7+ 2025

[Mum3024]

We’ve started preparing for the 7+ and honestly not sure how one year is enough?!

The nonverbal reasoning and maths are going “ok” but the verbal is proving to be quite difficult and we haven’t even started thinking about creative writing. Not sure if I’ve started too late or this is how it is?

There is always 8+ if 7+ is dc is not ready for 7+. I don't have experience, but am doing 11+ for second time and it also seems like a lot. With my first she managed somehow with not much time. We started earlier w ds and I got involved, which made me realize how much they need to know.....it is A LOT. I imagine it must be difficult for 7+, as they are so young so not always able to focus etc.

A lot of it is just trying to make ds sit down for more than 20 mins to focus so I’m not sure how he’ll sit an exam for an hour without making any noise.

Hope you're 11+ prep is more successful 👍🏾

One year is enough. They change a lot and I remember how much my son struggled with creative writing in June and how effortlessly he was writing stories in August!

We will be also doing the same. But with a DD. Whicn schools are you planning for? 🤔

I honestly wouldn’t work for a year for the 7+! That’s just insane. They’re so young. I say this as someone who’s been through it for our DD and DS (each tried for one school, generally considered quite good ones), and with one we got a tutor from March, the other we got a tutor to assess if they thought he would be able to pass, and once they said yes they we sacked it off and probably did 3 or 4 practices and a couple of stories and that’s it…..
I get that children do need to be prepared to sit these exams, and if there’s VR and NVR it would be good to have looked at this (we didn’t whoops as the school wasn’t clear this would be a part of it) but a year is a lot! You can get some of the Bond books etc and teach the bits they don’t know (times tables and column addition are the two things that come to mind). Otherwise I’d just look at any past papers and use them for ideas.

We’re from NW London so just looking at St John’s/St Martin’s. I was thinking about Habs Boys and St Paul’s but I don’t think either of us are ready for that sort of commitment to studying right now.

We are doing the bond books and going over things he doesn’t know and I bought a comprehension book too. Nothing too hard and we do less than an hour a day so I’m not expecting anything much for next year

Any parents going for Latymer? Wondering if they hold parent interviews or not at the second stage.

Hi @LavenderPaisley Latymer is the nearest choice to us so on our list. Hubby not a fan but certainly the 4th on list as choice given closeness.

How is your prep going? I seem to habe ftozen in time. G8ven news of Kings going co ed too , wondering if am doing the right thing by jumping at 7+. So uncommitted to tutoring so far. But have been doing bond books. V v worried about story writing though - DD refuses to write when not in mood.

I think there are lots of ups and down with it. I try and remember it’s a marathon not a sprint. It’s still a good few months away and the maturity will increase in that time.

Several schools have now merged 7+ and 8+ probably more to come! And going co-ed. I assume this is a reflection of fiscal changes and impact it's having on number of students. Will this impact your school choices too?

We're wrestling with the idea of 7+ now, but seeing as so many more will be targeting top schools at this stage the kids born in sept - dec might have a small advantage vs. the summer babies.

With fewer offering 8+ we're trying to figure out what other options we have.