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11 plus News

11 Plus News

Many news articles appear in the press relating to selective entry at 11 plus and education in general.

These articles have been selected as being relevant to parents of children aged 9 to 13 who are interested in what is happening across the UK. Contributions and comments are welcome, please write to enquires@planetbofa.com.

If you would particularly like to see the News for Northern Ireland, go to 11 plus News for Northern Ireland.

If you would like to see the News for England only, go to 11 plus News for England.

Exclusive: Primary pupils' top job choices 'are sportsperson or teacher'

TES News - 19th January 2018
One fifth of UK primary pupils aspire to be a sportsperson, while teaching is the second most popular career choice, a research project into the career aspirations of 13,000 children has revealed

Independent school fees treble but social mix is unchanged

TES News - 17th January 2018
Findings 'offer little support' for the theory that fee subsidies broaden the social mix of private schools

Pupils and teachers are cheating in greater numbers - and league tables are to blame

The Telegraph - 15th January 2018
Last year, the numbers caught cheating in GCSE and A-level exams in England was up by a quarter on the previous year, mainly through the use of ever more sophisticated technology, notably mobile phones.

Why it's time to stop worrying about the speed of the learning 'journey'

TES News - 15th January 2018
The fixation with speed threatens to undermine any focus on teaching for retention on intellectual development and reflective learning, writes one educationist

Schools failing to prepare pupils for social-media 'cliff edge'

TES News - 4th January 2018
In a new report Children's commissioner, Anne Longfield, says that the transition to secondary leaves pupils ill-equipped for the demands of a social media

'Stop giving away pens': 14 new year's resolutions for teachers

TES News - 3rd January 2018
Start the new term as you mean to go on: full of good intentions. Because, if your road leads to hell, it may as well be nicely paved...

'Not outstanding yet' - the school with a novel approach to Ofsted banners

TES News - 29th December 2017
Norfolk primary makes humorous contribution to debate about inspectorate's top grade

This constant bashing of independent schools needs to end'

TES News - 11th December 2017
It's wrong to say that independent schools simply educate the elite without a care for others, when in reality, we're part of the solution to social mobility, writes the master of Wellington College

The latest plans for free schools still aren't good enough – and here's why'

TES News - 11th December 2017
Central government and local authorities should work together to make sure that free schools are set up in areas where they are most-needed, and that they remain financially viable, writes one free schools expert

'Schools can't function without teaching assistants – but they're first in the firing line when budgets are cut'

TES News - 22nd November 2017
As school budgets are squeezed, thousands of teaching assistants are losing their jobs – we must fight to keep hold of them, writes one former head

'Clear as mud': Teachers react to KS2 writing assessment changes

TES News - 16th November 2017
Fear that changes to make writing assessments more flexible could add to confusion over standards at KS2

We need to talk about mental health more responsibly

TES 9th October 2017
The DfE’s former mental health champion calls on organisations – including schools – to join Tes and sign her Mental Health Media Charter

The latest plans for free schools still aren't good enough – and here's why'

Thursday is 'worst day of the week' for teachers

TES 28th september 2017
Build up of pressure and deadlines could be behind teachers recording lowest mood on Thursdays

Teachers fear compulsory extended school days would damage pupils' family life

TES - 3rd August 2017
DfE-commissioned report also finds pupils fear extended school day would reduce range of activities they take part in

Ethnically mixed schools create more positive attitudes, DfE research finds

TES News - 1st August 2017
Research into secondary schools in Oldham finds White-British and Asian-British pupils have more positive views about each other at ethnically mixed schools than those taught in segregated institutions

GCSE and A-level grade boundaries' publication delayed to prevent pupil panic

TES News - 31st July 2017
Concerns about the anxiety expressed by students online after the publication last year prompt action from exam boards

Almost three-quarters of public think teachers work too hard, survey shows

TES News - 24th July 2017
Seventy-one per cent believe that workload and workplace pressures are forcing teachers out of the profession

