Motivation and aspirations

I was at the Open Day for a much sought after Grammar Schools in the midlands recently. As all Open days are, this one was no different and the weather notwithstanding, the school was filled to the brim with anxious parent clutching their children with one hand and the school prospectus in the other. The highlight of the evening was supposed to be a presentation by the school headmaster in the large and spacious auditorium.

The Headmaster was obviously a man with many years of experience and started the presentation with a light joke or two before going into the details of the school and its pedigree. All seemed to be going well and as expected till the presentation reached the section about admission details. I might be missing a few words here, but what the headmaster said went something like:

“We encourage you to avoid tutors and coaching for the 11 plus exams at all costs. If your child has to be tutored to pass the 11+ exam, then this is not the school for you.”

The headmaster’s argument was that if your child required extra tuitions to pass the 11+, they would not be able to keep up with the stress and standards of work at the school. The Headmaster called Tutors a “recipe for failure at this school”.

This was certainly not what I was expecting. I violently disagree with the Headmaster. My statement is based on two things I have learnt while spending many years in formal education including 11 years at the University (MSc, PhD and MBA):

• ·         It is all about “motivation and aspiration”: The kind of children who are motivated enough to aspire to get to this school, are also the kind of children who will put in that “extra bit” to make up for any lack of natural abilities. All children are not super intelligent or child-prodigies, but those who are motivate and aspire to achieve, put in the effort required to make up.
• ·         “Peer groups are half the equation”: simply put, when put into a peer group of high achievers, children rise to the occasion (the opposite works as well!).

Any thoughts or comments? I would specially be interested in hearing from Parents and Teachers.

11PlusDIY - www.11plusdiy.co.uk