There would be no need for an outcry if a parent took his or her Eleven Plus child to the Science Museum to stand and look at this exhibit. It would be easy to initiate a discussion on how and when the skull was cracked open. The family could openly discuss if the injury to the head was caused by an accident, a crime or in battle. A full debate could take place on the type of weapon used and how hard the blow was struck.



If the same material was used in an Eleven Plus teaching aid then there could be `letters to the Editor’, complaints to the publishers and downright condemnation of the author and the Eleven Plus tutor.

The grisly image may, however, remain in the mind much longer, and make a more sustained impact, than a verbal reasoning question along the lines of:

FINGER is to H____ as T___ is to FOOT.

An Eleven Plus child should be stimulated, encouraged and enriched. Working on a boring eleven plus exercise will help your child to pass the examination. Surely your child deserves more? Perhaps as parents and teachers we need to demand that a fresh look is taken at the content of the examination.