Around the age of nine up to 11, parents in some regions of the United Kingdom may either start researching or have been invited to take part in an additional test alongside the customary SAT exams and look into 11 plus tuition to give them a boost.
The eleven-plus, or 11 plus, is the primary entrance exam for students looking to study at a grammar school, which takes place in September of Year 6, right at the start of the school year to help parents with their child’s applications to secondary school.
However, whilst there are many similar, connected elements, the eleven-plus can have considerable differences in entry criteria, catchment area and even the subjects that are tested.
The reason for this is that grammar schools are part of a complicated legacy of schooling known as the Tripartite System.
From the 1950s until the 1970s, education was separated into three main tiers organised by the types of skills and subjects on the curriculum, and in some counties such as Kent, this division still exists in a modified form known as the Kent Test.
There were grammar schools, which worked as they had for centuries in teaching subjects such as classics, literature, pure mathematics and other more conceptual and abstract subjects.
At the same time, technical schools would teach practical engineering skills, science subjects and applied mathematics to foster the next generation of engineers and scientists.
Finally, there was the secondary modern school, which initially was designed to teach practical skills to students who would find jobs in fields other than the ones targeting the first two.
It was never intended to become a two-tier system of education, but the technical colleges never materialised and the Tripartite System never truly came to fruition as a result. Instead, vestiges of the old system exist in different forms depending on the local education authority.
Most places with grammar schools have the eleven-plus as a direct entrance exam, however, others such as Kent, Reading, Buckinghamshire and certain parts of other counties use the formal system as a tool to identify students suitable for grammar schools.
This often means they will use a very different selection process and sometimes different exams so bear that in mind when choosing a tutor.