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AIBU?

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Original poster

any one know of children that didnt get in despite private tutors?

44 replies

KnittedBreast · 17/01/2011 11:50

i keep hearing about people tutoring their primary school children to pass the great test and enter grammer schools. does anyone know of any kids that didnt get in despite of all the extra help?

im talking state schools kids not private ones

OP posts:
NannyState · 17/01/2011 20:17

Most of the people who tutor their kids for specific grammar schools up my way (far north London) are disappointed. They want Henrietta Barnet or QE Boys or St Michael's, but the vast majority won't get a place at any of those schools. However, they may well get into other grammars.

Tutoring is no guarantee of anything.

PinkIceQueen · 17/01/2011 20:26

Over 1000 boys chasing 92 places at our Grammar school. Those that get in have generally been tutored every week for 1-2 years. Test paper includes passages from Charles Dickens in old English among other nonsense. Most boys are tutored either privately or at home. Pressure is huge on the poor boys and most don't get in even if they pass, just the (top) 92 for which there are places Sad

PinkIceQueen · 17/01/2011 20:27

PS no allowance is made for age in this area, my sons are both August, ds2 August 29th.

tyler80 · 17/01/2011 20:28

About 50% of my primary school probably sat the 11 plus and maybe 50% of them had tuition.

Of those who had tuition, I think most (but not all) passed, but often not high enough to gain a place (we were out of catchment)

Of those who had no tuition, some failed, some passed but didn't make the threshold and some gained a place. I got the highest mark in the 11 plus at that particular Grammar school and I'd had no tutoring but I didn't take up the place. [showoff emoticon]

Not all children need tuition and not all children who have tuition pass the exam.

Incidentally one of the people I know who failed the 11 plus despite tutoring went on to get 3 A's at A-level.

toddlerama · 17/01/2011 20:31

I know a girl who had a tutor for 2 years and didn't get in. I was her piano tutor and she was by no means below average intelligence. Not sure what else her parents could have done. Just one of those things.

Asteria · 17/01/2011 20:35

I didn't get in despite my mother's best efforts with extra lessons, but I hated the Grammar School and had actually sabotaged the exam - I went to a lovely local Convent instead.
Funnily enough my sister did the same 15 years later.

mrsshackleton · 17/01/2011 20:40

Yup I know a couple of very bright boys, tutored who didn't get into n london grammars, one didn't even make it past the first round. One of them got places at 3 highly selective private schools
It's tough

huddspur · 17/01/2011 20:46

I got into Grammar School without a tutor

GORGEOUSX · 17/01/2011 20:48

PinkIceQueen - That puts your DSs at a severe disadvantage - Do they not standardise nationally? Shock I thought it was a national thing - it is, after all, a fact that Autumn-born kids fare better in tests than Summer-born kids.

I've got a DD1 who is oldest in the class and DD2 who is youngest! There is a huge difference between where DD2 is now and where DD1 was when she was in Y6. DD2 is also physically slower, i.e. she never finishes tests, whereas DD1 always finished.

Ingles2 · 17/01/2011 20:57

I'm sure all test scores are standardized. They certainly are in the Kent test
There's no way parents would accept having their summer born children at a disadvantage and why should they.

PinkIceQueen · 17/01/2011 21:07

Tell me about the huge difference, I know! They are not standardized in this county, trust me I've checked. Both ds's are very bright, but as you say, a whole year is a long way behind the September borns.

MrsFlittersnoop · 17/01/2011 21:33

Yes - about 80% of the kids in DS's primary school who received extra tuition failed to get a place at a selective (state or independent) secondary school.

There were 1400 applications for 180 places at QE Boys School (Grammar) in Barnet last year.

cat64 · 17/01/2011 22:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

musicmadness · 17/01/2011 23:15

There are plenty - but there are also some who don't get tutored ang get a place.

Nina: There are a lot of children from Birmingham in Queen Mary's (both the boys and the girls schools) in Walsall, and some at Wolverhampton Girls I believe. Lots of people seem to apply to all of them.

musicmadness · 17/01/2011 23:15

*and - I can't seem to type well today Blush

Catnao · 17/01/2011 23:22

Some of my brothers and myself went to grammar schools. None of us were tutored.One of my brothers went to dad's school on a full scholarship. My littlest brother, who did not get into the grammar school went instead to the (very good and well respected) independednt school my dad teaches at (partly due to nepotism). Bottom sets for everything. Huge loss of self esteem. Bad idea.

Lilka · 17/01/2011 23:46

I'm actually really glad i don't live in any of these areas!! My teen does not go to the grammar near us (she goes to special school) but the nearest one just does the 11+ and does not rank scores! They also fluctuate on applications from quite a lot oversubscribed to barely filling the year. And they are still very good, get good results etc :)

Catnao · 17/01/2011 23:55

What's also weird is that I and my partner both tutor for 11 and 13 plus exams - and we are state school teachers in the day job!

State teachers are rubbish though, no? I've read a lot about "quality of teaching" in private schools....

curlywoman · 18/01/2011 00:50

I think, if you are determined enough to segregate your child from the rest of society, then it is worth paying more to do so

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