11-PLUS ‘DOESN’T HARM PUPILS’

PUTTING children through grammar school entrance exams has little negative impact on their mental health, a study suggests.

Researchers from University College London found that pupils who live in grammar school areas are just as happy as those who do not.

They analysed Millennium Cohort Study data from 4,784 children at age 11 – when the test is taken – and 14, when any ‘lasting impact’ might have become apparent. Of those, 1,094 lived within ‘selective’ areas – where pupils routinely take the 11-plus exam – such as Kent. The other 3,690 lived in comprehensive areas.

The children reported ‘similar levels of wellbeing and school satisfaction’ at 11 and 14 regardless of which area they lived in. The study is published today in the American Education Research Journal.