Misery before an Eleven Plus examination.

I wonder how many children retuned to school feeling unhappy and miserable? I wonder too just how long the misery lasted.

When I was a housemaster with a boarding element of around 140 boarders I used to watch the children being dropped off by their parents. The families would arrive in a variety of cars, trucks and lorries.

Very occasionally a family would arrive in a `best car’ – but usually in a car that looked well used. As the children arrived they had to report in on the duty manager or the house master. Most of the ten and eleven year olds were blasé about being dropped off – but I did feel sorry for some of the seven year olds.

Think of the tears of the parents – and their children – as the parents had to leave their much loved seven year olds for a few weeks of boarding school. Children and adults do grow up - thank goodness.

You may feel an element of loss as your child enters the Eleven Plus examination room without as much as a backward look.

So rehearse arriving out side the projected examination room just about on time. Rehearse too standing there with dry eyes you push your child towards the exmination room. Try to be as matter of fact as possible. Try not to have any tears in your eyes – as you might get into the habit

Think about the Eleven Plus examinations as a simple rite of package. The examinations have to be endured. The children have to write the examinations. You have to wait for the results.

If all concerned in the family pull together, just for the foreseeable future, then saying good bye in a cheerful and positive manner could really help your child.