Letters to the Editor

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We welcome comments about any article which appears in Attain.  You can email or write to The Editor, Attain Magazine, New Broad Street House, 35 New Broad Street, London, EC2M 1NH

Sir, I was interested to read Robin Badham-Thornhill’s analysis of the difficulties of pre-testing for entry at 13+ in the Summer edition of Attain.

As a large co-educational day school with 11+ as our major point of entry, we are not insensitive to the anxieties that can be felt by families and schools whose children are interested in joining us in Year 9 when asked to sit a pre-test in Year 6.  Having now completed the phasing in of our pre-testing arrangements, however, we are finding that the advantages far outweigh the initial concerns.
 
Prep school candidates take part in our 11+ interviews and sit papers in Maths, English and Verbal Reasoning alongside the children they may eventually be joining in the senior school.  This allows us to give a clear indication about their likely performance at Common Entrance, boosting confidence wherever possible in their chances of success.
 
But it also gives the child an opportunity to pre-test us as a school.  How enjoyable and stimulating was the interview experience?  Did they feel excited and challenged by the material with which they engaged and by the teachers they encountered?
 
As well as enabling us as a school to plan more carefully for pupils’ entry into Year 9, pre-testing also gives parents a more secure idea of their child’s future, establishing relationships which otherwise would be on hold throughout that time.  The pastoral benefits here are not inconsiderable.
 
Importantly, it is also an opportunity for us to make a clear commitment to entry at 13+ at a time when we are experiencing unprecedented demand at 11+.  As one prep school head said to me recently, rather than disruption pre-testing has provided reassurance, particularly in the current climate.
 
James Priory, Headmaster, The Portsmouth Grammar School.


Sir, [Attain’s Website and Blog is] a fantastic addition to the growing communication from and with IAPS.  I’ve been blogging for a long time, as I know a couple of others in the independent sector have.  But, the important thing is that there is an audience and that is what you have through Attain. 

I hope that the blog and comments/feedback will be a success.

Neil Jones, Headmaster, St Joseph’s In The Park School

Please remember to include your name and location with all correspondence.  Anonymous letters cannot be included

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