Tell me about getting in to a selective STATE grammar school please.

i pray our ds gets into grammar as there is no way i can even contemplate him going to the schools around here.

GCSE results are less than 40% and i dread to think what would happen if ds got involved with some of these kids. Their parents dont give amonkeys about their education and ds is very easily led, he would end up a no hoper.

www.chuckra.co.uk/educational/ has free practice questions and YouTube links to show you how to answer the questions.

Go and see the other option(s) too so that you can compare.

I would say go and look at the school - you may find that even if it seems better on paper the feel of it is not right for your own child and taking into account the journey etc. After all, for the hassle to doing the exam and then having the longer commute plus issues around after school activities and meeting friend after school you are going to have to really love it. Deffo go and see it because that is the only way you can be sure of what will be right for your child and your own circumstances.

I should clarify - the advice was that the top 20% of the ability range need apply. Think the statistics were something like over 1000 pupils sitting the exam, around 300 passing it and then 120 or 150 (can't remember which now) getting places awarded.

Agree that the exam itself is helpful practice.

Re one specific question in the OP which I don't think has been addressed yet - "Is it worth doing the exam just to see or is that too stressful allround and do we risk losing a place at the local school therein?" - the two grammars nearest us (but out of catchment) have moved 11+ to Sept, and apparently you get the results (in, out or waiting list position) quickly so that you have this info before you have to submit your school choices to the LEA. I don't know if this is local (Lancs) or national policy.

The website someone mentioned is www.elevenplusexams.co.uk.

It is a bit over the top, but you'll find a forum for your county and people who've been there, seen it, done it and will answer any of your questions.

Also your LEA (and the school, for that matter) will tell you which papers they use ( verbal or non-verbal reasoning), and which publisher's practise(?) papers to buy.

With DD, we coached her ourselves (mainly DH actually), and found that doing the papers with her, in friendly competition, was the best way to get her to co-operate.
Plus a reward for beating us.

I do have experience of travelling to a school half a mile away, and I would say that, apart from the travelling time, the main negative aspect is the fact that their friends live so far away and can't easily be seen out of school.

I wouldn't take a job 30 miles away, is it one bus or will he have to change ?

Reflexive or reflective?

Our experience of the 11+ was that it wasn't a big deal. We practised some papers with DD to make sure she got the hang of timed conditions. They had a really good and informative parents evening - the ability range is around the top 20%, they said. Your teachers at school would prob tell you if it is a goer (but expect you probably know yourself anyway).

Some people go really nuts about the 11+ - and hire tutors and stuff. Seems mad to me but apparently it is common.

Seriously would think twice about a 20 mile round trip or whatever - can't you move closer?

I don't know of any comprehensive school that doesn't set, usually by subject, and from very, very early on. Even the humanities are getting in on the act from year 7 in my school.

If you are after the highly selective whole school, then that is one thing. But the alternative isn't mixed ability teaching by any means.

I think when you feel let down by your state education then you are constantly struggling to keep the tiger under control

Am trying not to get sucked into yet another education debate. but...

Are you saying you think his options will be closed by going to the "decent normal state school" up the road?

Is that because you feel your comp education curtailed your options in life?

Yes - I do. Fantastic school but the few of us whose DDs are that far away all feel that it's had an impact on their health. DD1 gets on the (very expensive) bus at 7am and gets back in the door at 5pm. She has always been the child who needed no sleep, even when she was a baby, but is now flagging in Year 10. Actually missed a whole term last year with an undiagnosed illness which I think was probably related to complete exhaustion.

Also - are you prepared in the early years to drive them to friends at the weekend or having the friends staying with you on a frequent basis?

Now that she's 15, it's also harder to control what she gets up to at the weekends because so many of her friends live near school.

Another point (sorry, I do go on a bit) is after school clubs/outside school activities - these have been very restricted because of the long day/transport issues.

That's all the negatives - she's getting a fantastic education - I would say it's worth it, but go into it with your eyes open.

The difference between getting a place at my DCs grammar school and not, is ridiculous. It becomes a lottery in the end. Many do get 100% I am sure. 96% and you may not get in.I told all my 3 they most certainly wouldn't be a failure if they didn't get in.

But you do have to go into it with your eyes open as to how competitive the test is. Mine went to v ordinary state primary by the MC standards of where we live. They were the only 1 or 2 in their year to get in. The intake is dominated by private schools these days, didn't use to be, but they have cottoned on to 'free' education equivalent to the top private schools locally, and some of them are v. prestigious (not fair, but another argument I am currently on in Education...don't ask).

Once there, at our GS, it is not full of girls with eating disorders and competitive parents. It is actually full of quite reasonable and very normal parents with very normal children.

Once they are there, it is fine. It's the getting in that is so stressful.

thanks andiem, very ing indeed

thedolly by being involved in child health in the area concerned so seeing the referral patterns it is very marked and quite shocking tbh

my ds1 is being tutored not for the grammar but for private school and he does the bonds papers with the tutor
our state primaries do not prepare the children for the grammar entry at all which is wrong I think as they are 2 of the state schools in the area

andiem - how do you find out info like that?

LL - ring the LEA - they will give you information on the pass mark for the particular school (which can be as high as 90+%) and then you can decide whether or not you want your child to to labelled a failure because they only got 90%

you're right Lupus, I think it's going to be highly competitive for the next few years.
My ds is just finishing yr 4. He is very bright, his SATs levels are in the high 4's & 5's atm. I was planning to send him to a tutor for practice papers but it was recommended to me today due to the high number of admissions... eek... I thought he'd sail it!
In the mean time, have you done any verbal / non verbal reasoning tests? you can get them at WHSmith.. Bonds papers.
Ds1 will have to travel for about 45 mins each way (assuming he gets in :-)) but as we are rural, it's kind of expected anyway.
Heronsfly... I'm Kent,...can I have your insider info please

Have removed my Trotskyite hat (difficult job) but still would struggle with removing green hat (in terms of transport impact), and even then I wouldn't do it, I think childhood shoulnd't be wasted in long commutes. I loathe commuting to work myself, and go to great lengths not to do it, so why impose that on a child when they could instead be meandering casually down the road to the local school?