WILLIAM KNIGHT (pictured) has become the first Herm School student to pass the 11-plus exam. The 11-year-old, who will go to the Grammar School, passed with a score of 251 and is in the top 15% of his year.
Will moved to Herm when he was three and has attended the school since reception. Other children have sat the exam, but they all left the school at the age of nine. Will is the first to have stayed on until Year 6 and graduate directly from Herm.
His first teacher was Janet Sandrey, who was succeeded by Mary Carey two years ago. ‘When Will’s parents approached me to see if I would be happy to put him forward for the 11-plus, I was confident that he was a bright boy who would do his best in exam conditions,’ said Mrs Carey.
‘I thought it was very important that children in Herm should have the same rights and opportunities as Guernsey pupils and I was prepared to do all that I could to make it possible for him to sit the exam.’
It is a general tradition for Herm students to attend Elizabeth College or Ladies’ College, but the Knights wanted Will to go to a school with both boys and girls.
‘We chose Grammar because it’s mixed, but also because it’s a fabulous school with fabulous facilities,’ said Will’s mother, Jos.
As with all Herm pupils, throughout his schooling Will has attended Vauvert Primary School one day a week.
‘Although he had to take the actual exam at Vauvert, they were very supportive towards him, especially his year teacher, Mrs Mclure,’ said Mrs Carey.
‘Vauvert were brilliant and they helped a lot,’ said Will. ‘It would have been a lot harder to do well without them.’
His achievement is even more impressive when you factor in the extra pressures of studying in the same classroom as reception children and having to stay away from home several times while sitting the seven exams.
‘We need to say a big thank you to Colin and Tracy Druce,’ said Jos. ‘Will stayed with them in Guernsey a lot between October and February and they treated him like part of the family.’
Mrs Carey feels all the extra work was worthwhile.
‘Will phoned to tell me he had passed,’ she said. ‘I was very excited for him and came over to celebrate with the family and community. It is an immense achievement and I am very proud of him.’
Younger brother Charlie will be ready to sit the exams in 2010.
‘Hopefully Charlie will go down the same route,’ said Jos. ‘Mrs Carey has already told us she’d be willing to do it all again.’
On the day the results came through, Will had a party to celebrate with the other Herm children, who will miss him greatly when he leaves the school.
‘I’m happy, though,’ said Will. ‘A lot of my friends from Guernsey passed and they are all going to the Grammar School, too, so it’ll be good.’
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