Moving to big school: 'If you find it hard at first, don't panic'

The Guardian - 18th July 2017
They will miss their friends and are worried about getting lost. We talk to year 6s starting big school after the summer and year 7s who say there is no need to fear

Sats: 'It's heartbreaking telling children who have worked their socks off that they're not at the expected standard'

TES News - 5th July 2017
Sadly, not all pupils will find that their hard work has paid off. I just hope they can see the bigger picture – there is more to them than a test result, writes one teacher

Young people are striving to achieve educational equality, but politicians are not listening. Why?'

TES News - 28th June 2017
There are so many challenges in taking on educational inequality, but a good starting point would be recognising the voluntary work of many young activists

'Trump' is children's word of the year, analysis shows

TES News - 15th June 2017
Pupils think the word is trumpwinningtastically versatile

The government needs to forget grammar schools and focus on funding'

TES News - 14th June 2017
Speculation about the new government is rife, but the challenges facing our education system remain the same – funding needs to be urgently addressed, writes the executive director of the Education Policy Institute

Would any parent really volunteer their kids to be grammar school guinea pigs?'

TES News - 13th June 2017
Plans for rolling out selective education around the country are likely to be put on hold – but some say the idea could still be piloted. If that does happen, it probably won't be an attractive proposition either for primary schools or parents, says one worried parent

More 'modest' pilot of new grammar schools could be on the table, says Tory MP

TES News - 11th June 2017
Influential MP Graham Brady says he thinks grammar schools could secure support from Labour MPs

Too often, headteachers don't practise what they preach'

TES News - 7th June 2017
School leaders need to model good teaching and embed the core values of the school in everything they do, says this headteacher

Sats: Jump in marks needed for seven-year-olds to reach expected standard in reading

TES News - 5th June 2017
Conversion tables showing how many marks are needed to reach the expected level in each subject are being emailed to schools today

Police urge parents to have a cyber safe talk with kids

The Daily Telegraph - 5th June 2017
Parents are being urged to have a “cyber safety talk” with their children and issue a “user contract” before buying their youngster a mobile phone.

The politician who took a Sats test: ‘I felt the anxiety of being tested – it’s time to abolish Sats’

TES News - 31st May 2017
The co-leader of the Green Party reflects on the stress introduced into the school system by key stage 2 Sats

Disadvantaged kids need an education system with children at its heart – not grammar schools'

TES News - 25th May 2017
As budgets get squeezed further, one former headteacher outlines the core elements that are most likely to enable disadvantaged pupils to succeed

CSSE 11+ Examination Registration Now Open

CSSE News - 22nd May 2017
Registration is now open for the CSSE 11+ examinations.

Six reasons why every primary school needs to embrace non-fiction

TES News - 17th May 2017
We often encourage our students to read more fiction, but non-fiction can be just as important, argues one teacher

Three-quarters of primary teachers feel under pressure to work when ill

TES News - 15th May 2017
Most UK primary teachers put in hours of overtime, often at evenings and during the holidays, survey shows

Diary of Sats Week: It all started with a Special Sats Breakfast served with a slice of fear and a mug of uncertainty...

TES News - 12th May 2017
...one sick child, a loss in the spelling sweepstake and several grammar chants later, Sats Week is over, writes one primary headteacher

Grammar schools must serve 'ordinary families'

BBC News - 13 April 2017
Education Secretary Justine Greening wants England's schools, including a new generation of grammars, to do more to help "ordinary working families".

'For the first time in a long time, we can now say we're reducing the amount of high-stakes primary testing'

TES News - 30 March 2017
We've had troubling few years on primary testing, but the news today suggests we might finally be making some progress, argues one heads' leader

Cross-party alliance takes on Theresa May over grammar schools

The Guardian - 18 March 2017
Theresa May’s personal crusade to expand the number of grammar schools is in serious jeopardy today as senior Tory, Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs unite in an unprecedented cross-party campaign to kill off the prime minister’s flagship education reform.

