The 1950s and the 11+.

I have been thinking about the 1950s. The decade before I was born seems a strange unfamiliar place; take, for example, the 11+ examination. In their last year  in primary school all the children sat an examination to determine which secondary school they would attend. Those who passed (around 20 to 30%) went to the grammar school, and the others went to the secondary modern. Passing or failing the 11+ could shape the rest of your life. My parents recall the precise moment they received the momentous news; a new bike was normally the reward for success. However it also meant that friendships developed during the primary school years were often ended as in many respects the grammar school child and the secondary modern child would move in different circles.
Even today there are counties in England that still run the 11+; some campaign to bring it back nation wide (although of course they are the people that assume their child or grandchild will be amongst the successful ones). The 11+ was phased out in most places during the 1960s to be replaced by the comprehensive school. I have a copy of the Flintshire 11+ examination for 1954; it is a measure of historical change that few children of 10 or 11 in 2010 could even attempt many of these questions. We should not worry though as the modern child can achieve things that were unimaginable to their counterparts in the 1950s. The following is a small selection of questions from the Maths and English section of the paper. How many can you do?