High proportion of our class with extra time in exams for 11 plus

[Treetoppers]

I have a daughter about to sit 11+ entrance exams in November/December. She is at a small prep (SW London) and after a parent meeting this morning it transpires a high proportion of our year group are accessing extra time, rest breaks, private rooms for tiger 11+ entrance exams. For context, the academic ability in the school is pretty high and a lot of these children are in higher sets for maths and English. Parents are quite open about it - it almost seems to be the norm.

My daughter has quite pronounced dyslexia - slow reading rate, awful spelling, slow processing. This is detailed in her ed psych report however she doesn't quite meet the threshold for access arrangements like extra time (which would really benefit her with comprehension for example). She has two low standardised scores but they are one point above the 84 / 89 required.

She sits in the lower 25% for ability - school have given me this info. I'm beginning to think she does not stand a chance in the exam process if children that I know to be academically very able are have exam concessions. Am I missing something? The odds really seem stacked against her.

I think if you have an academically able child who you know would thrive at a selective school then you pull out all the stops to make damn sure they get a place. It's why everybody tutors and I can understand people applying for extra concessions if the child is eligible.

Thing is without tutoring and concessions it would still be the same higher ability children getting the places.

There are some excellent non-selective state schools in London. And children who are well-supported at home can do well in most schools.
Passing the 11+ is really not the only route to happiness/success.

YANBU
It's well known that parents game the system in this way - getting private assessments to qualify for extra time etc. V common in my experience

DS (now 18) diagnosed in year 4 with dyslexia qualified for 25% extra time. Was retested this year as previous report was not adequate for Disabled Students allowance. New report confirmed dyslexia diagnosis and also diagnosed Dyspraxia. This report also recommended testing for ADHD and ASD. These are now in progress.initial testing undertaken by state school.

DD1 (15) was diagnosed 2 years ago with visual processing disorder and potentially dyslexia. Qualifies for 25% extra time. Was recommended to seek dyslexia testing, but unlikely to increase provision at this time. Testing undertaken by state school. Incidentally, subsequently diagnosed with a form of epilepsy associated with late diagnosed learning difficulties.

DD2 currently not diagnosed, but at this age, nor was DD1!

Sorry, I don't quite understand this post.
If someone has an academically able child, why would they need to be tutoring to get a place at a selective school?

Got a feeling I'm going to be jumped on, but I'm not part of this world so just trying to understand it.

Because those tests are very hard and don't just test general knowledge. You need to be familiar with the exam format and types of questions to be able to answer them quickly enough to compete with the thousands other applicants. Have a look at a VR or a NVR paper. They are hard for adults let alone 10-year-old kids and there is higher competition per place for many of these schools than for Oxbridge.

But OP if you are in London and looking at independent schools, there are some lovely schools that are more easier to get into than others.

easier to get into*

Did you need two threads on the same topic?

No, those than can afford the additional tutoring get it. You pull out all the stops to feed your children. The 11+ is a very unfair playing field as those with the parental dedication and money for tutoring are much more likely to get a place.

It was a ‘thing’ at my youngest’s school. Contact details of a local private dyslexia diagnosis centre were shared between parents. Nobody was ever not diagnosed who paid for an assessment at that one place. This was a known ruse passed on to our school by several parents with friends at another local independent school who did the same thing. About 3/4 of my child’s year were ‘diagnosed’ with dyslexia and got extra time in the 11+.
We didn’t go for a diagnosis but so many did. We’d already decided to keep them in the independent sector and they never sat the exam.
Paying for a diagnosis a child just to get extra time smelled very off to us. Some parents were very open about it, quite proud of it in one or two cases.

I don't disagree with you at all. But that's not what the thread is about