'I looked inside the belly of the right-wing pro-grammar school beast. It wasn't pretty'

TES News - 15 March 2017
It's easy to forget that there's a whole raft of campaigners out there passionately arguing for more grammar schools. And they're ok with trampling all over comprehensive education while they do it, writes TES's head of content

'If Primary Rocks is about one thing, it's about asking yourself if there's a better way to teach something'

TES News - 14 March 2017
Primary classroom teachers will come together at the #PrimaryRocks event in Manchester this weekend to share best practice – and enjoy a few laughs

Budget: Government finds half a billion for free schools - and kickstarts the grammar revolution

TES News - 7 March 2017
Treasury makes announcement ahead of Wednesday's Budget

Four in five top-performing comprehensive schools are 'socially selective'

TES News - 1 March 2017
On national secondary school offer day, the Sutton Trust social mobility charity urges schools to change admissions procedures to ensure they take in more disadvantaged pupils

School spending set for biggest fall in 30 years

TES News - 27 February 2017
The cuts are likely to worsen teaching recruitment problems, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies

Grammar schools should lower entrance exam mark for poorer pupils to stop middle classes dominating, select committee chair says

Yahoo News - 14 February 2017
Grammar schools should lower their entrance exam mark for poorer pupils to stop middle classes dominating, the chair of the education select committee has said.

'The long shadow of the grammar school curriculum has so far seen off all comers'

TES News - 5 February 2017
Grammar schools continue to define the terms of debate around the very purpose of secondary education, writes one leading educationist

Primary school encourages pupils to wear slippers in class

The Guardian - 1 February 2017
Children at an East Midlands primary school are being encouraged to wear slippers in class.

Grammars reach out to parents in response to funding crisis

Local News Times - 1 February 2017
Parents whose children attend grammar schools may soon be asked for more financial contributions, as heads look to alleviate cuts to funding.

Tests for sale makes a mockery of selection

Schools Week - 20 January 2017
Where, exactly, is the line of “this has gone too far”? That’s a question teachers have to consider almost constantly.

Secondary school league tables 2016: Grammar school children excel while comprehensives fall behind, figures show

The Telegraph - 19 January 2017
Grammar schools allow children to achieve their potential, new Government figures reveal, while the brightest 150,000 state school children do not excel at comprehensives.

Consider scrapping KS2 teacher-marked writing tests, says Ofsted director

Schools Week - 18 January
The government should consider scrapping teacher assessments of writing at key stage 2, a senior Ofsted official has said.

'To improve schools, we need funding – not just wishful thinking'

TES News - 15 January 2017
The size of cuts to education funding this year will scupper any chance of delivering caring, sharing services, writes this veteran journalist

Grammar schools offer ‘pitifully few’ places to poorer children

The Guardian - 7 January 2017
Selection is no driver of social mobility, according to analysis of 2016 data

Government launches pro-grammar schools ‘campaign’ just days after official consultation closes

Schools Week - 20 December 2016
The government is seeking the backing of its own party members and supporters for a ‘campaign’ in favour of new grammar schools, just over a week after an official consultation on the plans closed.

Private school or grammar school: Where should we send our son?

The Telegraph - 14 December 2016
Academically rigorous yet without the £10,000 per year fees, grammar schools have made their fair share of headlines recently as the Government considers plans to allow more to open.

