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Original poster

Does a child need tutoring for 11+ exam even if they are in a prep school

31 replies

goMN · 15/02/2022 11:18

Hi, my eldest daughter is preparing to give her 11+ exam this year. She goes to a fairly good prep school and is fairly bright. So far I have relied completely on the school with me occasionally helping her out. I know that some of the girls in her grade are doing Kumon classes. As the exam is approaching I am starting to wonder if it is better to get her a tutor for maths and english ? dd is keen on getting into one of the top London schools and is equally keen to put in all the effort needed to get there. I don't want to later regret that I did not give her all the avenues to succeed so I wanted to get the views from this group. Do you feel that I should get dd a tutor to get further support ? Has anyone felt that it helped their child even if they were in prep school ? Thanks in advance xx

OP posts:
CraftyGin · 15/02/2022 11:20

The 'prep' in prep school is preparing for the next stage in their education.

Photolass · 15/02/2022 11:24

I think you'll find that almost all children who get into the top London schools are tutored, even if parents deny it.
The first thing that one headmaster said at an open day for a certain school that a relative of mine went to, was, "Many of your children will be at the top of their class in junior school, but that doesn't automatically mean that they will get a place here."

Bellex · 15/02/2022 11:28

Don’t go with kumon, they’re bloody awful.

Starlitexpress · 15/02/2022 11:31

100% of the many I know are tutored, with pushy parents right behind them.

GherkinsOnToast · 15/02/2022 11:35

Theoretically thats what prep schools are supposed to do. It will depend on how 'selective' the schools she is sitting for. In my daughter's year all bar 5 were tutored from the summer before 11+. Many got offers from 2 or 3 schools - we choose a school, spoke to them at length about what was needed from DD and us and worked that way. In our case interview and in school aptitude tests were as important in the process as the 11+ results.

steppemum · 15/02/2022 11:47

difficult to answer as it depends on how intelligent your child is, how competitive the school is, and how much the prep school does.

I would say most parents do tutor. However there is a lot you can do yourself.
For example, they say the 11+ is won and lost on vocabulary, so working on expanding vocabulary in a way that means she actually uses it and understands it.
Good fast mental maths, especially around times tables, means they can get through the maths sections faster and answer more questions etc.

The other thing is to become familiar with the exam questions and exam techniques (things like if you can't answer a question, don't get stuck, but move on, how to make sensible guesses and so on) and speed.
That will depend on how much exam prep the school does.

Finally, there are things that are not usually covered in school eg Non Verbal Reasoning. Does the school cover that?

So I wouldn't say that it is necessarily English and Maths tuition that might help.

Original poster
goMN · 15/02/2022 11:49

Thanks everyone for your responses!
looks like most children are getting tutored then :( With the amount of homework they already get from school I don't know how she'll cope if she gets tutoring as well. Such a dilemma ! I don't want to put too much pressure on dd if tutoring is not essential but equally I don't want her to miss out!

OP posts:
Original poster
goMN · 15/02/2022 11:52

Thanks @steppemum - Very useful advice! Her prep school is quite good school she wants is top (oh dear!) and dd is quite intelligent and is among top 3in a grade. They do cover NVR and VR at school.
xx

OP posts:
nightvision · 15/02/2022 12:39

"...getting into one of the top London schools "

By that do you mean grammar schools? If so, which ones?

Original poster
goMN · 15/02/2022 12:42

Hi @nightvision I meant private schools.

OP posts:
steppemum · 15/02/2022 14:14

NVR and VR are not covered in a state school, so it does sound like they are prepping her for the exam.

You should also look at the school's website and see what the exam consists of.
Do they need to do a written piece? and so on.

DivorcedAndDelighted · 15/02/2022 15:56

No, I wouldn't & didn't. 2 of mine were at a prep school & the school prepared them for both grammar 11+ and independent school exams. Both got into their very competitive London independent schools, one with an academic scholarship, and both also passed the grammar school 11+, one in the "super selective" band. This is what prep schools are supposed to do. I would not have had tutors. In contrast, friends had children at independent school primaries where the school also had a secondary school, and they did no preparation for other school entrance tests as they want you to go to their senior school. Some of those friends used tutors.

