General Chat

We were both lucky then as I think going to an all girls' school is still better than a mixed. -JLe

Hi to Amokavid
..........No I don't think you were moaning,lol, if your d.o.b is correct then you are one of the strong silent Capricorns but if there was a bike involved in your exams then that would colour your view. - J

best of luck! (that's for you Julie) I'm sure you're daughter won't need it :)

Son, now in YR11 comp wanted to go with his friends to our local comp so wouldnt have wanted to take some of the entrance exams required for some of the schools in our booklet even though hes very bright. & I'm 100% he would have passed with flying colours.

Daughter has just started yr in the same comp. happy to go there too.

Good luck to your daughter, what will be, will be.& she can as you know, only do her best.

I'm sure she'll shine whatever school is lucky to enroll her x

Hi Julie,
Wasn't slamming what your daughters doing - I wish her all the luck in the world.
I was slamming the education system foisted upon us by MP's - the majority of whom went to private schools, who have absolutely no idea what state education is like!

I don't usually moan on these boards but the old chestnut about not being 11 when certain children took their exams used to wind me up over 50 years ago when some parents used to whinge on about it then. For crying out loud if children haven't had time to catch up between being 5 years old and 10years old, with the rest of the class well tough and I am not talking about the child who genuinely struggles. I was in a class of 50 children we all passed but we were never allowed to talk, we moved class positions every Friday afternoon, depending on the result of every test during the week and we also had children who had birthdays in December and were nearly 11 months younger than the ones who were born in January... I'm not saying which system is better but there will always be a difference in age when taking exams-rant over- J

I wish your daughter all the luck in the world Julie, but can I just add that a friend of my daughter failed her 11+ in 1995, and went on to get her master's degree at the LSE. Que sera sera :)

So should my daughter be slammed for sitting it

I remember a few years back when a few of us were going through this with our older children & the support we gave & got was amazing......Evidently that is to be no more

I'm also amazed!
Grammar schools - and the secondary and Technical shools that went with them - were abolished as they were considered 'elitist', and it wasn't (apparently) fair for children who failed the 11+.
Soooo comprehensive schools came in - equal education for all etc.
Only this 'education for all' gradually became less for 'all' and many schools started to believe they were 'as good' as Grammar schools.

They conveniently forgot the ethos of the Comprehensive school, league tables were the final nail in the coffin.
The non-academic child now has 7 years of sheer misery where they are told (in some form or another) every day that they are failures!
The final slap in the face comes when they aren't allowed to take their exams - as they aren't likely to get the grades the school expects/wants and will lower the school's status on the League table.

In the post today came the letter that my Daughter sits the test ( 11+ ) next Saturday.

Is she nervous, she told me she isn't.......but i sure am lol