'If we get employer mentoring right, it can stop teenagers disengaging from education'

TES News - 28 November 2016
Disengagement in the early teenage years sends the lives of many young people off track, but employer mentoring can have a transformative effect, writes one careers company chief executive

Grammars: ‘We must concentrate on what happens in classrooms, not the label on the school gate’

TES News - 26 November 2016
Curriculum, rather than school type is what determines successful outcomes for pupils, argues one academy chain head of research

Selection is a distraction: curriculum is where it’s at

TES News - 25 November 2016
Historical data shows that it’s not school type, but the subjects studied at different institutions that explains the success of grammar pupils in later life

"Children who do no pass Trafford’s selective exams are not classed as failures"

Messenger News - 21 November 2016
I am sorry that Kate Green MP, in her response to me, cannot bring herself to acknowledge the contribution that our grammar schools specifically bring to ...

Schools lack guidance on how to handle pupil exclusions

Schools Week - 18 November
Guidance on pupil exclusions originally published in December 2014 and set for implementation in January 2015 was pulled from the government webpage in February on the grounds of “issues with process” – but has yet to be replaced 23 months later.

Grammars will make social mobility problem 'worse', report says

TES News - 16 November
Government should 'rethink' grammar school policy, which it brands a 'distraction'

Education ‘not good enough’ for nearly 80,000 NI pupils

ITV News - 16 November
Nearly 80,000 children in primary and secondary schools across Northern Ireland are not getting a good enough education, according to the Chief Inspector’s latest report.

These are the Tonbridge and Malling primary schools where pupils are most likely to pass the 11-plus

Kent Live News - 14 November 2016
Tunbury Primary School's pupils were Tonbridge and Malling's most successful at getting through last year's 11-plus.

Grammar schools: at least 17 have applied to expand in the past four years

TES News - 14 November 2016
Grammars were pushing to expand even before Theresa May announced plans to open more, new research shows

Transfer test: Thousands of P7 pupils sit exams

BBC News - 12 November 2016
Thousands of P7 pupils have taken the first of this year's transfer tests.

A peek behind the curtain to the future of selection

TES News - 4 November 2016
With more grammars planned, we visit a Kent primary to experience the highs and lows of 11-plus results day

Do universities favour grammar or state school pupils?

The Telegraph - 3 November 2016
Evidence of the effectiveness and viability of grammar schools has been used on both sides ...

Grammar schools 'could help' Knowlsey standards, report argues

BBC News - 31 Oct 2016
Introducing grammar schools could help turn around England's worst performing local education authority, an independent report has concluded.

Grammars 'can transform white working class areas'

The Daily Mail - 31 Oct 2016
New grammar schools have the power to turn around chronic underperformance by white working class pupils, according to a report ...

The only thing that makes grammars elitist is the fact that state schools don’t prepare pupils for the 11-plus

The Independent - 18 Oct 2016
We had the means – and the will – for our child to take and pass that test. So we got behind her. What about the children who don’t have that?

BBC finds nearly half of grammar schools help poor children

The Daily Mail - 19 Oct 2016
Almost half of grammar schools now prioritise poor pupils in admissions and some reserve up to a quarter of places for the least privileged, new research shows.

Ofsted chief slams Theresa May’s ‘obsession’ with grammar schools

The Guardian - 16 Oct 2016
Theresa May should stop “obsessing” about grammar schools and order a massive expansion of vocational education to address skills ...

Theresa May: Grammar schools do not leave poor children behind – it makes them do better

The Independent-4 Oct 2016
Theresa May has brushed aside claims that grammar schools could damage less gifted children's education, instead arguing that they make ...

Shami Chakrabarti says grammar schools enforce segregation

The Guardian-9 Oct 2016
The shadow attorney general, Shami Chakrabarti, has said she opposes grammar schools because they enforce segregation, as she defended ...

Academy boss on his doubts about creating new grammars

BBC News-30 Sep 2016
Academy boss on his doubts about creating new grammar schools... says creating more grammar schools will do little to raise standards.

Grammar schools could be reintroduced through the back door, campaigners warn

Friday 30 September 2016
Ministers have been accused of paving the way for more selective schools through the back door, skirting around what would be a risky vote in ...

