How many of us have DS or DD going into year 6 and so having secondary transfer this year?

[RTKangaMummy]

How many of us have DS or DD going into year 6 and so having secondary transfer this year?

How do you feel about it?

DS goes back to school next Monday into class 6.

He has been at same school since Jan 1999, so sort of 7 years this year.

There is one class per year and they are a very close class, have got 26 children.

How do you feel about them entering into their last year at Junior school?

I feel sad that he is going to be leaving.

Is there anybody else who is going through this especially for the first time?

DS doesn't have any younger siblings so when he leaves primary school that will be the end for the family as well. IYSWIM.

Added to this is the secondary transfer issues.

I am sure when it comes to next summer he will be ready to leave as will probably grown up alot by then.

I was just wondering if others were thinking the same as me or whether it is just me being a silly neurotic mother again

.

good luck! it is a nervewracking time, I remember it well (son now in year 7).

Thanks - did he get where he wanted to?

good luck for milliboy

Kangaboy had the musical apptitude one this afternoon and he said it was hard but it was good experience for him to be in exam room etc.

Thanks - & good luck to Kangaboy for his other tests too.

Oh, Milliways, good luck for tomorrow!

Dd1 has her Grammar school test on Dec. 1st, and the language aptitude test for our 2nd choice school on December 3rd. The stakes are v. high for us, because applying to the grammar means we won't be considered by the good comprehensives. 'So no pressure, then" in dd1's words. But it was her decision as well as ours, so we'll ride it out and hope for the best.

Very very good vibes for all taking tests soon. Have you arranged a nice treat for when it's all over?

Well, I am going to West End show on Saturday.... But will probably go to see Harry Potter Film

Good luck to the Froglet!

good luck for today, Milliways'ds! I have a bright but not genius son, too.

In answer to your question, we were very lucky in that ds did pass the 11+ and got to his first choice grammar school, which also happened to be the nearest grammar school to us. We had a choice of three grammar schools here (Bexley), but much preferred the 'vibe' of the one ds chose.

If it's of any interest to you, ds found the non verbal reasoning paper the hardest - so did his friends. It was the last of the four papers they sat. I later found out, speaking to someone who invigilates the exams each year, that non verbal reasoning is always the hardest one - so it might be a good idea to prepare ds for the fact that if one paper seems harder than the others, this is not anything to do with him, it's just becauuse it is, and it's likely that nearly everyone else will find it harder, too.

Apart from the NVR paper, ds said the maths, english and verbal reasoning papers were definitely a bit easier than the Nfer Nielson practice papers he had been working on. He came out of the first exam ( maths) with a smile on his face, telling us he did his questions with 10 minutes to spare at the end, so he just sat there - I told him not to do this, but keep checking right to the end in case he found he's made a silly mistake. He had forgotten this important bit of exam technique in the relief of finishing the first paper.

In our case simply passing the 11+ can guarantee acceptance to a grammar school if you live near enought. The schools (two mixed, one boys, one girls) are oversubscribed, but choices are then based on distance to school, not how well you did in your 11 + (though the top 180 who sit the exam are guaranteed a place).

Good luck to anyone elses ds or dd facing this soon!

morning all, dd has joined a private school in yr 6 and in order for her to stay on for secondary school she has to do the 11+ im worried she wont pass she has the ability though not the motivation.

Well - he came out with a smile!

The Maths was "easier than the NFER practice papers". English had 3 passages with about 20 comprehension Q's on each one + a short essay req'd. Then he got VERBAL , but it was 86 q's in 45 mins so tough but he tried.

Now we have the long wait......

Good luck to anyone still about to sit their tests.

DEFFO BRILL MILLIBOY

Thanks

Good luck to KangaBoy for Friday

Thanks it is on saturday @ 12.30

Maths and verbal resoning

Is it NFER? - DS took those last week!

haven't got a clue

We haven't been told

good luck to everyone else DS and DD who have tests coming up too

Good luck to all of you! We went through this last year - ds missed out 2 questions in one of the tests for his/our fave school, so you might like to mention to your lot that turning over the paper is always a good idea, if they haven't already got too much to think about. (Ds did get in, though , and is very happy there.)

We are so relieved we're not having to do anything like that again for him. Very best of luck.

crumbs do you mean for the last page?

Well, I didn't actually see the paper but it seems that there were seven questions following a long piece of prose, and two of them were on the back of the sheet, which clearly said: Please turn over. It must've been badly designed, though, and actually ds hates that particular kind of paper and probably couldn't wait to get onto the next bit, which was writing a story. I have no idea by what process he got in - his story may have been v. good; or his other papers may have been v. good; or they may have taken into account my letter explaining that he hadn't seen the 2 questions.

Am sorry to add another thing to think about, but I so kicked myself for not telling him that one point re exam papers in advance.

wow soooooo much for them to think about

Last week he had the musical apptitude test and I told him to write something in every space cos he couldn't get a mark for empty space and he didn't leave any spaces I said a guess was better than a blank space

My DS's best tip in verbal was never to solve the whole of each code. Just do first 2-3 letters & see if multi choice answers have been narrowed down enough from there.

A teacher told me last week that in the English they are always looking for certain things to give marks too - a simile, metaphor etc

Just wonering how people are dealing with the "lasts". Last christmas play, last christmas party etc.

Call me sentimental but i'm finding quite emotional when I think about it, especially when combined with DD3s lasts in nursery before she leaves to start reception.

I am not dealing with it very well actually

Today was the last Christmas service and DS was reading and singing in the choir I videoed him very wobbly filming

After the service, class 6 were escorting the reception children on the walk back to school and seeing him walking along holding hands with Sam, 5 years younger than him made tears come to my eyes, {remembering when he was being escorted back to school by these huge children in class 6}

Last week he had the lead part in the school's prodution of SCROOGE and when we went to watch him just seeing all the younger ones made me think about when he was in infants and how big the class 6 children looked compared to him and now I am thinking how small they all look.

Last night I went out for drinks with the other class 6 mums and we were all saying about it

RTKnaga, just wait till the last day of term - all - and I mean all - of the year 6 mothers were in tears at the last school assembly. At the end, they had the class sing their leavers song to everyone as the whole school walked out. Not a dry eye in the house!

Good thing is, ds still has lots of links with the school via church and scouts. He'll be singing in church on christmas eve with about 30 other chrildren from the school, including a few old classmates. He still sees lots of his old classmates there or sees them outside for trips to the cinema etc. I was surprised and relieved to see how much the children keep in contact with each other.

Tigermoth Oh my goodness I have no idea what kind of state I will be in next July

The parents are organising a disco for all the children on the night they leave school

So they leave school in the afternoon and then they will be meeting up that night for a party in the church hall

So it will give them something to look forward to

We nearly always bump into someone from his class when we go into town or Tesco so hopefully that will continue to happen

Also DS will see some of them at church too and at the church youth club

Deffo brill that your DS still sees his friends from class 6