Versailles, Yvelines and Eleven-plus: Difference between pages

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In the United Kingdom, the '''Eleven Plus''' or '''Transfer Test''' is an [[examination]] administered to some students in their last year of primary education. The name derives from the student age group: 11-12 years. The ''Eleven Plus'' examination was once used throughout the UK but is now only used in a number of counties and boroughs in England, and, more widely, in Northern Ireland. The ''Transfer Test'' is especially associated with the [[Tripartite System]] which was in use for thirty-two years, from 1944 to 1976.
{{dablink|This article is about the city of '''Versailles'''. For the Château de Versailles, see '''[[Palace of Versailles]]'''. For other uses, see [[Versailles (disambiguation)]].}}
{{French commune
|name =Versailles
|image=[[Image:Eglise notre dame versailles façade.jpg|275px]]
|caption=Notre-Dame Church in the town centre of Versailles
|region=[[Île-de-France (région)|Île-de-France]] |
map_size=270px
|adjustable_map =Versailles_map.png
|mapcaption=Location (in red) within the Paris outer suburbs
|lat_long={{coord|48|48|19|N|2|8|6|E|region:FR_type:city}}
|department=[[Yvelines]] <br>(''[[Prefectures in France|préfecture]]'')
|arrondissement=Versailles
|canton=Chief town of 3 cantons:<br>[[Canton of Versailles-Nord|Versailles-Nord]]<br>[[Canton of Versailles-Nord-Ouest|Versailles-Nord-Ouest]]<br>[[Canton of Versailles-Sud|Versailles-Sud]]
|insee=78646
| cp=78000
|gentilé=Versaillais
|maire=François de Mazières
| mandat=2008-
|intercomm= [[Communauté de communes du Grand Parc|Communauté<br>de communes<br>du Grand Parc]]
|alt moy=132 m
|alt mini=103 m
|alt maxi=180 m
|hectares=2,618
|km²=26.18
|sans=<br>86,400<br>85,726
|date-sans=Jan. 1, 2005 estimate)<br>([[March 8]], [[1999]] census| dens=3,300 |
date-dens=2005}}
'''Versailles''' ({{pronounced|vɛʀsaj}} in [[French language|French]]), formerly ''de facto'' capital of the kingdom of [[France]], is now a wealthy suburb of [[Paris]] and is still an important administrative and judicial center. The city (''[[communes of France|commune]]'') of Versailles, located in the western suburbs of Paris, 17.1&nbsp;km (10.6&nbsp;mi) from the [[Kilometre Zero|center of Paris]], is the ''[[Prefectures in France|préfecture]]'' (capital) of the [[Yvelines]] ''[[departments of France|département]]''. The population of the city according to 2005 estimates was 86,400 inhabitants, down from a peak of 94,145 inhabitants in 1975. Versailles is made world-famous by the ''[[Palace of Versailles|Château de Versailles]]'', from the forecourt of which the city has grown.


The ''Transfer Test'' examination tests a student's ability to solve problems using [[verbal reasoning]], maths and non-verbal reasoning. Introduced in 1944, the examination was used to determine which type of school the student should attend after [[primary education]]: a [[Grammar schools in the United Kingdom|grammar school]], a [[secondary modern]] school, or a [[Secondary Technical School|technical school]]. The base of the Tripartite System was the idea that skills were more important, rather than financial resources, and that different skills required different schooling.
==A seat of power==
Versailles was the unofficial capital city of the kingdom of France from May 1682 (when King [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]] moved the court and government permanently to Versailles) until September 1715 (death of Louis XIV and regency, with the regent [[Philip II, Duke of Orléans|Philippe d'Orléans]] returning to [[Paris]]), and then again from June 1722 (when [[Louis XV of France|Louis XV]] returned to Versailles permanently) to October 1789 (when [[Louis XVI of France|Louis XVI]] was forced to move back to Paris by the people of Paris). During the entire period, Paris remained the official capital city of France, and the official royal palace was the [[Louvre|Palace of the Louvre]], but in practice government affairs were conducted from Versailles, and Versailles was regarded as the real capital city.


==Structure==
Versailles became again the unofficial capital city of France from March 1871 (when the French government took refuge in Versailles due to the insurrection of the [[Paris Commune]]) until November 1879 (when the newly elected left-wing republicans relocated the government and parliament to Paris).


The structure of the ''Eleven Plus'' examination varied in time, and among the using counties. Usually, it consisted of three papers:
Versailles was made the ''[[préfecture]]'' (capital) of the [[Seine-et-Oise]] ''[[département in France|département]]'' at its inception in March 1790 (Seine-et-Oise had approximately 100,400 inhabitants at its creation). By the 1960s, with the growth of the Paris suburbs, the Seine-et-Oise ''département'' had reached almost 3 million inhabitants and was deemed too large and ungovernable, and thus it was split into three ''départements'' in January 1968. Versailles was made the ''préfecture'' of the [[Yvelines]] ''département'', the largest chunk of the former Seine-et-Oise ''département''. At the 1999 census the Yvelines ''département'' had 1,354,304 inhabitants.


