11+ Support Thread 2026

I agree that academic ambition is what matters most, but the relationship between affluence and ambition is quite complex. Because when affluent families can afford private schools, they might not prepare as heavily for grammar schools. In our all-through private school, the highly wealthy children basically do not prepare for the 11+ at all; academics are just not that important to them.

But I agree doing after summer is definitely discrimatory towards less affluent parents who can't afford things like this. @Bushmillsbabe

There are plenty of free 11+ papers online that provide enough practice, and typical 11+ materials only cost a few hundred pounds at most, which most families can afford. It doesn't require an "affluent" family. Starting preparation too early only benefits those who begin tutoring in Year 4 or even earlier, which is detrimental to a child's development. It is better to have the exam later rather than earlier, ideally after the Year 6 spring term. By then, children are more mature, and the exam content is less likely to exceed what they have actually been taught.

Absolutely this. Ours are taking the 11+ the first full week back. So we will try to do bits over the summer, but their brains and bodies need a break

Near us they do 11+ 'summer camp' in August, so will send DD to this - they do a combination of mock tests, revision and fun stuff. It's expensive at £600 for the week, but standard holiday camp would cost me nearly £300 for the week anyway. But I agree doing after summer is definitely discrimatory towards less affluent parents who can't afford things like this. And grammar is supossed to target bright less affluent children!

Do they use Collins for anything else? I haven't had anyone recommend Collins books so wondering what they are like.
We have just changed from Bond English Assessment practice to Cgp comprehension and 10 minute tests which we are finding better as the questions are more like the actual test.

We’re totally relying on the summer holidays to catch up! We only just kicked off our serious 11+ preparation this month, so there’s a pretty massive gap to close. The upside? DD is still fresh and ready to dive into intensive mode without burning out. The downside? The sheer volume of material we need to cover is slightly terrifying!

Same. She started Easter of year 4, so we are over a year into this now, and it's tough to stay motivated. I kind of wish they took it before the summer holidays, so then could enjoy it.

I'm finding if DDs teacher mentions something she has much more enthusiasm for it. We have also booked her tour of the school which has helped.
We are currently doing 1 hour tuition a week, 1-2 hours spread over 4 days during the week and a practice paper (alternating between maths and English) at the weekend.
We are generally getting about 60% on papers at home but we haven't tried the most recent exams. 65% should be enough as we are in catchment but we don't have an external mock now until end of August.
DD is occasionally disappointed if she gets something wrong but we keep focusing on the improvement.

DD just had her 2nd mock this week. She is doing well, tbh, the results are encouraging, so it's a case I think of managing the pressure over the summer and not going OTT. She deserves a normal-ish summer as much as we can. I think?

It is a very intense process, all rides on 1 morning of exams. Even GCSE's aren't as intense at that - mark mat be made up of coursework plus a couple of exams. And they do lots of them, so if one doesn't go great, can always think 'will try to make up in the other exam for that subject, or in a different subject'.

They are also incredibly hard. I'm got 10 GCSE's as A or A* and 4 A levels at A, so I'm pretty academic. And I find her papers tough!

our view was that if she doesn't get through with that level of support, then it's probably not the right option for her.
@Bushmillsbabe

I used to think this way too, but now I feel this logic is flawed. The intensity of the selection process does not necessarily correlate with the academic intensity once a student is admitted. It is entirely possible that life after entry is quite manageable. In fact, having looked at both GCSE and grammar school entrance exam papers, I believe that achieving a Grade 9 at GCSE involves far less pressure than securing a place through the entrance exam. A child who is perfectly capable of flourishing in a grammar school could still end up failing the entrance exam itself.

The exam is really hard sometimes. I'm year 10 QE and personally i remember who exhausting it was back when I did my 11+. The one thing that really worked for me was to let ur son/daughter relax a bit everyday in the summer. It should be proportionate. If you do too much revision, they'll be exhausted by the time it comes to the real exams.

@Bushmillsbabe we are trying a few indies, and HB as its local, but reading a thread earlier about DAO makes me think we won't get anything as these kids applying sound absolutely amazingly smart.

Absolutely this. Sometimes we need to step back and realise it really isn't a disaster if they fail, it's just an opportuinity and they will get lots of others.

Been in the same boat and keep laughing at myself when I catch myself thinking what “I would do” in their situation - the reality is they’re just kids! Of course they’d rather play and chill. Take it easy and hope for the best, do what you can and give them ample appreciation so they are not overwhelmed or stressed by this time, even when they look back. You are doing the very best you can and so are they, good luck!

Yep, we went to see the South Bucks grammar schools last autumn, and a couple of comps. She saw the contrast and really liked one of the grammars in particular, for it's sports and drama facilities ( I wish there was a recognition of the strong all rounder in these tests). Her favourite also does Latin

Following this thread with interest. For NVR/spatial, I would probably avoid huge blocks at this stage and do short timed bursts: 8-10 questions, then spend longer reviewing why the wrong ones were wrong.

We found confidence improved when the aim was spotting the rule, not just finishing another paper. For mocks, I would treat them as diagnostics rather than verdicts: if the same type keeps appearing, that becomes the week's focus; if mistakes are random/rushing, practise timing and checking strategy.

Good luck to everyone in the summer slog.

In total we are doing a similar amount each week (1hr tutor group, 1.5hrs during the week and 1hr paper at the weekend).
We have had struggles to keep going. We generally remind DD of the progress she has made and look through the Grammar school website to remind her of why she wanted to go there. For her it's because she wants to learn Latin!

I'm in same boat. At start of year DD was super motivated, very keen to go to grammar. Since Easter it has been a struggle to get her to do much, and we are only getting maybe 1.5 hours a week total (on top of her 2 hours tutoring) done and even that's a battle - I think she is a bit fed up with it all. And I feel bad for pushing her, but having come this far I don't want her to give up now.
Grammar is an awful system really, and if we had a decent comp nearby I think we wouldn't keep pushing

Can I just have a rant, Im doing home study for the 11 plus for 2 children. Trying to juggle this with work but its doable. Im getting more burnt out than the kids, I think because if it were me, id be studying all the time. My kids are just happily doing their fun stuff after school then fitting in a bit of study here here and there. Kids are doing ATOM and CGP as and when, scoring around the 90s on ATOM but it feels nowhere near what im reading about needing. Ended in me snapping at them last night and I felt terrible. I really dont want to stress them out either.

@FSCEme thanks for the suggestion I will have a look.

Have you tried the 11+ tests on the CGP subscription service? It’s only £6 a month. Good for quick practice tests and fast revision. My DS does a test or two before bedtimez