11+ Question

[BaconAndAvocado]

We have the opportunity of going on a holiday next August, the last 2 weeks.

DS2 will sit the 11+ about 2 weeks after we return.

Would it be irresponsible to go? It's with family for a special occasion. I can take past papers with me for DS2 to practise.

DH doesn't think it's a great idea........

Any other holiday during the summer? If so, I would take along a few papers. If not then your DS will need a break from papers! But he might be happy to do a bit of Bond on an app, to keep sharp and reduce all your worry levels. How much you do will depend on scores he's achieving nearer the time vs scores he needs to get through the 11+ comfortably.

tumfy a Bond app? I've got the Bond books but an app would be much more appealing I'm sure

Last thing you want is a house full of resentment against the 11plus, cancelling plans may result in reluctance and grumpiness all year, not just a few weeks of taking the foot off the pedal. Last two weeks of August all we did was half an hour five days a week on any areas that came back from mock tests as needing a brush up. We then didn't do any practice once she was back at school so she had time off then and passed with flying colours. All DCs are of course different so go with what you think best.

Sounds a good time for a complete break. Assuming he's well on with work now and making good progress, why not aim to finish all your preparatory work before the holiday, i.e. bring forward your timetable by a month. Then he can have some clear time without doing or thinking about it and come back refreshed and ready for a couple of weeks of revision.

Our son (and us!) was completely fed up about a month before the test and we only started our 11+ preparatory work about February. In Maths, he found it so easy, he was bored and started to make silly mistakes due to lack of concentration. In English, likewise for the grammar - he'd learned all he had to, but he really struggled with comprehension, but reading more and more was counter-productive as it made him stressed and irritable. We really scaled it right back to just half an hour or so every couple of days for the last 2/3 weeks, just to keep his mind active and "tuned in", but we did nothing new. It worked really well, he was fresh and in the right frame of mind on the day of the 11+ and the rest is history.

kjwh your DS sounds a lot like mine, keen on Maths but definitely not on reading/comprehension !! Comprehension is something very tricky to teach and learn....... Added to that he's not that interested in reading at the mo!

I feel a lot less like a selfish/irresponsible parent now

I'm sure we could manage half an hour in the day on holiday.

petts The holiday is in Florida so the resentment could be quite extreme

We went on holiday the last 2 weeks of the summer holidays before the 11+. We did 1 paper a day each evening and that was the deal. He didn't like it much but we had a good holiday and he was successful in both his 11+ exams.

However now in Year 7 at a superselective and we both realise this was a very small amount of preparation compared to what his peers were doing at the time.

You just need a timetable between now and then to make sure that he is at the place he needs to be before you go on holiday.

We decided to take a well earned break just before the exams too; we all needed it! DS did up to 2 hours a day, while DH was catching up with the office, or we were getting ready to go out in an evening. He loves reading so did that on holiday too, for fun.

It did not seem to do him any harm and infact he seemed to make remarkable progress over the summer in his weak areas. It was a blissful holiday and one that we will all look back on. Give your DS a well earned break, but tell him he needs to work, a little each day during the run up to the holiday.