* (i) Arithmetic — A [[mental arithmetic]] test.
Versailles is the seat of a Roman Catholic [[diocese]] (bishopric) which was created in 1790. The [[diocese of Versailles]] is subordinate to the [[archdiocese of Paris]].


* (ii) Writing — An essay question on a general subject.
In 1975 Versailles was made the seat of a [[Court of Appeal]] whose jurisdiction covers the western suburbs of Paris.


* (iii) General Problem Solving — A test of general knowledge, assessing the ability to apply logic to simple problems.
Since 1972, Versailles has been the seat of one of France's 30 nationwide ''académies'' (districts) of the Ministry of National Education. The ''académie de Versailles'', the largest of France's 30 ''académies'' by its number of pupils and students, is in charge of supervising all the elementary schools and high schools of the western suburbs of Paris.


At the age of eleven or twelve, most children sat for the ''Eleven Plus'' transfer test examination in their final, primary school year. In certain counties ([[Buckinghamshire]]) it also was possible to sit the test a year early — a process named the ''Ten Plus''; (recently, the Buckinghamshire test was called the ''Twelve Plus'' and sat for a year later than usual).
Versailles is also an important node for the French army, a tradition going back to the monarchy, with for instance the military camp of Satory and other institutions.


Originally, sitting for the transfer test was voluntary, currently, some 30 per cent of students in Northern Ireland do not sit for it. <ref>[http://www.deni.gov.uk/index/85-schools/6-admission-and-choice/6-transfer-procedure.htm Transfer Procedure - Department of Education, Northern Ireland<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
==Geography==
Versailles is located 17.1&nbsp;km (10.6&nbsp;miles) west-southwest from the [[Kilometre Zero|center of Paris]] (as the crow flies). The city sits on an elevated plateau, 130 to 140&nbsp;meters (425 to 460&nbsp;ft) above sea-level (whereas the altitude of the center of Paris is only 33&nbsp;m (108&nbsp;ft) above sea level), surrounded by wooded hills: in the north the woods of [[Marly-le-Roi|Marly]] and Fausses-Reposes, and in the south the forests of Satory and [[Meudon]].


== Current practice ==
The city of Versailles ([[Commune in France|commune]]) has an area of 26.18&nbsp;km² (10.11&nbsp;sq&nbsp;mi, or 6,469&nbsp;[[acre]]s), which is a quarter of the area of the city of Paris. In 1999, the city of Versailles had a population density of 3,275/km² (8,481/sq&nbsp;mi), whereas the city of Paris had a density of 20,164/km² (52,225/sq&nbsp;mi).


Eleven plus and similar type exams vary around the country but will use some or all of the following components.
Born out of the will of a king, the city has a rational and symmetrical grid of streets. For the standards of the 18th century, Versailles was a very modern European city. Versailles was used as a model for the building of [[Washington DC]] by [[Pierre Charles L'Enfant]]


* [[Verbal reasoning]] (VR)
==History==
* Nonverbal reasoning (NVR)
The name of Versailles appears for the first time in a medieval document dated A.D. 1038. In the feudal system of medieval France, the lords of Versailles came directly under the king of France, with no intermediary overlords between them and the king; yet they were not very important lords. In the end of the 11th century the village curled around a medieval castle and the Saint Julien church. Its farming activity and its location on the road from Paris to [[Dreux]] and [[Normandy]] brought prosperity to the village, culminating in the end of the 13th century, the so-called "century of [[Louis IX of France|Saint Louis]]", famous for the prosperity of northern France and the building of gothic cathedrals. The 14th century brought the [[Black Plague]] and the [[Hundred Years' War]], and with it death and destruction. At the end of the Hundred Years' War in the 15th century, the village started to recover, with a population of only 100 inhabitants.
* Mathematics (MA)
* Writing (EN)


In Buckinghamshire children sit just two verbal reasoning papers. In Kent children will sit all four of the above disciplines. However, in the [[London Borough of Bexley]] from September 2008, pupils sitting the 11 plus exam will be required to only do a Mathematics and Verbal reasoning following a public consultation. In Essex children sit Verbal Reasoning, Maths and English. Other areas use other combinations. Some authorities/areas operate an opt-in system, whilst others (such as Buckinghamshire) operate an opt-out system where all pupils are entered unless parents decide to opt out. In North Yorkshire, Leeds/Harrogate/York area, children are only required to sit two tests: Verbal and Non-Verbal reasoning.
In 1561, Martial de Loménie, secretary of state for finances under King [[Charles IX of France|Charles IX]], became lord of Versailles. He obtained permission to establish four annual fairs and a weekly market on Thursdays. The population of Versailles was 500 inhabitants. Martial de Loménie was murdered during the [[St. Bartholomew's Day massacre]] ([[August 24]], [[1572]]). In 1575 Albert de Gondi, a man from [[Florence]] who had come to France along with [[Catherine de' Medici]], bought the [[Manorialism|seigneury]] of Versailles.


