DAD.info
Forum - Ask questions. Get answers.
DAD.info | DAD BLOGS: New Dad Simon | Why We Shouldn’t Bring Back The 11-Plus

Why We Shouldn’t Bring Back The 11-Plus

The day I received my 11-Plus result is a day I’ll never forget – for all the wrong reasons…

Today was the day we’d take our first 11-Plus exam. A day that had been hanging over us ever since we started school. I remember walking into the hall and praying that God would help me – not to pass; just not to panic and freak out in front of my friends. Honestly, I wasn’t sure about God at that point, but my Grandma advised me that a quick prayer might help, and I figured that then was as good a time as any to get some assistance from above.

I don’t remember much about the test itself, though I do remember working hard to hold in tears at various points and I’m not sure I completed any of the three tests in the allotted time. I don’t think I ever felt exactly confident that I was able to put my best academic foot forward in any of the 50-minute sessions.

I remember results day – sitting next to my Mum in the car and opening the envelope. I read it out loud and trailed off somewhere halfway through. ‘Congratulations you’ve been accepted into……’ The wording didn’t fool me because we all knew that the school I had been accepted into was the school you went to if you ‘failed’. Of course most people (adults) tried to avoid the ‘pass/fail’ language, but it was engrained into our county and as an 11-year-old I knew exactly what the letter was telling me – I’d failed.

I didn’t talk to my mum on the way home. I’m pretty sure she was talking to me – giving it everything she’d got to put a positive spin on the situation – but I don’t think I responded. I held it together pretty well until I got about half way up the steps to my house… Then I stopped, sat down, and cried. I remember looking at my mum through my tears… and that’s where that memory stops.

I’ve thought a lot about this memory over the decades, and as a 34-year-old it still holds a lot of emotion. I carried a ‘failure’ tag around my neck for a long time because of this 50-minute test. Decades, in fact. It limited my level of ambition, attacked my confidence and caused me to think negatively about myself and my future.

The secondary school I attended was great, with amazing teachers and good friends – it helped me significantly on my road to recovery and is a big part of who I am.

And now, life has worked out well. I run a great charity and have a fancy title, own a great house and have a lovely family. Maybe I’m wrong and I’m just one person, but I feel that I did OK in spite of the school system I went through – not because of it. I view the 11-Plus as a bad memory, but now the country is apparently considering putting it back into the future of our children. I’m sure there will be some who will welcome the 11-Plus back, but I will not be one of those people.

The risk is too high, and the failure tag is too heavy to hang around any 11-year-old’s neck.

 

Related entries

Running to Beat the Chickens

Running to Beat the Chickens

On mile 23 of the London Marathon I was overtaken by a giant chicken. Let's just say, it was a low point… Looking back on my London Marathon ‘success’ I can only assume it was someone dressed up in a costume or perhaps some kind of hallucination. The lactic acid build...

Running to Beat the Chickens

Bonfire Night

As we stood admiring a burning effigy of Guy Fawkes I thought it would be funny to ask my six-year-old son what Bonfire Night was all about… I assumed I’d get some random answers to what is a bizarre celebration. Unfortunately, the primary education system has...

Latest entries

Life after divorce: legal tips for men

Life after divorce: legal tips for men

A divorce is one of the most life-changing events most people will experience, and isaccompanied by a lot of emotional, financial, domestic and legal considerations. Thinkingabout life after divorce may be exciting, or daunting, or a combination of both, but it is...

De-escalation: how to calm kids down before they explode!

De-escalation: how to calm kids down before they explode!

Did you think that tantrums and explosions would be left in toddlerhood? Sadly, they're not. While older kids and teens are less likely to throw themselves to the floor because you didn't buy them a lolly, they can still be just ask explosive. In a bid to quell those...

Pin It on Pinterest