11+

[GracieW]

How much time does your Year 5 DC spend working for this (either tutoring or homework)?

Just want to get an idea of the time commitment...

TIA

[portico]

We ignored school homework, as we formally requested to do so. Did this with ds1 and ds2, and both automatically got into their first choice super selective grammar.

Ds2 was the weaker of the two, and could not subs tract simple numbers at the beginning of year 4. With him, it was a work in progress up to a week before the exam, at which point he was ready. He spent about 5 hrs each day at the weekend.

In the summer holidays prior to the exam, he wotrked 10 hour days.

With the CEM exam, the aim is to improve literacy and vocabulary, and so I was teaching him. Luckily, he had a great attitude and was able to pick it up, very slowly at first but got there in the need.

[Mumof2wins]

Hello! Please could anyone who has the contact number for Mrs W (Daughter), PM details to me? Will be very grateful. Many thanks

[Talkjixiangruyi]

Hello , I m new to this. I wonder if anyone could help and recommend a best tutor and a Saturday school fir preparing 9+ and 10+ and 11+? For the entrance exams in west London as it is getting so competitive!

[arthistoricallondon]

Seems like works of art are a favorite subject of interviewers during the 11+... Got mine to look through 'What Am I Looking At?' book - hopefully she will feel she has a few leads to talk about!

[MumTryingHerBest]

TheFirstOfHerName I am a bit shocked that so many parents think their sons aren't being pushed hard enough. exactly what I thought given the published exam results.

RabbitOfNegativeEuphoria 100% of kids aren't supposed to get into grammar schools. I fully agree. However, SW Herts is a rather unique animal.

Those who get the highest marks can choose from 7 schools (8 if they qualify for QEB and possibliy 9 if they also pass the Bucks CEM test). Those who don't sit the 11 plus or get a low mark don't get a choice, they get allocated one of the three non-ranked schools or have to wait to see where they will end up (to emphasis the point, the area is facing a shortage of school places).

The consortium schools prioritise siblings (unlike standard grammar schools where siblings get in on the test).

The consortium schools also allocate distance only places. Unfortunately given that the two grammars are surrounded by rental flats and houses people simply move into the area, procure a place at the school, move back out and then benefit from the sibling places. Given that builders have just broken ground on a housing development within 300/400 metres of Parmiters, I'm waiting to see if it has the same impact on that school too.

For first born children living near Watford Boys who are not cared for, SEN or living more than 250 metres from the school, they are looking at trying to get one of the 19 academic places or one of 10 music place (in a standard grammar they will be looking to get one of 180 places). From what I understand, in order to get one of the academic places the child will need to gain a score that will place them in the top 4% of their cohort (not the top 25% or so that you find with many standard grammars). Granted this is the most extreme example in Watford but it does affect a good number of children.

I'm not saying it's wrong, I'm not saying it's right, but for me, as a local parent, it does raise the stress levels somewhat.

[TheFirstOfHerName]

Parents obviously don't like the online reporting system! We have known nothing else, so have nothing to compare it with.

I am a bit shocked that so many parents think their sons aren't being pushed hard enough.

I don't know why so many parents were unhappy with the Biology teaching. One teacher, perhaps?

The school has made changes to its careers advice in response to the survey; it now starts in Y9 and is more extensive.

[RabbitOfNegativeEuphoria]

Mumtryingherbest No, 100% of the kids in DD2s class were not level 6 in maths at the beginning of Y6 or indeed at the end. 3 kids were L6 at the beginning, about 6 by the end. 5 of them took the 11+ - for a superselective - including all the 3 who startedY6 on L6. 3 of them passed completely (category A) and one of them got in having passed 2 of the 3 papers (VR, English and maths). The 3 who passed completely were the 3 who started the year already L6 for maths (and mid-high L5 for English). 9% of the kids in the year therefore got into the superselective which is pretty good going servings as there were only 120 places for a massive geographical area - certainly less than 9% of all the secondary school places available. 100% of kids aren't supposed to get into grammar schools. To expect that is just bonkers. The really bright kids will be at the right level, they are the ones who 'should' be going to grammar school (if you buy into grammar schools, which I do). It's supposed to be a differentiating test. You just can't expect 100% of kids to pass it.