===Louis XIII===
==Importance==
[[Image:Louis XIIIval grace.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Louis XIII, the builder of the original Château at Versailles]]
Henceforth Versailles was the possession of the family of Gondi, a family of wealthy and influential parliamentarians at the ''[[Parlement]]'' of Paris. Several times during the 1610s, the Gondi invited King [[Louis XIII of France|Louis XIII]] to hunt in the large forests of Versailles. In 1622 the king became the owner of a piece of wood in Versailles for his private hunting. In 1624 he bought some land and ordered Philibert Le Roy to build there a small hunting "gentleman's chateau" of stone and red bricks with a slate roof.


The eleven plus was created as part of the 1944 [[Education Act 1944|Butler Education Act]]. This established a [[Tripartite System]] of education, with an academic, a technical and a functional strand. Prevailing educational thought at the time argued that testing was an effective way of finding which strand a child was most suited for. The results from the exam would be used to match a child’s abilities and future career needs to their secondary school.
This small manor was the site of the famous historical event called the Day of the Dupes, on [[November 10]], [[1630]], when the party of the queen mother was defeated and [[Cardinal Richelieu|Richelieu]] was confirmed as prime minister. Eventually, in 1632, the king obtained the seigneury of Versailles altogether from the Gondi. The castle was enlarged between 1632 and 1634. At the death of Louis XIII in 1643 the village had 1,000 inhabitants.


When the system was implemented, the [[Secondary Technical School|technical schools]] did not appear on the scale envisaged. Instead, the Tripartite System came to be characterised by fierce competition for places at the prestigious [[Grammar schools in the United Kingdom|grammar schools]]. As such, the eleven plus took on a particular significance. Rather than allocating according to need or ability, it became seen as a question of passing or failing. This led to the exam becoming widely resented.
===Louis XIV===
King [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]], his son, was only five years old. It was only 20&nbsp;years later, in 1661, when Louis XIV commenced his personal reign, that the young king showed interest in Versailles. The idea of leaving Paris, where as a child he had experienced first-hand the insurrection of the [[Fronde]], had never left him. Louis XIV commissioned his architect [[Le Vau]] and his landscape architect [[André Le Nôtre|Le Nôtre]] to transform the castle of his father, as well as the park, in order to accommodate the court. In 1678, after the [[Treaty of Nijmegen]], the king decided that the court and the government would be established permanently in Versailles, which happened on [[May 6]], [[1682]].


==Controversy==
At the same time, a new city was emerging from the ground, resulting from an ingenious decree of the king dated [[May 22]], [[1671]], whereby the king authorized anyone to acquire a lot in the new city for free. There were only two conditions to acquire a lot: 1- a token tax of 5 shillings (''5 sols'') per arpent of land should be paid every year (in 2005 US dollars, that's $0.03 per {{convert|1000|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} per year); 2- a house should be built on the lot according to the plans and models established by the ''Surintendant des [[Bâtiments du Roi]]'' (architect in chief of the royal demesne). The plans provided for a city built symmetrically with respect to the Avenue de Paris (which starts from the entrance of the castle). The roofs of the buildings and houses of the new city were not to exceed the level of the Marble Courtyard, at the entrance of the castle (built above a hill dominating the city), so that the perspective from the windows of the castle would not be obstructed.


{{Weasel}}
The old village and the Saint Julien church were destroyed to make room for buildings housing the administrative services managing the daily life in the castle. On both sides of the Avenue de Paris were built the Notre-Dame neighborhood and the Saint-Louis neighborhood, with new large churches, markets, aristocratic mansions, buildings all built in very homogeneous style according to the models established by the ''Surintendant des Bâtiments du Roi''. Versailles was a vast construction site for many years. Little by little came to Versailles all those who needed or desired to live close to the political power. At the death of the Sun King in 1715, the village of Versailles had turned into a city of approximately 30,000 inhabitants.


{{POV-section|date=January 2008}}
[[Image:Map of Versailles in 1789 by William R Shepherd (died 1934).jpg|thumb|300px|right|Versailles in 1789.]]


