Private schools warned over ‘coaching’ for 11-plus
PRIVATE primary schools have been threatened with being banned from holding grammar-school entry exams after they were caught “coaching” children for the 11-plus.
An undercover BBC reporter, posing as a parent, approached 10 fee-paying primary schools in Kent and found that nine of them were giving pupils special tutoring for the 11-plus.
One teacher told the reporter: “It’s ridiculous they say you can’t be tutored for it … We prepare children for the Kent test – 100 per cent.”
Just one out of the 10 denied giving any extra tutorials.
The county council said it would “always look at any firm evidence that suggests a school may have engaged in coaching”. Schools found in breach of the rules could be banned from holding future exams.
Three schools were warned about coaching by the council in 2016, but no further action was taken and the council has never banned a school from holding the exam.
Joanne Bartley, of Comprehensive Future, which campaigns against grammar schools, said: “It’s an open secret – everyone knows you pay for a primary and hope to save money on a grammar school.”
She said that even with a ban on private schools coaching children for the test, some children are still in a better position than others.
“There are people who pay for tutors or even just practise at home – dedicated parents with time on their hands are at an advantage to single mums.”
Angela Culley, vice-president of the Independent Schools Association, who was headmistress for 30 years at The Mead School in Tunbridge Wells, a feepaying primary, said: “Where does tutoring begin and teaching end? There is a very grey line and Kent does not actually define what ‘coaching’ means.”
Jim Skinner, chief executive of the Grammar School Heads’ Association, said: “A great deal of effort has been put into making tests as resistant as possible to coaching.”
Kent County Council said: “The council does highlight that staff must not retain or copy materials provided for single use in earlier years in order to drill children in formats and question types and how to approach them.”
The row comes amid a debate about the extent to which grammar schools should change their admissions policies to help children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Selective schools are under pressure to demonstrate that their entrance exams do not favour children from middle-class families who can afford fees for primary schools or private tuition.
Earlier this year, Damian Hinds, the Education Secretary, announced a £50million fund for grammar-school expansion, on the condition that they can prove they will take in more children from lower-income backgrounds.