Channing - how smart to pass the 11+

This 100%

Highgate was very hard to get into last year but SHHS much less so, honestly not that hard for any halfway bright kid - I saw lots of offers to children who are perfectly lovely but by no means academically outstanding. This is because:

• post-covid exodus from London
• post-Brexit exit from London/UK
• 20% VAT on school fees
• end of the 'bulge' years.

Done!

In order of ‘how difficult to get in’, it probably goes Highgate, SHHS, Channing, St Margaret’s…

We did 10-11 when DD was in year 5. By summer before year 6 she was doing all the “ stretch” marked papers (( CGP and Bond), and in year 6 ( closer to the exams) she did 11-12+. This might be different for others, but it felt like the right level of challenge for DD and did not overwhelm her… good luck with your test prep journey:)

At Margaret’s is pretty non-selective but at 11+ many put as safe choice as it has only a few places you may not get in, even if very clever.
SHHS and Highgate are much harder to get into than Channing but all need tutoring, especially if not coming from a prep. You don’t really have safe choices yet, may need to expand your list slightly

Tutoring is about introducing the child to the type of questions they will see in the papers. Not all the topics on the papers are covered by state primary schools. Children also need to learn to work to time in the exams. Our tutor also made our DC select a news story to talk about every week in preparation for the interview.

As @ConfuzdMum says, I would definitly say the Consortium exam expects end of Y6 level as standard. That's why the prep schools work through it all by the end of Y5.

Shhs and highgste very academic, channing a bit less, st margarets is most people's backup

@Meena43 , no way! The questions we practised on Atom were up to end of year 6…

I really don’t, but then I don’t believe in pushing DC’s too hard as they just flame out as soon as the tutor support is taken away, if you see what I mean. Very few at my DC’s prep were tutored, mostly parents did it themselves with Atom.

But as you’ve said they’re strong in maths but not so strong in English, it might be worth getting a tutor for English. 1hr a week is pretty standard. It depends if they’re at a prep or a state school, if state then I’d be more likely to consider a tutor as they won’t have finished the Y6 syllabus early as preps do, in time for the 11+ in December.

I agree, it shouldn’t and heavy tutoring to get into a desired school if you aren’t naturally up to it isn’t a good idea.
However
If your kid is marginal or above then ignoring that others will be tutoring to increase their kids chances of a place will simply go against your child’s chances.
getting a good grade in the 11plus exams is down to practice and knowing how to answer questions quickly. There are a lot of tips and tricks to get to that point.
Students chances of success increase hugely with private tutoring and lots of practice.

The St Christopher stats are interesting (and impressive). In 2024, each girl had an average of 4.42 school offers. This does make me wonder how many schools each applied to.

Tutoring has its place but once you are getting into a child doing three hours a night of work, I will say that the benefits become more marginal. Tutoring won’t transform a child into a completely different person (and nor should it).

Agree with others - you just need to sign up for Atom, think it was £69/month when we signed up, and you only need it for 9 months till December. Money very well spent. 10-20 minutes on that a day and you will be fine. Your DD just needs to get used to the style of the Consortium exam VR and NVR, and a few practice tests.

Channing is dead easy to get into - as others have said it is lower in the league tables so for that reason only, it generally isn't the top choice for the brighter girls. It's a great school. SHHS is more academically selective but was surprisingly easy to get into this year - they gave offers to lots of girls at our (non-hothouse) prep, I was quite surprised tbh.

Highgate is a bit harder, again higher up the pecking order. But give it a shot, they love a bright state school kid who hasn't been spoon fed from a prep.

They are all lovely schools, good luck and don't worry - I agree about how foolish it is to be tutoring children above their level of ability, but that's not what we're talking about with Atom, it's really just putting in a bit of effort for the next 9 months to chip away at any weak areas, and get them used to the VR/NVR etc.

If you look at destination schools for a prep like St Christopher's, a lot of girls apply to Channing as it's a Consortium school and it's nearby. But for example, in 2024 they had 19 offers for Channing and only 2 acceptances (because most girls apply to more than one school, and it's lower down the league tables than some of the others so it's often a second choice). So they need to over-offer by a fair bit to get enough acceptances.

www.stchristophers.london/beyond-st-christophers/senior-school-destinations/

If your child is in state school, they will be competing against a lot of girls who are from preps which prepare them for the exams (and most have tutoring on top). So it makes sense to do some tutoring to get them familiar with the style and format, and get them up to speed. You can do it yourself if you have time, it doesn't have to be with a tutor (but it can be money well spent if only to outsource some of the mental energy required, and some children respond better to a tutor).

My friend didn’t bother with private tuition as her daughter was super clever and top of everything.
She failed
Others in her class which she said were average all passed . They had tutoring, and lots of it. one admitted 3hours a night plus 2 sessions a week with a tutor.

Dont risk it

Hey,

i am starting atom with my daughter as she has ADHD. She hates studying and going in atom she will only read comic books and if she gets stuck on a problem she’ll answer haphazardly.
im so stressed out.

Atom learning looks to have three price options. Can anyone recommend which one is best?

The one which gives the mock exam practise, which of course is the most expensive option!

Queenswood has a door to door transport service so even if it’s not as close as you would like, your daughter gets picked up and brought back to your front door. It makes things very easy and worry free!