Eleven Plus Re-Sit

Your child sits an eleven plus test. On the day of the test there is unseasonable tornado. (We do get tornados!)

Part of the roof of the entrance hall is blown away. There is a loud noise but the room your child is working in is not affected. Outside the window the eleven plus candidates can see ambulances and fire engines arriving. There is no damage, however, in the sanctum of the eleven plus examination. The invigilator reassures your child. The calm outside room is, however, disrupted for much of the examination.

Your child is told that the noise will be taken into account when the papers are marked. Your smiling face changes to horror as you look at the building – and your main concern is your child’s safety. In the morning, however, the eleven plus parent persona kicks back in. Words like, `It is not fair,” spring to mind.

You phone, quite rightly, to ask for a re-sit.

You are reassured by a comforting voice on the other end of the phone.

How relevant will the re-sit be? How reliable will the second test be? Will your child be disadvantaged? A natural disaster has taken away your child’s chances of passing. The words, “It is not fair,” become a refrain.

You subsequently find out that your child passed the original test – but failed the second test. What do you do then? How reliable was the second test?