The eleven plus was the result of the major changes taking place in British education in the years up to 1944. In particular, the [[Hadow report]] of 1926 called for the division of primary and secondary education, to take place on the cusp of adolescence at 11 or 12. The imposition of such a stark break in the Butler Act seemed to offer an ideal opportunity to implement streaming, since all children would be changing school anyway. Testing at 11 emerged largely as a historical accident, without clear forethought.
===Louis XV and Louis XVI===
When the court of King [[Louis XV of France|Louis XV]] returned to Versailles in 1722, the city had 24,000 inhabitants. With the reign of Louis XV, Versailles grew even further. Versailles was the capital of the most powerful kingdom of Europe, and the whole of Europe admired the new architecture and design trends coming from Versailles. Soon enough, the strict building rules decided under Louis XIV were not respected anymore, real estate speculation flourished, and the lots that had been given for free under Louis XIV were now on the market for hefty prices. By 1744 the population reached 37,000 inhabitants. The cityscape changed considerably under kings Louis XV and [[Louis XVI of France|Louis XVI]]. Buildings were now taller. King Louis XV built a Ministry of War, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (where the [[Treaty of Paris (1783)]] ending the [[American Revolutionary War]] was signed in 1783 with the [[United Kingdom]]), and a Ministry of the Navy. By 1789 the population had reached 60,000 inhabitants,<ref>{{fr_icon}} {{cite web |url=http://gallica.bnf.fr/document?O=N024666|title=Volume 31 (on page 882)|author=[[La Grande Encyclopédie]]|date=1902|accessdate=2007-06-20}}</ref> and Versailles was now the seventh or eighth-largest city of France, and one of the largest cities of Europe.


Criticism of the eleven plus arose on a number of grounds, though many related more to the wider education system than to academic selection generally or the 11+ specifically. The probability of gaining a place at a Grammar School was influenced by location and gender. 35% of pupils in the [[South West of England|South West]] secured grammar school places as opposed to 10% in [[Nottinghamshire]].<ref>Szreter, S. Lecture, University of Cambridge, Lent Term 2004</ref> Due to the continuance of [[Single-sex Education|single-sex schooling]], there were fewer places for girls than boys.
===French Revolution===
Seat of the political power, Versailles naturally became the cradle of the [[French Revolution]]. The [[Estates-General of 1789|Estates-General]] met in Versailles on [[May 5]], [[1789]]. The members of the [[Third Estate]] took the [[Tennis Court Oath]] on [[June 20]], [[1789]], and the [[National Constituent Assembly]] abolished [[feudalism]] on [[August 4]], [[1789]]. Eventually, on [[October 5]] and 6, 1789, a throng from Paris invaded the castle and forced the royal family to move back to Paris. The National Constituent Assembly followed the king to Paris soon afterwards, and Versailles lost its role of capital city.


The merits of testing at 11+, when children were at varying stages of [[Adolescence|maturity]], have been questioned, particularly when the impact of the test on later life is taken into account. Children who developed later (so-called "late bloomers") suffered because there was inflexibility in the system to move them between grammar and secondary modern schools{{fact|date=May 2008}}. Once a child had been allocated to one type of school or the other it was extremely difficult to have this assessment changed {{fact|date=May 2008}}. (It was however possible, at least in some areas, for academically able pupils from secondary modern schools to transfer to grammar schools around age 17 in order to study for GCE A-levels, and in some cases to progress to higher education.) Areas using the exam today have recognised this concern, and offer reassessment in later years, notably at [[Key Stage 3]].
From then on, Versailles lost a good deal of its inhabitants. From 60,000, the population declined to 26,974 inhabitants in 1806.<ref name=censuses>{{fr_icon}} {{cite web |url=http://cassini.ehess.fr/cassini/fr/html/fiche.php?select_resultat=39569|title=Versailles - Notice communale|author=Cassini Project|accessdate=2007-06-20}}</ref> The castle, stripped of its furniture and ornaments during the Revolution, was left abandoned, with only [[Napoleon]] briefly staying one night there and then leaving the castle for good. King [[Louis-Philippe]] saved the castle from total ruin by transforming it into a National Museum dedicated to "all the glories of France" in 1837. Versailles had become a sort of Sleeping Beauty. It was a place of pilgrimage for those nostalgic of the old monarchy.


Critics of the eleven plus also claimed that there was a strong class bias in the exam. [[JWB Douglas]], studying the question in 1957, found that children on the borderline of passing were more likely to get grammar school places if they came from middle class families.<ref>Sampson, A. ''Anatomy of Britain Today'', London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1965, p195</ref> For example, questions about the role of household servants or classical composers were easier for middle class children to answer but far less familiar to those from less wealthy or less educated backgrounds. This criticism was certainly true of the earlier forms of the exam, and as a result the eleven plus became more like an IQ test during the 1960s. It has been argued that middle class opposition to the eleven plus rose partly as a result of this move to greater fairness{{fact|date=May 2008}}.
===19th to 21st Century===
The [[Franco-Prussian War]] of 1870 put Versailles in the limelight again. On [[January 18]], [[1871]] the victorious Germans proclaimed the king of Prussia, [[Wilhelm I of Germany|Wilhelm I]], emperor of [[Germany]] in the very [[Palace of Versailles#The Hall of Mirrors|Hall of Mirrors]] of the castle, in an attempt to take revenge for the conquests of Louis XIV two centuries earlier. Then in March of the same year, following the insurrection of the [[Paris Commune]] the French government under [[Thiers]] relocated to Versailles, from where the insurrection was militarily quelled. The government and the French parliament stayed in Versailles after the quelling of the insurrection, and it was even thought for some time that the capital of France would be moved definitely to Versailles in order to avoid the revolutionary mood of Paris in the future.


