Please help! Does anyone know where I can get past papers for 7+ entrance exams?

[LuisaM]

I tried Galore Park but they are only for 11+. We are using Bond books but previous papers would really help. My child is sitting for prep schools in West London.

It's Christmas fgs. Buy the poor little bugger a colouring book instead.

Arf at GS.

But she's right.

Yeah, great, but any actual informed advice would be really welcome..

That was informed advice.

Informed as in knowledge of the situation and ability to answer the question re past papers. But thank you anyway!! I will also go and buy a colouring book.

Papers here:
www.habsboys.org.uk/prep/admissions/admissions7+.php

Very badly written though.

The eGS comment not helpful at all, much better to do a little work everyday, esp over the holidays, than intense tuition during term-time. Keeps it fun and fresh and guess what, there is still time for colouring? There is nothing wrong with wanting to prep your child and take the pressure off them in the exams. All depends on you and your childs situation I suppose...
The Tutors Group in w12 and Latymer school provide past papers, will investigate others and get back to you

I doubt that you need any: my son sat the 7+ at Colet Court, and the work he had done at his primary school was perfectly adequate preparation for English and Maths. I went through a couple of Bond (or similar) 11+ Verbal Reasoning papers with him a week or so before the exams, so that he would have seen some of these types of questions. There is now a sample VR test on the Colet Court website, for those who are interested. Essentially, clever children (with the appropriate background and general parental support) will do well in these sorts of tests without specific preparation - although precious few of them get the chance, due to neurotic over-pushy parents who believe myths about the demands of the exams (which in fact in most schools expect knowledge only of material covered in KS2) insist on tutoring, absurd repetitive dull tutoring of the Kumon type, "mocks" etc - and less clever children will not do so well in spite of receiving all the "extras". Of course testing at this age is fairly unreliable, but half of all children will be above average, half below average and if your child is clever enough to really enjoy a highly selective school, they will easily be clever enough to pass the entrance exam without prepping. The worst thing is to over-prepare a fairly dim child so that they get into a highly selective school in which they then struggle to keep up.

I agree HouseMan. Most DCs will be average-if they are above average they don't need tutoring-if they have to be tutored they shouldn't be at a selective school.

He is bright but I sort of had the idea it was more about getting him used to the style of the questions. When I do the Bond papers with him he is sometimes confused by the question, even though he has covered the work and knows the answer once its explained. I dont want to push, but he loves to learn and his current school isnt stretching him. Also very hard to not get swept up in the near-hysteria of other parents, endlessly coaching and pressurising their kids, it doesnt seem like a level playing field. More than anything I want him to be happy wherever he ends up and to carry on loving school

I am having same problems with my 7 year old - she doesnt understand wording of questions but can do the maths. No idea what to do about it though - I try explaining but she just forgets again. Am so worried of getting her nervous about the exam too.

GS is right you know (as one who has got two DCs through prep school admission). If you get stressed about it the chances are that your DC will too. And the exams are not hard.

She is right but working on the mistaken assumption that its all work-work-work and hot-housing and no playing which is absolutely not the case, so therefore her comments are ill-informed! Just thought if we went through old papers it would be most effective way of preparing - knowledge is power after all. I am not stressed at all, just want him to have a fair shot and enjoy it if possible! He is naturally quite competitive and quite nerdy about schoolwork, so why not?

Ds is doing 7+ in West London too.

Some schools send out past papers, some are very protective of their exam process, and do not!

Waterstones sell lots of books and some past SATS papers. I was advised by ds' school to look for key stage one, level three.

Was also advised that Bond papers can be quite easy.

Mental arithmatic can be done at any time, times tables, simple addition and subtraction.

Also, reading books and identifying words that are unfamiliar and then looking up what they mean in the dictionary.

Ds has done some of his set homework and also a few bits and bobs from books I have purchased.

I would much rather 'keep on top' of all he has learnt this past term than let him go through the first couple of weeks at school stuggling because he has fogotten everything.

Needless to say, he has only done stuff when he has been happy to do so. Has had plenty of time for his playstation, making a mess with his toys and eating all sorts of unsuitable things!

ps. The books I have are by Letts and Schofield and Simms.

They can also be purchased from Amazon and WH Smiths online.

HTH