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“One day when they are 10 years old will have an impact on the rest of their lives...

Children are being forced to compare themselves to their peers and being labelled at an age when learning should still be fun."

Watford Mum

“No child should be put through this to get a good education...

My daughter sat three exams and was so exhausted after the third that she looked ill. I felt horribly guilty for putting her through it but felt I had no other option due to Trafford being wholly selective."

trafford mum

"My daughter couldn't start school with her friends...

My daughter is shy but has a small, close, group of friends. Her friends all passed the Kent Test but she didn't. She lost her confidence, and it was so hard starting school when all her friends were going to grammar school."

kent mother

"For many children of a broadly similar ability the exam becomes a lottery...

I have encountered many situations and outcomes that have led me to conclude that the selective system we have in Trafford is unfair. I’ve seen many very bright children not pass due to exam nerves and less able children hit lucky on the day and pass."

11+ tutor

"I can only stress how flawed the system is, and how damaging it can be to children...

A few nights before the test I had looked at the search history on my daughter's internet tablet. The last search read, “How to cope when you’re panicking about something.” A ten year-old!"

kent dad

"I feel strongly that it is not the best thing for all of our children...

It is completely against the growth mindset that we try to establish in primary that anyone can achieve anything. Children reach academic maturity at different times, the comprehensive system allows for those developments."

kent primary head

"The grammar school makes no allowances for dyslexic children...

I have a son, currently in Year Five, who is dyslexic. I know that there is simply no point even considering entering him for the grammar school entrance exam as I know he would fail, despite being above average intelligence."

trafford mother

"My daughter went to the local comprehensive and her friend went a Bucks grammar...

The grammar school girl got her predicted grades and went to her first choice Russell Group University, as did my daughter. And I am left questioning – what was the point of all that stress, pressure and divisiveness imposed on our ten year olds?"

Maidenhead mum

"The 11+ went from being an intelligence test to a how much tutoring test

I do understand the pressure to tutor. Everyone is doing it, so if you don’t you put your child at a disadvantage. Unfortunately, for most families, there is no choice – no extra money or time for tutoring."

Bucks Mum

"My daughter believed she wouldn't go to university...

My daughter failed Kent's 11+ and for years thought she wasn't smart enough to go to university. She told me this year's later, only when she got a First in Computer Science from a Russell Group university. This test should not be trusted."

KENT MUM

This site is for people to share their experiences of education in areas of England that still have grammar schools and the 11-plus.

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