The annual 11+ lottery....

I'm glad that I don't have to go through the annual schools lottery again, I hope I never have to and pity any parents going through it now. It really is one of the most stressful times in a parent's life if you care about your kids futures. Every year in Kent and several other counties up and down the country we have the dubious necessity of the 11+ exams, which occupy far too much importance to children, and their parents, in years 5 and 6. Many children are taken out of their state primary for the final year and placed at a private school or else they're crammed to bursting point with pervious 11+ papers by private tutors. Then we have the agonising wait for results, the exaltation of passing or the despair of failing (they don't call it failing anymore but that's how the children feel.) As if that weren't enough children and their mums and dads then have the anguish over whether or not they can get into their first choice school or, in a significant number of cases whether they get into any of their choices of school. TonbridgeBlog would then ask the question of whether the grammar schools of Tonbridge are being fair to the people, particularly the children, of the town by being so selective in which children they choose. For instance should they allow children with better 11+ scores to be admitted, not only from outside the borough of Tonbridge and Malling but also from out of county? It's not so bad for the girls of the town, they have an excellent comprehensive in Hillview and a great not so selective grammar in Weald of Kent, so they are nearly always guaranteed a place. As for the boys unless they achieve very high, and I mean almost perfect, scores in their 11+ exams, they won't get into Judd School, which is the only boys grammar in the town. So unless their parents can afford the fees of Tonbridge or Sackville they won't go to school in their town. Instead they'll get the bus up to either Skinners or Tunbridge Wells Boys, or their mums will help to clog up the roads by dropping them off, or they'll risk life and limb biking to school along the A26 and that car park they call St. Johns Road. Great schools but where's the logic in all this? Is it just a never ending spiral of schools having to achieve ever better scores than previous years and therefore not daring to be fairer and change their selection criteria. Isn't it time for an adjustment in Tonbridge so that more, particularly boys, can go to grammar school in their own town. I don't suppose that Judd would publish such information but I for one would like to know just what the percentage of boys at the school actually live in the town, in the borough and in the county. Can we have those figures please?....