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Life Isn't Over at 11....

• Kim Lenaghan
• 3 Feb 07, 02:36 PM

And so today those all important 11 plus results dropped through letter boxes the length and breadth of Northern Ireland. I had a particular vested interest this year as my niece Katy was one of thousands of primary sevens nervously holding their collective breath and waiting for the results. In the end we needn¡¯t have worried. Katy, like her sister before her, got an A.

Of course we¡¯re all absolutely delighted, but for me the family celebrations were tinged with just a little sadness and regret. You see I didn¡¯t pass the 11 plus and, more than thirty years on, I still remember that day so vividly. It was like the end of the world. Bad enough being branded a failure when you're only just in double figures, but then to add insult to injury I was also losing all my friends, they were going to grammar schools while I was off to the local secondary.

As it turned out I got a very fine education there, went on to university and carved out a glittering career like many of my fellow failures. Not to mention the fact that these days a less academic and more vocational education may well be the better choice. Who wants a degree when they can be a plumber? So don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m not saying it keeps me awake nights, but every so often when somebody asks me what school I went to and I see a hint of shock registering on their face, it all comes flooding back.

If you¡¯re reading this thinking ¡°get over it dear¡± you're probably right, but the disappointments of childhood cut deep. We¡¯ve all got them, and I promise you this is much worse than not getting the bike you wanted for Christmas, or not being allowed to go and see the Bay City Rollers at the New Vic ¨C although that still rankles as well.

No, all I¡¯m saying is that with the final 11 plus exams scheduled for 2008, I, for one, won¡¯t be sorry to see them go.

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