Grammar schools will not be in every town, says Theresa May

2 October 2016 - BBC News
The plan to lift the ban on grammar schools is not about reintroducing them to every town and city in England, Prime Minister Theresa May has ...

Could Jeremy Corbyn's passionate opposition to grammars be a ...

ES News-28 Sep 2016
So, good news for opponents of the government's Green Paper on schools? ... of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition would stop banging on about grammar schools.

Will prep school increase my son's chances of getting a place at a ...

Telegraph.co.uk-28 Sep 2016
It's no surprise that one of the main arguments against grammar schools is that they don't always succeed in recruiting a balance of students from all ...

Grammar schools debate: eight key questions and answers

Norfolk Eastern Daily Press-21 Sep 2016
As parents, councils, schools, academy chains, private schools and universities assess what it means, we answer some of the key questions.

More Grammar schools will "widen division"

ITV News-22 Sep 2016
Creating more grammar schools could lead to a bigger gap between rich and poor, according to a new report. The warnings come ahead of the ...

Grammar schools might be a leg up for working-class children

The Guardian-16 Sep 2016
If grammar schools are merely colonised by the middle classes looking for a cheap alternative to the even more unfair option of private schools, ...

Can grammar schools ever be 'inclusive'?

The Guardian-8 Sep 2016
But is it possible to create “inclusive” grammar schools when the objective of selective education is to separate children by ability?

Independent schools could help government set up new grammar ...

TES News-27 Sep 2016
Headteachers from leading independent schools have offered to help the government set up new grammar schools in England's most deprived ...

Investigation into 11-plus 'exam leak' in Plymouth

BBC News-24 Sep 2016
An investigation has been launched following claims some schoolchildren had already seen an 11-plus exam paper before taking the test.

?Investigation launched after Plymouth tutor allegedly gave 11 Plus ...

Plymouth Herald-23 Sep 2016
An investigation has been launched following claims some children battling it out for a place at the city's grammar schools were given a copy of ...

Chamber condemns plan to drop maths from 11-plus‎

'The Year 7 Sats resits represent an unintentional return to the 11-plus'

TES News-29 Feb 2016
Today, parents discover if they have got their children into the secondary school of their choice. But the early days of the transition to secondary school could be ...

'How do I choose the right 11-plus tutor?'

Telegraph.co.uk-24 Feb 2016
Responding to this demand, agencies and private tutors have flooded the market; promising to give children the best chances of passing the 11-plus entrance ...

Birmingham grammar school pupils score the city's best A-levels

Birmingham Mail-12 Feb 2016
... 'Opening Doors', the chain works with primary schools in deprived areas – inviting them to put forward “gifted” pupils who they believe could pass the 11-plus.

Action over Kent grammar schools 'social mobility'

BBC News-12 Feb 2016
... in primary schools to bring children from poor households to a level where they could face the Kent Test - the county's selective 11-plus - "with confidence".

'Should I pay for prep school or tutoring?'

Telegraph.co.uk-10 Feb 2016
Most prep schools are expert in preparing children for the common entrance examinations at 11-plus or 13-plus, which are required by many (but not all) ...

Catholic schools warned to stop preparing children for 11-plus

the Irish News-10 Feb 2016
CATHOLIC school chiefs have warned principals to stop supporting academic selection by preparing children for 11-plus tests. The Council for Catholic ...

11 Plus in Guernsey: Call to delay scrapping decision

BBC News-10 Feb 2016
A decision on scrapping Guernsey's 11 Plus system may be delayed by a year. The Education Department has suggested the selective system ends in 2019 to ...

Academic challenges adults to take the 'daunting' grammar test ...

Daily Mail-10 Feb 2016
A leading voice in education has asked adults to see how they fare with tricky grammar questions that schoolchildren as young as 11 face. Dr Mary Bousted …

Time to fix the imbalance in education

Nation News-17 Aug 2015
If only a fraction of the public acclaim offered those who excel at 11-Plus, then at CSEC, and for the Barbados Scholarships and Exhibitions winners is showered ...

