examination. Try the obvious answers.

If you are pressed for time then try to keep calm. It is no good panicking.

You may find the right answer in the nick of time. Keep trying. Do not give up.

It is just a matter of time before your tummy wobbles silence themselves – and you should start enjoying the examination.

You may find that you have to make time during the examination.

And finally – in the fullness of time your hard eleven plus work should pay off.

Eleven Plus Confidence

It is to be hoped that parents are now concentrating on trying to build confidence as the examination grows closer. I had the privilege of chatting informally to a number of children who has attended courses over the school holidays. The universal feeling was the extra work had helped to build confidence.

The film `Braveheart’ showed Mel Gibson and an army of Scots preparing to do battle with blue stripes on their faces. Other than decoration we can only imagine that the blue to there to denote sameness (rather like a school uniform), bravery and an attempt to instil fear into opponents.

The Maoris are another `tribe’ who paint their faces and perform highly ritualised dances or routines to terrify their opponents. The Hakka at the start of a New Zealand Rugby match must be intended to strike fear in the hearts of the opposing team.

I witnessed today another example of pre examination moral building. A ten year old girl had a pair of the brightest pink shoes imaginable. We were all highly impressed. She felt good – and looked good.

It may be very unwise for any eleven plus child to arrive in the examination hall with painted faces and pink shoes. Parents could, however, arrange for a little fake tattoo and a snippet of pink ribbon tied to the shoelaces. After all you have worked hard with your children, supplied tutors, papers, comfort and support. You just want your child to feel good on the day.

After dropping the pre examination children, mothers (and possibly some fathers) could paint their faces and wear a little pink. Some, however, may prefer the solace of a little pink gin or two.

“Yes please, a little sweet gin and a touch of bitters. Make that a double. Chin, chin children. Down the hatch.”

“I do feel better now.”

The Eleven Plus and Thank You

There are two little words that must surely transcend any language – namely `Thank You’.

These are the words every parent must long to hear. There must be some families where the words are rare – and in other families it is possible that the words `thank you’ are sprinkled around in a most liberal and welcome manner. It is never possible, however, to take these words for granted.

Your child has just left an eleven plus lesson. You are offered a squeeze of the hand and the words `thank you’. Sitting in the car playing with the radio and your mobile phone is all worthwhile.

You offer a new eleven plus paper and your child turns to you are says “This is exciting. Thank you. I can’t wait to pit my wits against the paper.”

The ever patient grandparent drops the eleven plus candidate off at home and hears the whispered words: “Thank you. That was great. See you next week.” The heart is full as grand parent drives happily away.

You leave the lesson and, without prompting, your child turns to the teacher and says: “Thank you.” You know that pride is a deadly sin – but you do feel proud as you, and your child, stride comfortably away.

Do you remember the poem by Robert Service?

GRAND PERE

And so when he reached my bed
The General made a stand:
"My brave young fellow," he said,
"I would shake your hand."

So I lifted my arm, the right,
With never a hand at all;
Only a stump, a sight
Fit to appal.

"Well, well. Now that's too bad!
That's sorrowful luck," he said;
"But there! You give me, my lad,
The left instead."

So from under the blanket's rim
I raised and showed him the other,
A snag as ugly and grim
As its ugly brother.

He looked at each jagged wrist;
He looked, but he did not speak;
And then he bent down and kissed
Me on either cheek.

You wonder now I don't mind
I hadn't a hand to offer. . . .
They tell me (you know I'm blind)
'Twas Grand-Père Joffre.