An interview with Mark Chatterton 11 Plus Author
Many parents and children embarking on the 11 Plus journey have benefited from the MW Educational Books. Mark Chatterton, the founder and author of the series, talks to the ETC about writing for the selective exams and gives some valuable advice to parents about how to approach the tests.
ETC: As the author of the MW Educational range of 11 Plus books, could you tell us about yourself and what you do?
I qualified as a primary school teacher in 1980 and taught in a variety of both state and private schools in London and Essex, before starting MW Educational (with my wife Wendy) in 1996. I no longer teach full time, spending my time between writing and doing private tuition. Apart from this I have written extensively on rock music, having had two books published. I am also very much interested in railways having recently started the website, www.branchlinebritain.co.uk
ETC: MW Educational has been a reliable source for 11 Plus textbooks for many years. Tell us how you first began writing for the 11 Plus. Did it begin as a collaborative effort, or something that developed from your own experience?
In the 1990’s I was a year 6 teacher in a private school where great emphasis was placed on preparing the children to take the 11 Plus exam. I was always making up new questions to help the children and I thought “Why don’t I make up some papers myself?” So I started with Verbal Reasoning then Maths, and then English and it grew from there. Later on with my wife, we started producing practice papers for the Sats’ tests in key Stage 1 and 2.
ETC: What sets your books apart from other 11 plus books?
The fact that a teacher has written them with many years preparing children for the 11 Plus exam, who knows the types of questions that come up and understands how children react to the various questions that they have to answer. Also we updated the whole series last year, so any “out of date” questions were replaced.
ETC: You are based in Southend, which has quite a high concentration of Grammar Schools. What advice would you give to parents in and around the area that are beginning to train their children towards the exams?
Don’t start too early. Let your child enjoy their primary school years! I would say start in Year 5, about a year before they are due to take place. Most primary schools do 11 plus practice now, so don’t overload your child with too much practice at home.
ETC: What is the competition like in Southend in terms of children gaining entry to their desired schools?
Quite hard. Traditionally, in Southend the top 25% of children gained places to a grammar school, but looking at last year’s results this percentage was reduced somewhat for certain schools. If you live outside the borough of Southend the percentage drops even lower. Roughly speaking there are around 120 places for each grammar school with 500-1,000 children after those places. One year, one grammar school may be more in demand than another, so the competition varies from year to year. For more information check out the Essex Consortium of Grammar Schools’ web site: http://www.csse.org.uk/
ETC: Would you like to see eleven plus help and advice as a part of primary school teaching?
I think it is already taking place in most primary schools in a grammar school area, unless the head teacher is against selection at 11. Plus most parents prepare their children for the 11 plus in the form of a private tutor and/or practice papers at home. So maybe there is a danger that some children could get overloaded with exam preparation.
ETC: We already know that in 11 plus areas like Northern Ireland and Bexley, the selection tests are compulsory for all children. Do you think it would be good system if something like this were introduced to Southend and the rest of Essex?
Not really. Children have enough pressure in primary school with having to do Sats preparation, etc. Don’t forget that a grammar school education is only suitable for children who are academically up to it. For those children who are not bright enough, taking the 11 plus exam and then not passing it can be very demoralising. I believe the primary years shouldn’t just be about preparing for exams, but learning about all sorts of subjects, both academic and non-academic.
ETC: You have been in education for a long time. In your experience, what are the most common problems you have encountered during your years as an 11 plus tutor?
The main one is the parent who thinks that their child is bright enough to pass the 11 plus, when clearly the child has not got the right intelligence. They push them to the limit and when they don’t pass, blame the child – or the tutor! As mentioned above, grammar schools are only suitable for a certain type of child, who is academic and suited to sitting exams regularly.
ETC: We’ve just been looking at your website www.theeducationwebsite.co.uk. It is quite comprehensive. This is just one of many websites you have created for educational purposes, isn’t it?
I originally had just the one website – www.mweducational.com as a vehicle for selling my publications. As time went on I wanted to pursue the idea of a more general website which gave advice to parents on all aspects of the UK education system from Nursery level through to University level. This is what the Education website is all about. I also have two other websites dedicated to giving advice on the 11 plus (www.the11pluswebsite.co.uk) and the SATs tests (www.thesatswebsite.co.uk)
ETC: Does this mean that your interests do not lie solely with the 11 Plus?
Whilst MW Educational was started with the 11 Plus exam in mind, we did diversify it to include Sats practice papers for children at Key Stage 1 and 2. I also compiled two directories for primary Maths and English, which some schools have found very helpful. They are currently not in print but are available from the website as E-books in download form.
ETC: For the benefit of the parents reading this interview, what subjects do your publications cover at the moment?
In the A Plus Series of 11 Plus practice papers; we cover English, Maths, Non-verbal reasoning and Verbal Reasoning in both standard and multiple-choice formats. In the Advantage Series of SATs practice papers we cover English, Maths and Science at Key Stage 2 and English and Maths at Key Stage 1. (The 11 Plus practice papers are available in booklet form from bookshops and as e-books or downloads from the websites. The SATs practice papers are only available as e-books from the website and are no longer available in bookshops).
ETC: What future plans do you have for MW Educational?
I am currently working on some revision sheets for the 11 Plus which cover specific questions which come up in the exam, such as codes or sequences. These will be only available to download from the website and will not be for sale in the shops. I am also working on more general worksheets for Primary Maths and English (such as fractions, decimals, punctuation and parts of speech) which are going to be available only as downloads on the website.
Interviewed by Zakia Galip |
