11 A number An Age An Ending

eleven

a number an age

an ending it was the year 2015

a cold frosty january morning

and a still distinct image of my 11 year

old self

nervously waiting for the morning’s post

to pop through the letterbox

let me tell you all at this point i

don’t make a habit of stalking postal

deliveries

however this morning was different

the letter his arrival i was anxiously

awaiting

contained the results of an examination

i had taken

just three months earlier

this plain nondescript

brown envelope with its singular

flimsy white page

would immortalize and print my grade

my passport or so i thought

to a better brighter future

you see there are two types of schools

in northern ireland

selective and non-selective

pupils have the option to sit a test to

win entry into the selective

or grammar stream if a people fails to

meet the grade requirements

or choose not to sit the test then their

options are shut down they have to

choose

a non-selective secondary school

to attend because of my grade

i had the choice and i chose the school

that enabled me to reach my full

potential

that has empowered me to be standing on

the red dot before you today

which might make you assume that choice

was the selective grammar option

yet although i got an a i chose

to go to the local secondary school i

had

always wanted to go to

despite the endless comments of how

i would never achieve anything

i was wasted potential and

i would never sit the same exams

fortunately my parents were supportive

of my choice

but i know that is not the case for

everyone

at only 11 years old i was aware

that my choice was controversial

transitioning from primary to

post-primary school

presents challenges for every child

it is a milestone moment in all our

lives

however rather than feeling daunted by

what lay ahead of me

i felt empowered

yes i had my new skill bag

my new uniform but more importantly

i had a new attitude i started living by

the mantra

seize every opportunity

brightly painted corridor walls lined

with framed photos

of successful past pupils inspired me

to think and feel that anything was

possible in my new school

there were no boundaries or barriers in

the way of my ambition

being a child from a small city in the

far corner of the world

i was never aware of stem science

technology

engineering and maths

i vividly remember attending my first

technology class

to find out it was in the simplified

term

building things to say i disliked the

idea

would be an understatement i was quite

the girly girl

i loved singing acting and being a

perfectionist

i still do as the year progressed

my teacher spoke of the opportunities in

stem

about how each and every one of us

had the ability to change the future

but of course that couldn’t be true

we all found ourselves sitting in a

class at a secondary school after all

how could we make an impact on the world

we had always been subject to the

perception

that our lives had reached a dead end

after eleven

had to prove this perception wrong and

this was my chance

i would try to find success in science

my secondary school gave me the

opportunity to complete

scientific research to tackle global

problems

at 12 i received local awards for my

work

at 13 i received national awards

at 14 i was recognized internationally

at 16 i was chosen globally to represent

young women in stem

but at 11 the perception was

i would have limited educational

opportunities

how was i able to receive prestigious

prizes

at national and international science

competitions

well i’ll tell you how i was able to

flourish

with the support of wonderful teachers

and a principal who believed in each and

every pupil i knew this was where i was

always meant to be

unfortunately the myth and perception

that a secondary education is not a

quality education

still exists during the summer

i was having a conversation with an

adult

about the pandemic as a student

he was curious about me receiving gcse

results

and asked which school i attended

when i responded with the answer that i

attended a local secondary school

he then proceeded to ask me if a minimum

wage job would become

my life’s ambition as i must not be

capable

of a levels or higher education

suddenly i was 11 again

i was small inferior

and all of my achievements meant nothing

i remember turning the page of my gcse

mass paper

in the assembly hall of my secondary

school

thanking pupils across the state right

now

grammar and non-grammar are turning this

page with me

i am not alone i am not different

i am a student accessing an excellent

education

like every other child in every other

assembly hall

in northern ireland

young people should not be defined by a

choice they made

at 11. my friend

always had the dream of becoming a

doctor

the result they achieved in this test at

11 years old

made them abandon all hopes of pursuing

this future career

this people is only one of the

endless examples how many other

11 year olds have done the same

how many other examples are there of low

self belief inflicted upon children

as a result of this test at 11 years old

this old-fashioned test is limiting

opportunities for our children and

deciding their future

if i had listened to the stigma at 11

i wouldn’t have achieved all that i have

i would play victim to the never-ending

cycle

that is academic selection

a post-16 studies i have chosen for

challenging a-levels while choosing to

stay

at the non-grammar school i have loved

so much

through an initiative called the foil

learning community

i have had the opportunity to complete

two of my a-levels

at a grammar school therefore i have

experienced both schools

and in my honest opinion there is no

difference

in the quality of education after all

the teachers have received the same

degree

why at 17 can we sit side by side

with these pupils regardless of a test

but not at 11.

a past pupil at a grammar school has

told me

that their friends at a secondary school

have received

equal opportunities and achieved the

same grades

or higher at a level pupils have

progressed past the need

for dividing the system we learn better

together

after all it is more reflective of a

functioning society

the education system in northern ireland

is

failing our children abolishing academic

selection

and the test that defines us is only the

first step

in solving this problem then

our education system could evolve into a

21st century model

children could learn together exploring

different sectors

from the ages of 11 to 14.

a lot of pupils have discovered their

talents and subjects they have not been

taught in primary school

why then should we assess a child’s

potential

based on an english and maths grade at

eleven

why does this two-tier system exist

why do we inflict such cruelty on our

10 and 11 year olds when going to a

secondary school

does not have to be perceived as second

best

we are truly gifted to have such

wonderful skills

and an access to the best education we

can receive

but why can all children in northern

ireland

not have the same access

a pupil with a grade a has an array of

choices

but a pupil with a d grade can only

attend

a select few skills this

is neither a fair nor equitable system

the broken system has been exposed by

the pandemic

the people of northern ireland have

risen from their sleep

and recognize that this archaic system

cannot continue

academic selection is unjust and is

creating a clear divide in our

communities

equality is the future it is up to

us to bring it to northern ireland we

must end transfer trauma for our

children

eleven is only the beginning

you