private school assessments pls help!

[2stressed]

Hi I'm new at this and hope I'm post this in the right area.

Were going to sitting private school assessments this coming Jan and I'm really stressed! I have heard so many children this yr not being offered a place at their first choice school or even second choice and can't believe it's so hard!

So many parents tutor but not sure we want to go down this road but having spoken to so many friends and friends of friends children who didn't 'make it' (so to spk) were stressing!

pls help!

forgot to say were in north London

There are lots of threads on here about the pros and cons of tutoring and whether you tutor your kids in general or tutor them particularly for the style of assessments your children will be doing. You don't say what age your dc are, that may help with specific advice.
Only you know your dc and their abilities. some kids get in after no tutoring, other parents pay a fortune and their kids end up at the local sink school, there is no hard & fast rule.

We went through it and I was so naive. I didn't even know that some kids were tutored! I just downloaded some sample tests from the internet of the sort of thing that may be set. I discussed interviews and the sort of things to talk about, & the things to avoid! Lucky dd got a place at her first choice. I remember the anxious wait for the results though but tried not to let dd know how anxious I was. I just said as long as she did her best I would be proud of her, even if the school didn't have a place for her.
Good luck.

Contact the admissions office of the schools you are interested in and get some past papers. Have a look at what was in the exam and decide whether or not your child will have covered all the necessary work by next Jan, if you can teach it yourself or if current school will indeed cover the work.

Then make the decision as to whether or not you need a tutor. Despite the recession the competition is very tough and they are able to pick and choose. I even know of some candidates who are being asked to resit a number of papers for certain schools to see whether their poor performance on the day was a glitch - so interviews count for a lot.

How old? If this is for reception, don't tutor, but do apply to at least 4 schools (assuming north London is anything like Chelsea). If older, it totally depends on the child, the schools etc. The arms race can be off-putting, but I think you can cover what needs to be done yourself if your child is aiming at the right level, but of course this is a personal matter - some people want to push their children to the most academic environment they can reach.