Real Schools Guide 2015: Birmingham's best schools are revealed

Birmingham Mail-7 Aug 2015
All schools in the top five are selective schools, which only accepts pupils who have passed the tough 11-plus entrance exam. To find out how your secondary ...

Are you smarter than a 10-year-old? Take 11-plus questions from ...

Gazette-5 Aug 2015
2) A motorist leaves home at 10.15am and drives at 32 miles per hour. He stops for lunch from noon to 1.45pm and then continues his journey at 30 miles per ...

Why are parents obsessed with the 11-plus and does failing affect ...

Echo-5 Aug 2015
The 11-plus or 'transfer test' as it was called, was introduced in 1944 to determine which type of school students should attend after primary education: a ...

Rise in 11-plus pass rate for Southend children

Maldon and Burnham Standard-5 Aug 2015
Southend Council launched a seven-point plan to improve 11-plus pass rates last April after the Echo exposed the town's children were losing out to pupils from ...

Boundless stamina and lashings of paranoia: how to Tiger-proof ...

Evening Standard-4 Aug 2015
Similarly, there is no period which cannot now be described as exam-free, so the eight-year olds are on verbal reasoning exercises to prep for the 11-plus while ...

Grammar schools are top state performers, Trinity Mirror research ...

BBC News-2 Aug 2015
About 5% of those analysed are grammar schools, which select pupils based on the 11-plus test. The teachers union, the NUT, said selective schools were ...

The Great Grammar School Debate - a case made for abolishing ...

Sevenoaks Chronicle-2 Aug 2015
My children, through their parents' choice, were afforded a huge advantage when it came to taking the 11-plus and securing grammar school places. We moved ...

Join the great 'abolish grammar schools' debate sparked by dad-of ...

Kent and Sussex Courier-1 Aug 2015
Dad-of-three Hugo Pound has detonated a discussion bomb after saying grammar schools should be abolished. He said the 11-plus system was not valid, ...

New Kent 11-plus 'has little impact' on pass rate

BBC News-29 Jul 2015
The new 11-plus test was changed following concerns about wealthier families paying for coaching, giving their children a perceived better chance of getting ...

How to get poor pupils into the best state schools? Smash the glass ...

The Guardian-2 Jul 2015
... apparently, when the bigger cars roll up to the gate, to spot personal tutors in the back, pushing their 10-year-old charges through one last 11-plus test paper.

Birmingham's two-tier grammar schools entrance plan wins support

The Independent-26 Mar 2015
Five state grammar schools in Birmingham run by the Schools of King Edward VI foundation have set a lower qualification score in their 11-plus tests for children ...

If only every state grammar school would try to level their admissions ...

The Independent-25 Mar 2015
Private tutors specialising in cramming children through the 11-plus examination now have waiting lists of over a year, thanks to the anxieties of middle England.

11+ Debate Before Funding Debate?

Island FM-25 Mar 2015
That has created further uncertainty over the future of the 11Plus as some deputies say that debate should come before any decision on funding the rebuild of La ...

Guernsey 'should have three secondary schools'

ITV News-23 Mar 2015
All of this would involved scrapping the 11-plus. Mr Mulkerrin's views come as a review is released warning that Guernsey secondary schools are too small.

Ukip's education policies: you ask the questions

The Guardian-17 Mar 2015
We would also modify the idea of the 11-plus so that it would not be based solely on an examination but on attainment throughout the year as well, so coaching ...

Free school bid sparks concern from Rugby candidate

Rugby Observer-13 Mar 2015
By Andy Morris Wednesday 11 March 2015 Updated: 13/03 09:49 ... to offer extra tuition for those preparing for the 11 Plus or common entrance examinations.

Pupils caught in middle of drive to expand Kent's grammar schools

The Guardian-6 Mar 2015
At the Eleven Plus Academy, parents pay £23 for weekly classes of 90 ... from France where most children go to their local school and the 11+ doesn't exist.

