Private tutoring has made 11-plus socially divisive
I HAVE three children, each of whom achieved different 11-plus results and therefore went to three different schools. This does not make me an expert in education, but gives me an insight into the current debate. I would add that my children have now left school and all work in Guernsey. First of all, I don't necessarily subscribe to the theory that we should get rid of the 11-plus 'because it damages children'. I have always considered that if, by the time your child is 11, he or she doesn't realise that some people will be brain surgeons and some people won't, then they will be totally unprepared for the many tough lessons life is able to deal them over the rest of their lives. I also don't believe the many 'you can achieve anything you want' slogans which are so prominent on social media these days. (As a colour-blind person, I was never going to become a commercial airline pilot.) Of course the important thing is that each and every child achieves their full potential. Anything less than this is unacceptable.
Reading the above, you might think that I am a supporter of the 11-plus and yet this is not the case. Having discovered the amount of tuition which takes place these days, I cannot see how any deputy can support selection by any means bearing in mind the huge variance of household incomes in the island.
It is difficult to draw analogies, but a similar process which affects people's lives and which is able to be so massively distorted by those who can afford it would not stand a chance if brought before the States of Deliberation today. In short, were we to try to introduce the 11-plus now (if it were not already in existence), it would be thrown out decisively.
There is a lot of talk about protecting the centre of excellence which is the Grammar School and I could not agree more. To have the three other excellent schools placed on an equal footing and the four schools fed geographically rather than by selection has to be the way forward.
Are all the Grammar School teachers to be sacked if the 11-plus is scrapped? Of course not. Why then will the school not continue to be excellent? If we change the school's name and get rid of selection, is it inevitable that standards will fall? Not if the current teaching staff continue to commit to the very best educational standards, of which they are so understandably proud.
I can remember taking my 11-plus. There was no hype, no tutoring and no promise of a flashy mobile phone if I passed. Yes I did say 'passed'. I actually failed to achieve the necessary mark to get me to Grammar, but was not psychologically damaged by it. Unfortunately times have changed. Unwise parents apply massive pressure on their children and it is a fact that no matter how much some of our deputies would like to retain some form of selection, it is dysfunctional, distorted and socially divisive. No amount of tinkering will put this right – it is too late.
To conclude, let's give all of our children a sound education in decent buildings with the very best teaching staff. There will always be some parents who choose the private education route for their children and they have every right to do so. I would like to think, however, that if we make the correct decision now, many of those parents will wonder if it's worth it.
ANDRÉ QUEVÂTRE,
andre@quevatre.com
Address withheld.
