Kip McGrath? Recommendations or other help for Grammer school tests

[FIMAC1]

Hi

I wonder if one of you teachers or other Mums out there could help? My dd is going to go into Year 6 in September; There is a very large (but good) Comprehensive virtually at the end of our road. We are thinking of putting her in for an all Girls Grammer school test though as A) she went round it with us last September and loved it, and B) she is quite, how can I put this?, Dippy, if you know what that means! She is bright but I know that if she goes into a large school where she could get 'lost' it would not suit her at all. She does not push herself forward even though she has the ability and is bright (reading age of 15+ at 9) although I don't know whether this really means anything and we are by no means 'pushy' parents at all, but I am really concerned that as she needs a rocket up her whatsit to get her to do anything! (when she does it is good) that the local Comp would not suit her at all.

Any help or advice on this subject would be gratefully received, should we try a private tutor?, do some papers at home (I bought some yesterday) but there is only four in the pack, they are the same as the school we (think) we would like for her. Four papers doesn't seem very many to test her with?

Help MumsNetters!

PS Flipping eck, as you can tell by my spelling, I did not go to a Grammar school!

I plead sickness as I am off with this flu bug

FIMAC - Nelson Thorne Bond Assessment papers here are what many schools/pupils use.

Have you spoken to her teachers about which school would be more appropriate for her? Grammar schools tend to be pretty intensive and even bright children can struggle if they don't keep up with the work.

There's no point in spending time and money preparing her for the test if the grammar school is not suitable for her. Her teachers should be able to tell you whether she would be better suited to grammar or comp.

Hi the teachers have said that she is capable of Grammar school testing and that we should put her in for the test - her teacher agreed that she would get 'lost' in the local Comp and said that she would be allowed to drift, in his experience of what he has heard (and his Nieces who is there, who has been allowed to drift although at the top end at Primary) which really concreted our thoughts on this Grammar school

Fimac - I am that child! I am as intelligent as the next person, but never had the drive I needed to get through grammar school. I passed my 11+ with flying colours and went to grammar school, where I floundered. I left after three years to go to a comprehensive school, where I did much better and the pressure was much less intense.
You know your child best, and should go with your own instincts. I know my parents wanted the best for me and tbh, I wanted to go to grammar school too as a lot of my friends were going too, but if I'd gone to a comprehensive in the first place, I think I would have done much better really. Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy with my life now, but I'm pretty sure (on a purely academic level), I could have gone much further, if I had pushed myself, but at that stage in my life, I had no idea how to, nor the desire to either. More encouragement from comprehensive teachers, rather than pressure from grammar ones, might (just might) have been enough to get me further along the education path than I eventually went. HTH

Aero

Thanks for that. That is what I also am thinking about my dd - would she actually be happy in that sort of enviroment? Like you say, I don't know whether it would actually suit her.

Food for thought. thanks so much

Apparently (not that I'm suggesting she is) borderline children do better at grammar school than comp. Personally I can quite see why - ethos of learning, peer pressure etc - but I'm quoting dfes here. I would always choose grammar school (for my child) as like you I feel her individuality would get her lost at local comprehensive. She starts in Sept.
We didn't have a private tutor but I know many people do. We used some How to do verbal and non verbal reasoning papers (one by Bond, can't remember other I'm afraid) from Amazon - rather easy but helped her approach questions in the right way. I also signed uo to www.11plusswot.co.uk (or com) but as she was getting 99 - 100% each time only did a few. Timing is a big problem - children need to get used to time constraints. HOWEVER this is all a long way off and mustn't be a big deal for her. nSounds like I hothoused her and I really didn't. The main help I gave was in general exam technique - leaving qs you don't know, going back later, watching the time.

Thanks - we are leaning towards going for the Grammar test - with a bit of practice beforehand - she can decide if she gets in whether she really wants to go - we will put the local comp down as first choice in Oct