I really don't think she's under any pressure from me or dh about the eleven plus. Though I suspect my mum may be telling her what a fantastic school the grammar is, etc. Plus dd,s best friend wants to go and dd wants to stay with her. I've told her she doesn't need to sit it if she doesn't want to.
Im just not convinced that even if she passes the exam that it's going to be the best school for her. Dd is quite bright but not fantastically so. She's scored where she needs to be in the year five mock sats, and a year ahead in her writing paper. But she struggles with maths, struggles a lot. But then did surprisingly well in her sats. Her teacher doesn't think that dd will pass the exam.
I like the local comp and so does dd. But obviously there is a big difference in gcse pass rate. 99% compared to 58%. We went to look round the grammar this week and the head was going on about how it's in the top hundred state schools in the country. We came away and dd said that she liked the comp better but shed still rather go to the grammar as she knows she will get a better education.......... I've told her it's up to her and that she would still get a good education at the comp but she may have to push herself more at the comp.
I've got her some practice papers and she seems quite good at the non verbal ones. It's just her whole attitude that's worrying me if she finds it a bit tricky. She's in tears and saying she gives up, etc. I try and help explain it and she shouts at me and won't listen. If she does calm down and then understands what she needs to do then she whizzs throughh them and does well. She struggles more with the verbal questions and the tears and near panic attacks were awful.
So now I've done what I always said I'd never do and hired a tutor. She doesn't need a tutor as such, but she will listen to him when she won't listen to me. She doesn't get upset when he's here!
So now I'm worrying that I'm tutoring her through the eleven plus when I've always said that if she needed tutoring then the school wasn't right for her. I'm also worrying that I haven't started the tutoring early enough! She's only going to have a handful of sessions with him. I just know she's going to be so upset if she doesn't pass, regardless of how much I reassure her it doesn't matter.