The sociologist [[AH Halsey]] claimed that as much as one quarter of pupils were misallocated by the exam. It is generally agreed that the eleven plus exam itself was imperfect and those advocating a return to the Tripartite System usually acknowledge the need to review testing methods.
Restoration of the monarchy was even almost realized in 1873 with [[Henri, comte de Chambord]]. Versailles was again the political center of France, full of buzz and rumors, with its population briefly peaking at 61,686 in 1872,<ref name=censuses /> matching the record level of population reached on the eve of the French Revolution 83&nbsp;years earlier. Eventually, however, as the left-wing republicans won elections after elections, the parties supporting a restoration of the monarchy were defeated and the new majority decided to relocate the government to Paris in November 1879, with Versailles experiencing a new population setback (48,324 inhabitants at the 1881 census).<ref name=censuses /> After that, Versailles was never again used as the capital city of France, but the presence of the French Parliament there in the 1870s left a vast hall built in one aisle of the palace which is still used by the French Parliament when it meets in Congress to amend the French Constitution.


==Use of the eleven plus today==
[[Image:026 24A.JPG|thumb|300px|right|The palace in Versailles in the spring of 2006]]
It was not until 1911 that Versailles definitely recovered its level of population of 1789, with 60,458 inhabitants at the 1911 census.<ref name=censuses /> In 1919, at the end of the [[First World War]], Versailles was put in the limelight again as the [[Treaty of Versailles|various treaties]] ending the war were signed in the castle proper and in the [[Grand Trianon]]. After 1919, as the suburbs of Paris were ever expanding, Versailles was absorbed by the urban area of Paris and the city experienced a strong demographic and economic growth, turning it into a large suburban city of the metropolitan area of Paris. The role of Versailles as an administrative and judicial center has been reinforced in the 1960s and 1970s, and somehow Versailles has become the main centre of the western suburbs of Paris.


In counties in which vestiges of the Tripartite System still survive, the eleven plus continues to exist. Today it usually takes on the form of an entrance test to a specific group of schools, rather than a blanket exam for all pupils, and is taken voluntarily. For more information on these, see the main article on [[Grammar schools in the United Kingdom|grammar schools]]. The largest area still operating the eleven plus is [[Northern Ireland]], although it is planned to phase the exam out. For more information, see the main article on the [[Tripartite System]].
The centre of the town has kept its very bourgeois atmosphere, while more middle-class neighborhoods have developed around the train stations and in the outskirts of the city. Versailles is a chic suburb of Paris well linked with the center of Paris by several train lines. However, the city is extremely compartmented, divided by large avenues inherited from the monarchy which create the impression of several small cities ignoring each other. Versailles was never an industrial city, even though there are a few chemical and food processing plants. Essentially, Versailles is a place of services, such as public administration, tourism, business congresses, and festivals. Versailles is also an important military center, with several units and training schools headquartered at the [[Satory]] camp, where a military exhibition is organized annually. From 1951 until France's withdrawal from NATO unified command in 1966, nearby Rocquencourt was the site for [[SHAPE]], and the famous [[2nd_Armored_Division_(France)|2nd Armored Division]] was headquartered there until 1999.


Independent schools, particularly those [[Grammar schools in the United Kingdom|Direct Grant Grammars]] which seceded from the state system after the abolition of the Tripartite System, often model their entrance exams upon the old eleven plus.
==Culture==
Versailles' primary cultural attraction is, of course, the Palace, with its ornately decorated rooms and historic significance. However, the town has other points of cultural notability; in recent times, its position as an affluent suburb of Paris has meant that it forms a part of the Paris artistic scene, and musical groups such as [[Phoenix (band)|Phoenix]], [[Air (band)|Air]] and [[Daft Punk]] have some link to the city {{Fact|date=June 2007}}, same for the famous music videos and films director [[Michel Gondry]].