Judge issues injunction banning website from putting Warwickshire ...

Coventry Telegraph-4 Mar 2015
Warwickshire County Council has been successful in banning the website from reporting questions used in the county's Eleven Plus Test, ...

Doubt cast over 11-plus exams

The Times (subscription)-4 Mar 2015
The brightest pupils who failed the 11-plus got higher GCSE grades in English ... Children who scrape a pass in the 11-plus grammar school test achieve worse ...

Pupils who fail 11-plus outperform grammar school peers

TES News-3 Mar 2015
Researchers say their findings, released exclusively to TES, illustrate problems with the 11-plus grammar school entrance test, and show that ...

Claims school application system 'not working' as half a million 11 ...

ITV News-2 Mar 2015
Tens of thousands of 11-year-olds across the East Midlands found out where they'd ... it's a good opportunity for him and he's worked hard to get his eleven plus.

Non-Bucks children are 'elbowing' the county's students out of ...

Bucks Free Press-27 Jan 2015
“Let me say clearly and unequivocally that the 11 Plus is unfair and disadvantages children from state schools, ethnic minorities and poorer families. There is no ...

Nearly 100 empty Year 7 places in Buckinghamshire grammar ...

Bucks Free Press-26 Jan 2015
... county's children lost out on places in 2014 was the large increase in the number of non-Bucks children sitting and passing the new, revamped 11 Plus exam, ...

Grammars are a class issue

Express.co.uk-16 Nov 2014
We would have to revisit the single-shot finality of the 11-plus exams and we must prevent grammar schools from becoming the preserve of the wealthy.

King's College School welcomes primary state pupils in bursary ...

Your Local Guardian-14 Jan 2015
Andrew Halls, the headmaster said: "The narrowness of the existing 11 plus entry point into our junior school makes it very hard for our school to give a fair ...

We need to fight to improve education for Salford boys

Manchester Evening News-10 Jan 2015
How can a child expect to do well if his parents are numpties and he is surrounded by other numpties in his class? The answer was of course the 11 plus which ...

Revealed: The best Sevenoaks primaries for grammar school entry

Sevenoaks Chronicle-10 Jan 2015
The Chronicle can reveal the primary schools with the highest 11-plus hit rate. Ide Hill Primary School had a 100 per cent success rate after all eight pupils who ...

Northern Ireland's academic selection put to test

Belfast Telegraph-6 Jan 2015
When the 11-plus was abolished by Sinn Fein, without any alternative being put in place, Northern Ireland was facing the threat of the imposition of a ...

Parents back the transfer test system Education Minister John O ...

Belfast Telegraph-5 Jan 2015
The informal transfer tests currently being used sprung up after the abolition of the 11-plus which grammar schools used to select pupils based on their ability.

The case against grammar schools

Conservative Home-10 Dec 2014
The then Shadow Education Secretary went on to argue that changes in family structure now ensure that the 11 plus is no longer capable of fairly identifying ...

Is this campaign the kiss of death for grammar schools?

The Guardian-8 Dec 2014
Recent efforts to improve the 11-plus exam and make it fairer seemed to backfire. “Parents are shocked when we show them the evidence,” she says.

First new grammar school for 50 years likely to win approval T

elegraph.co.uk-7 Dec 2014
... far resisted calls to repeal a ban on the opening of new grammar schools, which select pupils on the basis of their academic ability through the “11-plus” exam.

11 Plus Tutors in Essex are experiencing a surge in Demand ...

Digital Journal-5 Dec 2014
The 11 Plus Essex Team is a small team of highly qualified, experienced teachers who specialise in working with the more able student. On their about page, ...

Tutor-proof tests reduce diversity in grammars

The Times (subscription)-5 Dec 2014
New “tutor-proof” tests for the 11-plus exam have reduced the number of poor and ethnic-minority pupils getting into grammar schools, a report claims.

