COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATION SIR,--The Headmaster of Shcrborne, in his letter of
December 29. says that incentives which cause the pupil to apply himself to the disagreeable for an evidein gain, such as a State scholarship,' di) not operate in the years prior to 11+. • With the present presSure on secondary education, I would beg 'to disagree in that common' entrance for many has begun to loom as a frightening and com- petitive hurdle which can only he surmounted by the cramming on of a few extra marks. Worried parents arc often responsible for the child beginning to feel that no learnine' is worth while unless some exam value is attached.
All praise then to those public schools- who promise their places by selection and recommenda- tion at about Ii, keep faithfully to their common entrance standard at 13+ and leave competitive academic battle to would-be' scholars who have no
• need to give up some 'unimportant' subject (English, probably!) in order to achieve an ordinary entrance.
As for Mr: Powell's other point--a change of development at about the age of 13; all my experience since coming back to the younger age group-underlines its truth: To make the most of that very vital time a boy needs to he at the top of his small world. He should be in a position to be treated as a responsible being by his school and not already climbing up from the bottom just because 11+ is an administratively convenient age to change schools.
Headmaster The Hall. crosslield Road, Hampstead, NJV3
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