The content of the examination differs from area to area, but most children sit a Verbal Reasoning paper, many sit a non-verbal reasoning paper, some sit an English paper and some sit a Mathematics paper or different combinations of all four.
==Demographics==
===Historical population===
{| align="center" rules="all" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4" style="border: 1px solid #999; border-right: 2px solid #999; border-bottom:2px solid #999; background: #f3fff3"
|+ style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 1.1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em"| Historical population
! 1450<br>estimate !! 1561<br>estimate !! 1643<br>estimate !! 1715<br>estimate !! 1722<br>estimate !! 1744<br>estimate !! 1787<br>estimate !! 1793<br>estimate !! 1800<br>census !! 1806<br>census !! 1821<br>census
|-
| align=center| 100 || align=center| 500 || align=center| 1,000 || align=center| 30,000|| align=center| 24,000 || align=center| 37,000 || align=center| 60,000 || align=center| 35,093 || align=center| 27,574 || align=center| 26,974 || align=center| 27,528
|-
! 1831<br>census !! 1836<br>census !! 1841<br>census !! 1846<br>census !! 1851<br>census !! 1856<br>census !! 1861<br>census !! 1866<br>census !! 1872<br>census !! 1876<br>census !! 1881<br>census
|-
| align=center| 28,477 || align=center| 29,209 || align=center| 35,412 || align=center| 34,901 ||align=center| 35,367 ||align=center| 39,306 ||align=center| 43,899 ||align=center| 44,021 || align=center| 61,686 ||align=center| 49,847 || align=center| 48,324
|-
! 1886<br>census !! 1891<br>census !! 1896<br>census !! 1901<br>census !! 1906<br>census !! 1911<br>census !! 1921<br>census !! 1926<br>census !! 1931<br>census !! 1936<br>census !! 1946<br>census
|-
| align=center| 49,852 || align=center| 51,679 || align=center| 54,874 || align=center| 54,982 || align=center| 54,820 || align=center| 60,458 || align=center| 64,753 || align=center| 68,574 || align=center| 66,859 || align=center| 73,839 || align=center| 70,141
|-
! 1954<br>census !! 1962<br>census !! 1968<br>census !! 1975<br>census !! 1982<br>census !! 1990<br>census !! 1999<br>census !! 2005<br>estimate
|-
| align=center| 84,445 || align=center| 86,759 || align=center| 90,829 || align=center| 94,145 || align=center| 91,494 || align=center| 87,789 || align=center| 85,726 || align=center| 86,400
|-
| colspan=11 align=center| <small>Estimates before 1800, official census figures<ref name=censuses /> after 1800.
|}


===Immigration===
==Scoring==
The scores in a few cases (mainly in Kent, where the eleven plus is commonly taken in its most standard form, but NOT in any other areas of the UK) add up to 700. The verbal reasoning, mathematics and writing are all out of 141 (in standardised scores). Writing and mathematics are doubled and verbal reasoning added on to make a total score out of 700 standardised points.
{{France immigration
|collectivity_name=Versailles
|census_year=1999
|metropolitan_France=87.9
|outside_metropolitan_France=12.1
|overseas_France=0.9
|foreign_French=4.2
|EU-15=3.2
|non-EU-15=3.8
}}


When used to decide whether students are eligible for a grammar school education, a pass mark is set to decide. Usually, the pass mark is between 400 and 450. People who exceed that are given the opportunity to study at grammar school while those who fall below that are often not. Should a score be close to yet slightly below the pass mark, then the candidate may appeal to get into grammar school. Generally someone who gets between 500 and 530 has achieved just enough to pass. Those getting 530 to 600 are most likely fairly able to carry on to grammar school without a problem. Students who score between 600 and 650 are considered extremely bright. Those that exceed a score of 650 are rare yet exemplary cases and will have no problems whatsoever in making the transition from primary to secondary education.
==Transportation==
Versailles is served by [[Versailles – Chantiers (SNCF)|Versailles – Chantiers]] station, which is an interchange station on Paris [[RER C|RER line C]], on the [[Transilien La Défense]] suburban rail line, on the [[Transilien Paris – Montparnasse]] suburban rail line, and on several national rail lines, including low-frequency [[TGV]] service.


In Northern Ireland, pupils are awarded grades in the following ratios to pupils sitting the exam: A (25%), B1 (5%), B2 (5%), C1 (5%), C2 (5%), D (55%) and there is no official distinction between pass grades and fail grades.
Versailles is also served by two other stations on Paris RER line C: [[Versailles – Rive Gauche (Paris RER)|Versailles – Rive Gauche]] (the closest station to the [[Palace of Versailles]]) and [[Porchefontaine (Paris RER)|Porchefontaine]].


==References==
Versailles is also served by two stations on the [[Transilien Paris – Saint-Lazare]] suburban rail line: [[Versailles – Rive Droite (SNCF)|Versailles – Rive Droite]] and [[Montreuil (SNCF)|Montreuil]].
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
Finally, the Versailles Matelots station is limited to freight and military use.


===Providers of Education Material===
==Sister Cities==
* http://www.aardvarkplus.co.uk/
*{{flagicon|ROC}} [[Taipei]], [[Republic of China|Taiwan]]
* [http://planetbofa.com BOFA 11 plus], offering Bespoke[[11+]] Online [[Formative Assessment]].
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Canberra]], [[Australia]]
* [http://11pl.us Test Teach]
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Pushkin (town)|Pushkin]], [[Russia]]
* http://the11pluswebsite.co.uk
*{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Nara, Nara|Nara]], [[Japan]]
* http://www.ksol.co.uk/wi
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Gießen]], [[Germany]]
* http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk
*http://www.11PlusSwot.co.uk
[[Category:Education in the United Kingdom]]


