The Eleven Plus Scene

It is not hard to be tempted to be pessimistic about the future of the Eleven Plus. It does not look as if there has been any new research in recent years. The Eleven Plus was an innovation fifty years ago – but since then the number of grammar schools has declined and the nature and content of tests seemed to have changed little.

There must have been slow and significant progress – but it hard to capture the essence of change.

The internet has allowed new techniques – but there does not seem to have been much research into the impact of recent change on the examination.

The Eleven Plus scene, however, is not one of failure or disappointment – far from this.

Parents are always eternally optimistic about their children. Parents who are `in the loop’ are also positive about the value of grammar schools and grammar school education.

We will only be able to feel a little more complacent when more work has been done on the actual nature and content of future eleven plus tests.