Year 5 in a grammar area

[IslaValargeone]

Does your primary do much that is tailored for the 11+ ?
My dc's school seems quite slack compared to others in the area. I'm beginning to wonder if the kids that get in from my dc's primary do so as a result of tutoring rather than work done at school.

We're in a grammar school area and my DC's school does some preparation but its quite limited I think my children are not Year 5 though yet). The grammar school places are very limited and we have quite a large number of private prep schools who apparently do lots of prep so the vast majority of people with children in state schools tutor privately from the start of Year 5 (or even earlier). I have my children's names down on 2 tutors' waiting lists (did this 3 years in advance) and I took the 16th of 20 places for that year group.

I know there are going to be lots of posts slamming that decision on the basis that if children are bright enough they'll get a grammar place, if they're not, they won't. I'm just doing what I think I should to level the playing field a little and to give them as good a chance as anyone else.

To a large extent it depends on what is in the 11+ exam in your area. If it involves English and Maths, then your DCs will be doing it anyway (although they may not have covered all the maths by the time they take the exam). OTOH, if the exam is VR and NVR, it is not something that is covered in school, and nor should it be. The theory is that these things measure natural intelligence - and indeed they do if people come to it cold. Of course, with lots of practice, you can get better and better, which is is probabably the reason why people tutor.

11+ is English and Maths, and I'm pretty sure not enough of that is being covered on a day to day basis.