CSSE 11+ Results Day: Why I think Every Family Needs a Plan B

CSSE 11+ results day is now just a week away.

Something I often preach to 11+ parents is to have a Plan B.

Seeing your child getting a grammar school place as the be-all and end-all will stress you out and it is very hard not to pass that stress on. Children notice and often match the energy of the adults around them.

For some families, results day will give them a fairly clear idea of where they stand. A very high score will obviously bring a lot of reassurance, while a score significantly below previous admission levels may make the situation fairly clear in the other direction.

For plenty of others, though, the result will leave them feeling uncertain.

A borderline CSSE score can mean a long wait

Unless your child scores significantly above or significantly below previous cut-offs, you probably won't know whether they are going to get a place at their chosen grammar school until National Offer Day in March.

Previous years' cut-offs are useful. They give parents some context and can help you work out whether a score looks strong, borderline or unlikely to be enough.

They are not a guarantee.

If your child's score is close to the level needed in previous years, you may spend several months not really knowing where you stand.

I cannot imagine how stressful October to March must be for families who see grammar schools as the only really good option and their local comprehensives as schools they desperately want to avoid.

If your child receives a borderline 11+ score in October, that is a long time to spend worrying about whether it will be enough.

Grammar school can be the target without being the only acceptable outcome

I will be in this boat with my eldest daughter in 2028. I already have a good idea of what our six schools will be when it comes to applying for her secondary place. I would be delighted if she got into options 1–2, very happy with 3–4 and fairly happy with 5–6.

When it comes to the 11+, I want her to go into it with CCHSG as the target. I want her to prepare properly and give herself the best possible chance. But if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen.

As long as she goes to a school with strong leadership and good pupil behaviour, I am almost certain she will leave with the grades she needs to take whatever steps she wants after 18.

That does not mean that I think grammar school does not matter. Clearly I do. Colchester’s grammar schools get exceptional results and everyone I know personally whose child has attended either school has been happy with both the education they received and their day-to-day school experience.

But there is a big difference between wanting something and believing that anything else would be a disaster.

Getting into CRGS and CCHSG is very difficult

It is incredibly difficult to get into Colchester's grammar schools.

Children are competing against a whole host of other very bright, driven children, many of whom will also have prepared seriously for the exam.

There are simply more children hoping for places at CRGS and CCHSG than there are places available. The bast majority of children who apply for a space at these schools will not receive an offer in March.

That is why the all-or-nothing, "failure isn't an option" attitude that some parents have concerns me. I don't think it does anyone any good.

Not getting a place does not suddenly mean that a child has somehow “failed” or has ruined thier future prospects.

It means that they were competing for a limited number of places in a very competitive process.

That is an important distinction.

Be careful with predictions after results day

Once CSSE results are released, there will inevitably be lots of discussion about what different scores might mean.

Some of that can be useful.

Looking at previous years' admission scores can help parents understand the sort of range their child is in. What I would be much more cautious about is anyone presenting an estimate as though it is a fact.

If someone says that a particular score will definitely be enough, ask yourself how they actually know.

They don't.

That does not mean every prediction is worthless. It just means that parents need to keep some perspective, particularly when their child's score is close to previous cut-offs.

A score can give you a reasonable indication. It cannot always give you certainty.

A Plan B takes pressure off everyone

Having a Plan B does not mean giving up on grammar school.

It means having another school, or ideally several schools, that you would be happy or at least content with if your first choice does not happen.

I think that makes the whole process healthier.

It takes some of the pressure off parents, because every new rumour or prediction matters a little less.

More importantly, it takes pressure off the child.

They can still aim high. They can still work hard. They can still really want a grammar school place.

But they do not need to feel as though their whole future depends on one examination taken when they are ten or eleven years old.

For me, that is the balance to aim for.

Have the grammar school as the target. Prepare properly and hope for the result you want.

But also have a Plan B that you can live with.