LVS Ascot principal urges parents to think carefully as countdown begins to 11-plus exam deadlines

With the registration window for grammar school places opening earlier this month, and a deadline for completed applications in late June or early July in most cases, this is a crucial period for parents with aspirations for their children to gain grammar school places through the 11-plus exam. LVS Ascot principal Christine Cunniffe offers advice to parents considering whether their child should apply for the exam

It’s that time of year again for parents to register their child for the 11-plus exam in Slough and Berkshire. Nationally, there are 164 grammar schools and the competition for places is historically tough. The Slough Grammar Schools – Herschel, Slough and Langley Grammar Schools, as well as St Bernard’s Grammar School – are over-subscribed with, on average, ten applicants for every place. This is a period of frantic uncertainty for many parents and pupils and can be extremely stressful for all involved. In many cases too stressful.

The 11-plus exam consists of tests on verbal, numerical and non-verbal reasoning and may vary across the country. Can you prepare your child for the tests? The answer is yes, and that’s why there is a plethora of businesses offering intensive tuition services – it’s big business with tutors charging anywhere up to £60 per hour. You can practise tests to become familiar with how to answer the questions, which obviously helps; but are you setting your child up for a fall and a stressful summer of cramming in which they could instead be learning whilst enjoying their freedom?

I studied religiously to gain a place at one of the country’s leading grammar schools but when I got there, I realised the time should have been spent on perfecting my maths and English grammar, reading books, exploring history, the great outdoors and more sporting activities, never mind a modern foreign language. It was not the right setting for me, and my light went out, my confidence and self-esteem plummeted, and the result was a very unhappy and underachieving child. Having worked in a state grammar school myself for seven years, I saw this scenario first hand far too often. Luckily, my mother realised to her credit what it was doing to me and challenged the local education authority to find me a more suitable school. The rest is history.

I fully empathise with parents. I have three children and we naturally want the best for our children: a school where good discipline is maintained, traditional values of respect and hard work are upheld and there is access to a broad and a balanced curriculum. Of course, if the government addressed its failing systems – including the constant cuts it imposes on its schools, ministers who don’t stay in post long enough to make real impact, and the expensive and inappropriate changes to the exam system – our children might be more prepared for the future.

With the use of technology reducing concentration spans, when children are learning so much outside the classroom at a tremendous pace and embracing their own learning styles, why do we make children sit two- to three-hour exams with pen and paper? As a country we should be able to provide a first-class education for all children, a fully inclusive broad and balanced curriculum, vibrant extracurricular activities and a safe and healthy environment to bring up our children in a very challenging and fast changing world.

You must look at your options carefully – it’s tough but our children are the most precious things and they need to flourish in the right environment. Make good choices for them – not for yourself – and ask yourself this question: should they suffer the stress of entrance exams so early in their education?