===In favour of the Eleven Plus/Academic Selection===
== References ==
{{clear}}
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{commons|Versailles|Versailles}}
*[http://www.versailles.fr Official website]
*[http://www.wikimapia.org/#y=48806637&x=2109461&z=13&l=0&m=a Wikimapia satellite view]
* [http://www.mairie-versailles.fr/newspage.php?id=1&pg=21&lg=eng City council website]
*[http://maps.google.com/maps?q=versailles,+france&ll=48.805733,2.118409&spn=0.015757,0.019855&t=k&hl=en Satellite Image of Versailles]
*[http://www.offrench.net/photos/gallery-8_location-84.php Palace of Versailles photos]
{{Préfectures of départements of France}}
{{Paris Metropolitan Area}}


* http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/leading_article/article548046.ece
[[Category:Versailles| ]]
* http://education.guardian.co.uk/specialreports/grammarschools/story/0,5500,1537655,00.html


===Against the Eleven Plus/Academic Selection===
[[af:Versailles]]
*http://education.guardian.co.uk/secondaries/story/0,12389,811843,00.html
[[ar:فرساي]]
*http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/features/mike_baker/2763973.stm
[[bs:Versaille]]
*http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/2713105.stm
[[bg:Версай]]
*http://www.york.ac.uk/search/cgi-bin/monitor.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.york.ac.uk%2Fdepts%2Fecon%2Fdp%2F0052.pdf&rank=4&search_words=grammar%20school
[[ca:Versalles]]
*http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,,1490391,00.html
[[ceb:Versailles]]
[[cs:Versailles (město)]]
[[de:Versailles]]
[[es:Versalles]]
[[eo:Versailles]]
[[eu:Versailles]]
[[fr:Versailles]]
[[gl:Versalles]]
[[ko:베르사유]]
[[hr:Versailles]]
[[id:Versailles]]
[[is:Versalir]]
[[it:Versailles]]
[[he:ורסאי]]
[[sw:Versailles]]
[[la:Versaliae]]
[[lb:Versailles]]
[[lt:Versalis]]
[[mr:व्हर्साय]]
[[nl:Versailles]]
[[ja:ヴェルサイユ]]
[[no:Versailles]]
[[nn:Versailles]]
[[oc:Versalhas]]
[[pl:Wersal]]
[[pt:Versalhes]]
[[ro:Versailles]]
[[ru:Версаль]]
[[simple:Versailles]]
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[[sl:Versailles]]
[[sr:Версај]]
[[fi:Versailles]]
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[[uk:Версаль]]
[[vec:Versailles]]
[[vo:Versailles]]
[[zh:凡尔赛]]

Revision as of 10:16, 11 October 2008

In the United Kingdom, the Eleven Plus or Transfer Test is an examination administered to some students in their last year of primary education. The name derives from the student age group: 11-12 years. The Eleven Plus examination was once used throughout the UK but is now only used in a number of counties and boroughs in England, and, more widely, in Northern Ireland. The Transfer Test is especially associated with the Tripartite System which was in use for thirty-two years, from 1944 to 1976.

The Transfer Test examination tests a student's ability to solve problems using verbal reasoning, maths and non-verbal reasoning. Introduced in 1944, the examination was used to determine which type of school the student should attend after primary education: a grammar school, a secondary modern school, or a technical school. The base of the Tripartite System was the idea that skills were more important, rather than financial resources, and that different skills required different schooling.

Structure

The structure of the Eleven Plus examination varied in time, and among the using counties. Usually, it consisted of three papers:

  • (ii) Writing — An essay question on a general subject.
  • (iii) General Problem Solving — A test of general knowledge, assessing the ability to apply logic to simple problems.

At the age of eleven or twelve, most children sat for the Eleven Plus transfer test examination in their final, primary school year. In certain counties (Buckinghamshire) it also was possible to sit the test a year early — a process named the Ten Plus; (recently, the Buckinghamshire test was called the Twelve Plus and sat for a year later than usual).

Originally, sitting for the transfer test was voluntary, currently, some 30 per cent of students in Northern Ireland do not sit for it. [1]

Current practice

Eleven plus and similar type exams vary around the country but will use some or all of the following components.

In Buckinghamshire children sit just two verbal reasoning papers. In Kent children will sit all four of the above disciplines. However, in the London Borough of Bexley from September 2008, pupils sitting the 11 plus exam will be required to only do a Mathematics and Verbal reasoning following a public consultation. In Essex children sit Verbal Reasoning, Maths and English. Other areas use other combinations. Some authorities/areas operate an opt-in system, whilst others (such as Buckinghamshire) operate an opt-out system where all pupils are entered unless parents decide to opt out. In North Yorkshire, Leeds/Harrogate/York area, children are only required to sit two tests: Verbal and Non-Verbal reasoning.

Importance

The eleven plus was created as part of the 1944 Butler Education Act. This established a Tripartite System of education, with an academic, a technical and a functional strand. Prevailing educational thought at the time argued that testing was an effective way of finding which strand a child was most suited for. The results from the exam would be used to match a child’s abilities and future career needs to their secondary school.

