With local MPs voting for sweeping changes to the grammar school system and the PM backing them up, it looks like the tests used to get into them are going to change drastically in the near future. While it seems like some of these manoeuvres are somewhat out of touch, more students may actually be attending grammar schools than at any other point in history.
Granted, that has more to do with the expanding population of the UK as a whole than anything else. However, it is true that these mediaeval buildings are doing their best in their struggle for relevance in a world that's become increasingly tech-savvy and more in touch with Oliver Sykes than Oliver Cromwell.
Schools throughout England now have the right to select pupils based on ability under a plan that would see grammar schools attempt to expand over the next decade. In fact, these programs might eventually move into Wales and Northern Ireland as well.
In the process, tests are going to become much more difficult. It's like that the CSSE will start to follow the precedent set forth by the Open University.
Preparing for the New Grammar School Tests
While it might seem paradoxical, grammar schools are likely to become more selective as they grow. They're going to be required to take in students from several different socioeconomic groups, which will influence who they let in. As a result, potential pupils are studying harder than ever before in order to increase their chances.
Fortunately, there are new tools available to them in order to address this problem. Just as Open University-inspired courses and preparation courses have changed the way in which people take these class, they're influencing how they prepare for them.
Online CSSE 11+ tests preparation classes are becoming increasingly popular. Others have turned to hiring private tutors, which may very well represent a growth industry for quite some time.
Most of these new CSSE tests follow the same general principle that the older ones did. While mainstream media outlets have largely focused on how they're more challenging, those who have begun to prepare themselves for their original versions are more than likely ready for the new ones. This should eliminate the problem of younger people having to undergo any kind of retraining.
That hasn't completely solved the problem of stress, however, and it looks like students are possibly going to have to deal with this more than ever.
Stress Related to Grammar School Entrance Exams
Psychiatric experts recently conducted a study where they found that students are under more pressure with the new regulations than they once were. Considering that these students will also have to eventually pass O-levels and other similar examinations, this stress is likely to compound itself over time.
Some parents have suggested that their pupils get the tests over and done with, so they won't have to think about them in the future. Others have actually increased the amount of pressure their students are under by setting specific stipulations regarding passing the exams.
It's no wonder, then, that so many are electing to study on the continent instead of at home. This is a trend that's likely to increase as at-home pressures make it more difficult to apply for educational opportunities at grammar schools.
A few industry analysts have even suggested that this might slowly force grammar school education into the realm of obscurity, though an overwhelming majority are of the opinion that it will give more students the freedom to attend as long as they have a high enough score to do so.
This should prove especially attractive to those who are trying to pass their 11 exams without a first-language basis in English.
CSSE Tests for Younger Students
Since the exact requirements for each of these tests are now published, students can look at them beforehand to know exactly what they'll be required to know. Social commentators have expressed the opinion that this constitutes a more equitable state of affairs, especially for those who are only just mastering the language or who might be from a younger age group.
Over time, this might lead to an even more diverse class of students entering into grammar schools. While it might take a period of 3-5 years according to some estimates, it's believed that this kind of practice will benefit those who might never otherwise have access to these programs.
Those who still fail to enter have so many distance education programs available to them, however, that it should hardly matter.
