11+ - when do you know?

[Airdustmoon]

My DC is just finishing year 2. We live in an area with not fantastic secondary options. It’s not a grammar school area generally, but there is one super selective grammar school not too far away.

DH and I are weighing up our options about moving to an area with better secondary schools, but school issue aside, we love our house and the area and would rather not move really.

If your DC did the 11+, at what age did you know whether or not they’d stand a chance at passing it? Will the KS1 sats results, which I assume we will get with DC’s end of term report this week or next, be a good indicator? DC is brilliant at maths and I’d be shocked if they didn’t get greater depth for that. Handwriting is very average. Reading is probably on the higher side of average but I don’t know if it’ll be good enough to get greater depth. Do they need to be getting GD across the board at this stage to have a decent chance of getting into grammar at 11?

We are similarly not in a fully grammar area but had three grammar options in neighbouring LA areas within a reasonable commute. DD is now in Y7 at a super-selective grammar.

DH and I were new to the grammar ‘world’ but realised it was a possibility from before DD started school as she picked up things quickly (colours, numbers etc) and was reading (basic books, street signs, restaurant menus) aged three. Throughout primary school she was at greater depth for all academic subjects, and several of her teachers suggested (off the record) that she’d be an ideal fit for grammar. She got a place easily with home prep.

I don’t think getting GD across the board in Y2 is an accurate indicator, as SATs are quite different really. So don’t panic if your DS doesn’t get GD at the end of KS1, especially if he misses out on writing: if the 11 plus in your area is a computer marked GL test, pretty much the only thing he will have to write will be his name.

Being brilliant at maths is obviously very helpful, but make sure his reading and comprehension keep pace: the maths parts of 11 plus will test how quickly he can interpret a word problem to identify what maths to use, and his ability to find the quickest way to the solution. He needs to be a quick and accurate reader with a wide vocabulary and strong inference skills, so keep up the reading aloud all the way through primary and discuss what he’s reading.

Thanks @LetItGoToRuin that's really helpful. DC has always been very bright and engaged, was an early talker and has a very wide vocabulary - but doesn’t (yet) seem to have a great love for reading, although loves being read to. So I will take your advice and continue to do lots of reading, both reading to them and hearing them read out loud and asking questions (inference is always pretty good in my view). The maths should take care of itself and it’s reassuring to know that the test is done on computer these days so that handwriting shouldn’t matter too much!

We are in a similar situation to you and the PP.

We have decided to have him assessed by a tutor, and see what we're dealing with going into year 3. We all know our kids well, and but it's a good idea to have someone objectively tell you of their strengths and weakness, with the 11+ in mind. I 'feel' DS1 is a good candidate but we're just going to focus on weak areas now, and then see how he performs at the beginning of year 4.

My advice is like the PP's, don't be too concerned about whether your DC are GD or not right now. There are many factors that can affect performance at this level.

Do t forget reading can be anything, Guiness Book of World Records, National Geographic, Jokes, Too Gear Magazine, whatever floats their boat!

@Refrosty I have considered a tutor. I thought we’d get one for Y5 to do 11+ prep but it’s a good idea to get one before then to assess where DC is. I’ll see what the report says, and will do a big reading push over the summer. We always do the library summer reading challenge, but I need to try and get DC to balance some more challenging material with the picture books they’d be inclined to choose! Good tip @Littlemissprosecco and DC does love fact books, joke books and the Guinness Book of Records!

My 8 year old son loved anything to do with racing cars and formula one, his vocabulary came on leaps and bounds

We have just applied for our eldest to take the test next month. If they are at a greater depth for most subjects when the time comes I would give it a shot. .

Superselectives are a different beast to "normal" grammar schools. Your child not only has to be very bright, but good at answering the questions and have a bit of luck behind them. Lots of very able children don't get in.

I wouldn't put all your eggs into the "getting into superselective" basket. What's your Plan B if they don't?

(Also note that end of Year 2 is really too early to make decisions based on how good local schools are - they might change drastically in the next 4 years).

My dd was assed by tutor just before y5 when she was still 9. Maths bit above average, vocab / reading more like age 13.

Tutor said she could never guarantee anything but felt sure she would get in.

She didn't - turns out doing the longer maths problems at the speed she had to turn them out in an exam just wasn't her thing. Combined her score was enough to get in but her maths fell under minimum required.

We are a super selective area.

Bit of anecdata….. DS got Reading paper 1 - 19/20
Reading paper 2 - 18/20

Maths arithmetic - 22/25
Maths reasoning - 33/35

in his Year 2 sats and got into super selective this year

Yes I well know that getting into a super selective isn’t a given even for a very bright child - I didn’t get into one myself, despite going on to achieve all A*/A at GCSE, 3As at A level and a first at university! I was rubbish at the non verbal reasoning tests, DC is good at those though (well the few I showed him).

Also well aware that it’s early to be thinking about secondary and a lot can change, but I also don’t want to be in a rush to move in Y5. There’s a lot of waiting and seeing to do over the next couple of years, but I just wanted to get an idea of when deciding whether DS has any aptitude for 11+ might come into that.

@Airdustmoon we similarly considered moving, but we waited until the start of Y4 and then visited the local comprehensives. Fortunately, we were reasonably happy with them, so didn't have to move so the pressure was off.

Be warned that if you choose to have a one-off session with a tutor, they will probably try to convince you that your DC would really benefit from tutoring all the way through from Y3! So take it with a pinch of salt! Similarly, asking your DC's class teachers for their views on whether your DC is grammar material or how to prepare is risky, as the 11 plus is quite different from normal school work, and unless it's a fully 11 plus area, the teachers won't necessarily know much about it.

It is worth checking, if you haven't done so already, whether the test provider in your area is GL. If it is, then from what you've written above, it seems that you would be more than capable of supporting your DC with preparation. You don't need to join the tutoring bandwagon unless you really don't have the time to support your DC yourself or you think your DC would not work well with you.