Tory MPs resurrect grammar school 'albatross'

Financial Times-5 Dec 2014
Enthusiasts for these schools — which filter applicants according to results in an “11-plus” test of writing, maths and problem-solving taken at the age of 11 ...

What should we do with private schools?

The Guardian-5 Dec 2014
In short, the strongly pro-comprehensive Hattersley was arguing in 1980, that the postwar mechanism of 11-plus and grammar schools, for that minority fortunate ...

11-Plus meetings start next week

Nation News-5 Dec 2014
THE FIRST IN a series of town hall meetings on the Barbados Secondary Schools' Entrance Examination (BSSEE) will begin next Wednesday, December 10.

If you wear Primark to posh events and can pronounce ennui, you've ...

The Guardian-5 Dec 2014
You now laugh heartily along with these conversations and make contingency plans for what happens if Tarquin doesn't pass the 11-plus because his ...

Does 'tutor-proof' 11-plus let down the disadvantaged?

TES News-5 Dec 2014
A “tutor-proof” 11-plus test has failed to improve the likelihood of poor and ethnic minority pupils being accepted to grammar schools, a report claims.

More grammar schools 'will increase social mobility', Conservative ...

TES News-4 Dec 2014
"You hear people saying, 'I went to grammar school and I did well', but you never hear people saying, 'I failed the 11-plus and it was the best thing that ever ...

Leading Tories call for more grammar schools pledge in next ...

Telegraph.co.uk-29 Nov 2014
... far resisted calls to repeal a ban on the opening of new grammar schools, which select pupils on the basis of their academic ability through the “11-plus” exam.

Wycombe Labour criticises 'damaging' effect revamped 11 Plus ...

Bucks Free Press-28 Nov 2014
Wycombe's Labour group has lambasted the revamped 11 Plus exam as being “damaging” to pupils after figures reveal a disparity between pupils from ...

Argument against 11-plus system is flawed

Yorkshire Post-26 Nov 2014
The ones who did well at county schools got a second chance at 13 years of age to sit the 11-plus again and a good number joined Hipperholme after half term ...

BYGONES: 11-plus results led to hostility and jealousy and split ...

Derby Telegraph-24 Nov 2014
It definitely split friendships and there was a lot of jealousy and also hostility from parents who felt that their daughter/son should have passed the 11-plus, too.

The Guardian view on Ofsted's reports: exam results are not the only ...

The Guardian-23 Nov 2014
'For years schools were allowed to believe exam results and league tables would be the principle criteria on which they are judged.'

Letters round-up: Grammar schools must cater for Buckinghamshire ...

Bucks Herald-21 Nov 2014
Once again the statistics of 11-plus results demonstrate that the 11-plus system is heavily biased towards those with the financial wherewithal to attend an ...

MP calls for urgent action over Vale's 11-plus results

Bucks Herald-21 Nov 2014
Aylesbury MP David Lidington is concerned by Vale pupils' low pass rate in the 11-plus and says that in an ideal world children would not take the test until the ...

Grammar heads defend 11-plus exam as campaigner demands ...

Bucks Herald-21 Nov 2014
Grammar schools must act on clear evidence that the 11-plus exam disadvantages children from poorer backgrounds, according to a campaigner who spoke at ..

Grammar schools 'offer little advantage'

The Times (subscription)-21 Nov 2014
... attended leading universities, this pattern is believed to be as a result of their academic ability prior to sitting the 11-plus exams and their family background, ...

Buckinghamshire County Council education chiefs to look over results of 11 plus ...

Bucks Free Press - ‎Nov 19, 2014‎
AN ANALYSIS of the most recent 11 Plus test results is to take place at County Hall this afternoon. Grammar school headteachers are to discuss the results of the most recent tests with members of Buckinghamshire County Council's Education, Skills and ...