[voddiekeepsmesane]

oh oh no I haven't seen this ...thanks off to read it now

[MumTryingHerBest]

voddiekeepsmesane off topic but not sure if you've seen the parents survey on WGBS web site. Some interesting points in it regarding confidence of the children and academic progress :

www.watfordboys.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=35&Itemid=37

Not necessarily deal breaker stuff but interesting reading (there are ranking comparisons with other comparable schools which I imagine would include Parmiters)

[voddiekeepsmesane]

Fair enough MumTryingHerBest

[MumTryingHerBest]

voddiekeepsmesane Like I said I will be happy with the local Academy if that is what deems best for our DS.

I have posted exactly the same on the thread:

MumTryingHerBest Sat 04-Oct-14 01:31:55
Onlygrammarisgoodenough Scarily intelligent and well prepared children, too, Voddie.

My poor DD will not be able to compete

What year is your DD in? To be fair, I was blown away by Bushey Academy and I will be more than happy to put it as my safe option (provided I am in catchment next year). I Know someone who has a DD there so have the reassurance I need that my DC will do well there

No, this is not intended to be funny. I have cut and pasted the post simply to back up my claim.

[voddiekeepsmesane]

Forget it ...I was trying to show you that there is another way of thinking within the 11+ system, actually there are many ways of looking at it. While I appreciate that you see it as a highly competitive market, I see it as a means to an end. Like I said I will be happy with the local Academy if that is what deems best for our DS.

[voddiekeepsmesane]

Sarcasm the lowest form of wit

[MumTryingHerBest]

you feel the need to justify how little/much others/yourself do tutoring or what others consider tutoring/familiarisation.

I was commenting on a thread as per the topic of discussion:

How much time does your Year 5 DC spend working for this (either tutoring or homework)?

I appreciate you feel my posts were completely irrelevant to this.

[voddiekeepsmesane]

You seem to think I am against you or at the very least you feel the need to justify how little/much others/yourself do tutoring or what others consider tutoring/familiarisation. Chill do whatever you feel is right, stop worrying what others do. My original post was about how competitive I felt people get about 11+ but it was near the end of our 11+ journey that I allowed myself the headspace to think about what others were doing before that we just focused on what was right for our family. MumTryingHerBest you have a year to go you will burn yourself out if you do not chill a bit IMO

[MumTryingHerBest]

voddiekeepsmesane STOP with the documents please MumTryingHerBest it is coming across as very condescending. I apologise, it was not intended to be condescending, I was backing up my claims with what I felt demonstrated the reason for my view point.

[MumTryingHerBest]

voddiekeepsmesane ...I am not a sheep I don't believe I said you were.

Just because some from Watford do it does not make it right again, I don't believe I said it was. I was trying to highlight the fact that the problem in Herts is having a cascade affect into other areas.

[MumTryingHerBest]

voddiekeepsmesane just because you think everyone else is tutoring to death does not mean they are. just to make it clear, I do not think people are tutoring to death. I do think that the majority of people are doing more than 1 hour a week tutoring as you yourself have demonstrated. This will be particularly the case with people who are using tutors (which, as you have pointed out, is very much on the increase) given that the tuition session itself will normally be an hour long and many tutors give additional work to do at home.

If I'm honest I think 3 hours a week of tutoring is doing considerably more than just familiarisation. I appreciate you see it differently.

[voddiekeepsmesane]

Just because some from Watford do it does not make it right ...I am not a sheep

[voddiekeepsmesane]

But not in their hundreds as North and West London children do with the consortium test

[voddiekeepsmesane]

STOP with the documents please MumTryingHerBest it is coming across as very condescending. I have seen and read all these links you are putting up and just because I have a different view to you does not mean I am wrong in what I think just as much as what you feel isn't wrong. I suppose the whole thing of what I am saying and have been trying to say for many post is you do whats best for your child and family and just because you think everyone else is tutoring to death does not mean they are.

[MumTryingHerBest]

voddiekeepsmesane If I was in your situation I would do the same as you people in Watford try to gain places at schools outside the county in the same way that out of county people try to gain places at the SW Herts Schools (admittedly in much, much lower numbers).

From what I have heard, 8 boys from Watford got places at Chesham Grammar this year.

Bucks parents are becoming increasingly more concerned about the trend in the same way that Herts parents are.

[voddiekeepsmesane]

FiveHoursSleep I know most areas are lacking spaces I suppose I am defensive about places because I live in the consortium inner cathment. If I was in your situation I would do the same as you