Original poster
goMN · 15/02/2022 18:26

Thanks @DivorcedAndDelighted. Its reassuring to hear that prep schools can be enough for 11+

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MGMidget · 15/02/2022 18:26

A great deal depends on the school and the level of competition for the schools you are aiming for. Prep school leaving lists are often not very transparent. They may boast of sending children to a list of big name schools but give no meaningful statistics of how many offers to each school or better still how many applied from their school and how many got offers. If you are in an area where there are good grammars and/or sought-after senior day schools but not many leavers getting into them but plenty going to boarding schools that can give a clue that the school may not do the job you hope for. Boarding schools are usually easier to get into than the top day schools or grammar schools.

jeanne16 · 16/02/2022 08:02

My DS was at a London prep and I can assure you that pretty much all the boys were being tutored outside school. The whole environment was nuts. Don’t believe anyone who says their children got into the top schools without tutoring as people are not always honest.

MarshaBradyo · 16/02/2022 08:05

We’ve not done tutoring and for second just state

We did do past papers and now dc is at an academic school honestly I’m very glad we didn’t. I would prefer dc to be in a school that fits them rather than struggling in any way. So it’s worked out here with both dc not tutoring, and they are relaxed enough now in

Bridgetina · 16/02/2022 08:05

The majority do tutor. However depending on how your DD is doing it may be that she doesn’t need any tutoring on the substance of what she’s learning, only on exam technique.

mdh2020 · 16/02/2022 08:09

What does the school say? My Dc were at a school that specifically stated that it provided all the teaching the children needed for the 11+ and it worked.

HavfrueDenizKisi · 16/02/2022 08:20

Of course it depends on your prep school. I'd say most do some work towards entrance exams and ask you which schools you're aiming for but if you want a top competitive school, then your child needs experience of the exam process and those techniques. As steppemum said, you can do this yourself if you think your child will work well with you. But many parents will use a tutor to to achieve this. For top london schools I'd say most are tutored for at least a year (some much more). It seems ridiculous really that you're paying for school and then tutoring on top but it really is the case that most others are too even if they don't say!

bm10 · 16/02/2022 10:31

I'm in the same boat. Was hoping the prep school would be enough but now I'm looking for tutors in London. Does anyone have any recommendations please?

eyeoresancerre · 16/02/2022 10:41

I work in a selective prep school in London. We teach 11+ multiple times a week but 95% of the class are tutored extensively after school or in the evenings.
Many are tutored more than once a week, often tutors will do small group tutoring rather than individual tutoring which can reduce the costs a bit.
Important to see exactly what requirements your secondary schools require - many have dropped non verbal. Some require an English writing test etc.
If you're child is getting 130 to 140+ on their scores then they may not require tutoring but below 130 then it's not a bad idea.

Original poster
goMN · 16/02/2022 10:52

Thanks a lot everyone.

OP posts:
ErrolTheDragon · 16/02/2022 10:54

dd is keen on getting into one of the top London schools and is equally keen to put in all the effort needed to get there.

If that's how she feels then she may welcome doing a bit more. If you feel she's got more than enough going on in term time then maybe get her some Bond books etc to go through in the summer hols between years 5 and 6, that sort of thing.

Original poster
goMN · 16/02/2022 10:56

Any suggestions on tutors would be very helpful. Thnx

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follygirl · 16/02/2022 11:14

My dd is at a selective private school in the Home Counties. She had to pass an exam to be allowed to go to the senior school. I found that she was extremely well prepped by her school. She sat the entrance exam for another school as back up and sailed through it.
My ds was at a prep school and as I wanted to move him at 11+ and not 13+, I did have to have him tutored as he wasn't being prepared.