11-Plus Examination

HC Deb 23 April 1959 vol 604 c581

21. Mr. M. Stewart

asked the Minister of Education what advice he will give to local education authorities concerning candidates for the 11-plus examination who have been subjected to hypnosis, or have consumed medicine described as 11-plus tonic.

Mr. Geoffrey Lloyd

None, Sir.

Mr. Stewart

May I ask why not?

Mr. Lloyd

Because I think that this is a matter best left to the common sense of parents.

Mr. Stewart

Will the Minister note that, as long as the present tripartite organisation of secondary education persists, we are liable to get recurrent crops of this kind of nonsense?

Mr. Lloyd

I do not agree. It can arise in cases where there are bad secondary modern schools due to the bulge, but under the Government's White Paper it is our intention greatly to improve the secondary modern schools and in particular to provide the G.C.E. courses at "O" level which can be taken just as well in them as in the grammar schools. In that case, this matter will assume a very different degree of importance.