When the system was implemented, the technical schools did not appear on the scale envisaged. Instead, the Tripartite System came to be characterised by fierce competition for places at the prestigious grammar schools. As such, the eleven plus took on a particular significance. Rather than allocating according to need or ability, it became seen as a question of passing or failing. This led to the exam becoming widely resented.

Controversy

The eleven plus was the result of the major changes taking place in British education in the years up to 1944. In particular, the Hadow report of 1926 called for the division of primary and secondary education, to take place on the cusp of adolescence at 11 or 12. The imposition of such a stark break in the Butler Act seemed to offer an ideal opportunity to implement streaming, since all children would be changing school anyway. Testing at 11 emerged largely as a historical accident, without clear forethought.

Criticism of the eleven plus arose on a number of grounds, though many related more to the wider education system than to academic selection generally or the 11+ specifically. The probability of gaining a place at a Grammar School was influenced by location and gender. 35% of pupils in the South West secured grammar school places as opposed to 10% in Nottinghamshire.[2] Due to the continuance of single-sex schooling, there were fewer places for girls than boys.

The merits of testing at 11+, when children were at varying stages of maturity, have been questioned, particularly when the impact of the test on later life is taken into account. Children who developed later (so-called "late bloomers") suffered because there was inflexibility in the system to move them between grammar and secondary modern schools[citation needed]. Once a child had been allocated to one type of school or the other it was extremely difficult to have this assessment changed [citation needed]. (It was however possible, at least in some areas, for academically able pupils from secondary modern schools to transfer to grammar schools around age 17 in order to study for GCE A-levels, and in some cases to progress to higher education.) Areas using the exam today have recognised this concern, and offer reassessment in later years, notably at Key Stage 3.

Critics of the eleven plus also claimed that there was a strong class bias in the exam. JWB Douglas, studying the question in 1957, found that children on the borderline of passing were more likely to get grammar school places if they came from middle class families.[3] For example, questions about the role of household servants or classical composers were easier for middle class children to answer but far less familiar to those from less wealthy or less educated backgrounds. This criticism was certainly true of the earlier forms of the exam, and as a result the eleven plus became more like an IQ test during the 1960s. It has been argued that middle class opposition to the eleven plus rose partly as a result of this move to greater fairness[citation needed].

The sociologist AH Halsey claimed that as much as one quarter of pupils were misallocated by the exam. It is generally agreed that the eleven plus exam itself was imperfect and those advocating a return to the Tripartite System usually acknowledge the need to review testing methods.

Use of the eleven plus today

In counties in which vestiges of the Tripartite System still survive, the eleven plus continues to exist. Today it usually takes on the form of an entrance test to a specific group of schools, rather than a blanket exam for all pupils, and is taken voluntarily. For more information on these, see the main article on grammar schools. The largest area still operating the eleven plus is Northern Ireland, although it is planned to phase the exam out. For more information, see the main article on the Tripartite System.

Independent schools, particularly those Direct Grant Grammars which seceded from the state system after the abolition of the Tripartite System, often model their entrance exams upon the old eleven plus.

The content of the examination differs from area to area, but most children sit a Verbal Reasoning paper, many sit a non-verbal reasoning paper, some sit an English paper and some sit a Mathematics paper or different combinations of all four.

Scoring

The scores in a few cases (mainly in Kent, where the eleven plus is commonly taken in its most standard form, but NOT in any other areas of the UK) add up to 700. The verbal reasoning, mathematics and writing are all out of 141 (in standardised scores). Writing and mathematics are doubled and verbal reasoning added on to make a total score out of 700 standardised points.

When used to decide whether students are eligible for a grammar school education, a pass mark is set to decide. Usually, the pass mark is between 400 and 450. People who exceed that are given the opportunity to study at grammar school while those who fall below that are often not. Should a score be close to yet slightly below the pass mark, then the candidate may appeal to get into grammar school. Generally someone who gets between 500 and 530 has achieved just enough to pass. Those getting 530 to 600 are most likely fairly able to carry on to grammar school without a problem. Students who score between 600 and 650 are considered extremely bright. Those that exceed a score of 650 are rare yet exemplary cases and will have no problems whatsoever in making the transition from primary to secondary education.

In Northern Ireland, pupils are awarded grades in the following ratios to pupils sitting the exam: A (25%), B1 (5%), B2 (5%), C1 (5%), C2 (5%), D (55%) and there is no official distinction between pass grades and fail grades.

References

  1. ^ Transfer Procedure - Department of Education, Northern Ireland
  2. ^ Szreter, S. Lecture, University of Cambridge, Lent Term 2004
  3. ^ Sampson, A. Anatomy of Britain Today, London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1965, p195

External links

Providers of Education Material

In favour of the Eleven Plus/Academic Selection

Against the Eleven Plus/Academic Selection

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