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