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Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Primary education

What fun/learning activities at home to help prepare my child early on for possible entry to grammar school?

37 replies

Tudaisy · 13/03/2014 22:30

A while ago I saw a thread about ways you could help a child prepare for grammar school entry at home. I have searched high and low for while now but can't find it anywhere on mumsnet. I seem to think it was on mumsnet but maybe it was even another site I just can't remember.im soo annoyed it didn't bookmark it as it was good thread. It was something along the lines of ideas such:

Lots of reading and wide range
Word games such as scrabble....

I can't remember anything else.

can you help by suggesting other things from 4 years through to 11 year old. Also I'm trying to look at creative ways so it doesn't look like preparing for grammar at all and can be passed of as fun activities.

OP posts:

Report

BornFreeButinChains · 16/03/2014 02:15

tryingreallytrying

Fab thread just wading through it!

Tudaisy · 15/03/2014 23:46

Hi JakeBullet

I agree anything you do to support your child's learning in a fun way is good. I bet your son learnt many new skills just on the topic of snow leopards because he is really interested in that.

Yes you have highlighted very nicely the fact that regardless of whether my child goes to grammar the support I give him will be helpful to whichever school he goes to

OP posts:

tryingreallytrying · 15/03/2014 22:55

See my thread which might be the thread you saw?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/education/1999995-Free-tutoring-for-the-11-or-how-to-make-the-11-more-meritocratic

BornFreeButinChains · 15/03/2014 13:08

No Richmal its this thread, long but later on talks about oxbridge entrance and how schools dont seem to know how to put pupils forward.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2021465-Which-would-you-choose-for-kids-a-SAHP-private-schooling-or-a-secure-retirement

columngollum · 15/03/2014 11:02

It's hard to get young children interested in (obviously appropriate) adults' films. My daughter even tells me which films/programmes are designed for children.

JakeBullet · 15/03/2014 11:01

Anything you can do which supports learning is great. DS is now 11 and not Grammar school material (he is autistic with mild learning difficulties) but I am certain he has progressed so well simply because I have always made learning fun at home. He loves wildlife and we have done lots of research on stuff which includes that...Snow Leopards are the big obsession at the moment.

I agree with whoever said "ignore the shitty replies", you are thinking ahead...even if your child doesn't make Grammar school they will benefit from the extra input which will help in whatever school he/she ends up in.

Bonsoir · 15/03/2014 10:56

Anything that enriches your child's language skills and enhances vocabulary and expression will boost Verbal Reasoning. Listening to complex conversations is as important as reading. Films are a great resource and don't limit your DC to children's films.

Noteventhebestdrummer · 15/03/2014 10:53

Find a good music teacher like me who can teach your child the violin! It makes their brains grow

insancerre · 15/03/2014 10:43

collumngollum
"I didn't realise nursery owners could gather such info by simply looking at a child eating lunch. I was mightily impressed."
They must have gone to a good grammar school

columngollum · 15/03/2014 10:39

The worst ones are my family. We've got quite a few nursery school owners in our extended family. One Christmas I was talking about reading books presents. Two of our nursery owners said your daughter can't read. She's too young to read. You only think she can.

I didn't realise nursery owners could gather such info by simply looking at a child eating lunch. I was mightily impressed.

BornFreeButinChains · 15/03/2014 10:33

Yes I agree, I thought you meant there are political reasons behind it.

A great difference in expectations there.

columngollum · 15/03/2014 10:32

My child is young, she's not backwards!

columngollum · 15/03/2014 10:30

I think some people involved in schooling don't actually realise that they're doing it. They tend to say things like "that's not our policy, you can't do that, they're not allowed those; those are for the older children.

I've been told that in a museum too. How old is your child? Oh, well in that case you need this. But I don't want one of those. I want this one. You can't have that. That's for older children. Someone in the library said that to me too once. (She only said it once.)

BornFreeButinChains · 15/03/2014 10:18

Totally agree Tudaisy.

Coloumn, who would be sitting on the bar and why?!

richmal · 15/03/2014 08:03

Was this the thread? www.mumsnet.com/Talk/primary/2013452-What-age-to-start-preparing-dc-for-11-and-how

Tudaisy · 14/03/2014 23:50

Just reading that Guardian article link.

It is really shocking to me that less then half of teachers in state schools are not encouraging their gifted students to apply for Oxford or Cambridge. I had to read this article a couple of times thinking maybe I had missed something.

This is exactly what gets me annoyed and gives me more reason not to step back and let a state school just educate my child.

OP posts:

columngollum · 14/03/2014 22:55

Sometimes we wonder if the bar not only is set low, but if there are a few people sitting on it to make sure that it doesn't move.

BornFreeButinChains · 14/03/2014 21:59

www.theguardian.com/education/2012/apr/27/state-school-students-oxbridge

BornFreeButinChains · 14/03/2014 21:57

Great,

givemeaclue you can relax now, Op does have grammars in her area and she is not confused.

Reading all over MN and else where one gets the impression that in state schools the bar and expectations are set low. There is no aim.

My DD is strong in Maths and English thus far so I am keeping my eye out on progress for the 11+ but lots can go up and down, but I am greatly heartened by her Maths so far. If she was weak in either Maths or English I would be thinking along other lines for her.

Just found this article for another thread about state schools and applicants for oxbridge

Tudaisy · 14/03/2014 21:44

BornFreeButinChains
Definitely not confused. I have grammar schools in my area and researched them.

OP posts:

Tudaisy · 14/03/2014 21:39

givemeaclue

Yes there are grammar schools in my area. That's the first I've heard about schools not grammar but called grammar.

OP posts:

BornFreeButinChains · 14/03/2014 19:24

Op, are you confused, do you have any grammars in your area.

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givemeaclue · 14/03/2014 19:13

Yes I am, it is definitely worth checking. Not all areas have them but can still have schools that are called grammars but are not actually grammar schools. There is one in my town and it does cause confusion.

BornFreeButinChains · 14/03/2014 18:38

givemeaclue

Are you providing a positive contribution to the discussion?

I was asked this question too, and I think I am in the highest concentration of grammars in the UK.

givemeaclue · 14/03/2014 17:33

OP have you checked that you live in a grammar school area?

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