Testing times
There are plenty of occasions where we find ourselves overwhelmed with work and unable to concentrate on the things we enjoy. This is part and parcel of university life, something we expect when we send off our UCAS forms and particularly for Imperial, ingrained into the ethos of the college.
Last weekend was a rare occasion where I could laze around, watch the new Scrubs DVD and become better acquainted with the pub down the road. As a third year, these weekends don't exactly come around very often, so I can't really plead ignorance when faced with deadlines, exams and all the stress associated with finals (not to mention writing for Felix).
Rewind ten years and things were a different story. My only worries were which friend's house I was going to after school; the SATs at age 11 seemed inconsequential.
With this in mind, I read with great interest about moves to start selecting children for university from tests sat at the strangely youthful age of eleven. The scheme, revealed by The Times, is effectively turning these primary school tests into a university entrance exam. Secondary school headteachers will be given the names of the `cleverest' pupils based on their Key Stage 2 assessments and will be directly accountable if the pupils fail to get three grade A's at A-Level. This is hardly a comforting thought considering the primary school emphasis on actually teaching rather than training pupils for exams!
A register compiled by an independent trust in England will identify the top five percent of pupils, allowing heads to monitor and recommend names to be added to an elite list at Warwick University - the alleged coordination centre for the whole scheme. At first glance, the whole thing might seem as likely to take off as John Prescott in a rowing boat, but Cambridge University has already started dividing their Colleges into regions and plan to contact Warwick for the names of children in their area.
This shambolic idea is flawed on many levels. If we ignore the fact that school pupils already have to endure a horrendous amount of `important' exams throughout all levels of education (without even having time to be truly inspired by teaching), then we are left with the core principles of the initiative.
One of the most important points in my view is that different people develop intellectually at different ages, with the age of eleven being a particularly fluid time in terms of school ability. Those who reach their potential at a later age might have missed the boat and lost out on an opportunity through no fault of their own. There are far more significant issues which need attention at that age without the added pressure from parents over which university their little darling will go to, and whether Stevie will get 5-5-5 or 5-5-4 in his SATs.
Don't get me wrong, I do think that academic talent at an early age should be nurtured, but using existing tests to form profiles and target university places at such a young age is not the right way to go about it. The universities should also bear in mind that those who achieve top marks before starting secondary school often do so from their own raw talent. I know several examples of friends who excelled during primary school, but when placed in an environment where they had to do some work around the subject, apathy ruled.
I'm sure gifted children don't need top marks in Key Stage 2 exams to identify themselves and I'm also sure that universities contacting people at such a young age could well be considered a waste of time. Who is this faceless Trust anyway, and in which means are they accountable to the Department of Education?
This is just one question that needs addressing, although I'm in no doubt the spin machine was engaged quite a while ago in preparation. At a time when we have far too many people going to university and a resultant increase in fees for the rest of us, you'd at least hope some common sense could be used when considering pupils seven years away from even seeing the university gates.
Then again, let's not give education figures too much credit.
