As I type this around 15,000 primary school pupils are sitting the final paper of the last leven plus exams in Northern Ireland. The test that will determine which secondary school they attend. Despite the fact that most of the rest of Britain scrapped this form of selection over a decade ago we have held on firmly and proud. And now we let go.I should be happy. I hate that sham of an exam; that overblown IQ test. Some will suggest that it is a fair system, a mertitocracy of sorts. Poor and rich are assessed on equal ground. 'Life is a series of tests' they will tell you, 'the quicker people learn to deal with stress rather than avoid it the better.'
I, myself, have managed to avoid stress most of my working life (mainly by avoiding working maybe) and I hate the idea of the eleven plus. Who wants to be branded a failure before they even reach their teens? And meritocracy? How does that explain the huge class imbalance we have in our schools?
So I should be happy - but I'm not. At time of going to press our Assembly, the people we intrusted with running our wee country, have yet to agree on what should replace the 11+. I have yet to decide what I think should replace the 11+. Parents of year 6 pupils, who have no idea what their children will be facing in twelve short months time, are asking teachers for answers - we don't have any.
While there is no official plan in place for a replacement a dangerous vacuum has been created. Schools are taking it into their own hands to create selection processes. I find that faintly terrifying. The school where I currently work have decided, along with 29 other Grammars, to form their own 'Association of Quality Education.' This association will produce their own assessment papers. Let's face it - they're creating their very own eleven plus.
Meantime all those 10 year old year 6 kids are being batted around in a game of politics. Their uncertainities are being used as canon fodder with which the DUP and Sinn Fein are battering each other. And that can only be viewed as wrong on so many levels.
3 comments:
Listen Mr. C- I like you and all- you're a lovely writer... but why do you have your panties in a bunch?
SOMEONE has to decide what's the best for these kids. Certainly THEY can't do it. They think they can- hehe... but we know better. Silly little wannabe humans.
;-)
Good post. As usual.
'panties in a bunch' hmmm. new one on me. I like it - I may use it.
Anyway my panties are in a bunch because:
In this little messed up country, our political leaning is largely governed by which side of the christian spectrum you land. Ergo when this issue becomes a party political one (as it has done) then it isn't what's best for the pupils in question that drives the debate, but whether we go to a church service or mass on a sunday. That's surely difficult to understand coming from somewhere not as messed up as Northern Ireland - but we really are that petty.
Secondly. I spend so long fighting my case with eveyone around me that it becomes something of an obsession. When you are surrounded by people with whose opinions you are fundamentally opposed you start to hear voices and develop twitches and the like.
The third thing that worries me is that when you click on that link to the new AQE thing - their website is decidely amateur. Honestly! If we can't trust them to create a decent looking web page how can we trust them to decide what's best for our children! Night claases in Dreamweaver aren't that expensive.
But you're right - this is the last you will hear from me on academic selection.
For now.
I truly hope it's not the last time.
Perhaps my sarcasm is a bit under-developed. :-)
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