3+ 4+ 5+ 7+ support thread 2015

[mumteacher]

I started the below thread last year and have had so many people find it useful I thought it might be worth doing it again.

I have had a number of messages asking if I have any spaces in my classes. I'm really sorry but I have been at full capacity for some time now.

However, I do appreciate that this is a very stressful time of year for parents who have children sitting these private school assessments in January. So, I'm hoping that by setting up this support group thread I can help by answering some questions you have about these assessments.

Hopefully this thread will also contain some useful insight from the experiences of parents who have already been through the process.

Which school is she sitting for? Maybe we can give some specific advice. If your DD is shy she needs to be prepared for a teacher to take her away from you quite abruptly and she will be expected to interact with the teacher during the assessment. The tasks themselves are not particularly important but the ability to listen and follow instructions are key.

And the Teddy Bear's Picnic did not form part of the assessment at RP, ML, Habs or NLCS.

Teddy bears picnic is done at SHHS

With just 4 months to the January 2016 7+ exams, I feel DS still has a lot of the Year 2 curriculum to learn. There are never enough hours for prep on top of sport and music practice. Will any parents reduce their DC's extra curricula activities next term? DS plays 2 hours of sports on the weekend and has 1 music lesson after school. I'm reluctant to stop DS playing sport as I think he needs a physical outlet on the weekend. Will you let your DC attend birthday parties on the weekends? Some tutors have told me their students are studying 2 hours per day every day i.e. 14 hours per week on top of their homework and will complete the Bond 8-9 Years English, Maths and Reasoning books in December before the 7+ exam. Is that what's required to get into the academically elite preps in London?

Hi Paddlepop,
I am reducing DS down to just swimming once a week. I can only do around 45 minutes each day with him (if that) as work until quite late. I didn't realise kids are doing 2 hours every day! We are sitting for Habs and Highgate and feeling the panic now..

Hi Hatpincher, I'm in the same boat as you with regards to work commitments.

It makes me feel very sad to read that children as young as 6 are working for two hours on top of school homework, that they are giving up recreational activities that they enjoy and that their parents are feeling upset at having work commitments that prevent the two hour stint they hear others are doing in the hope that they'll pass 7+ assessment tests.
I'm not anti-tuition/ private school assessment. On the contrary. It is just not necessary. In fact, two hours of study on a daily basis is going to kill the joy in learning and transform what could be a fun and exciting exploration into a drudgery - not good for long term motivation.
I hope that parents don't read this and assume that in order to have a shot at passing the 7+, they need to dedicate that amount of time to the practice. Two, rising to three, effectively planned sessions of twenty minutes each, per day is MORE than enough (making most efficient use of the time spent according to an individual's areas of weakness as well as the specific papers and assessments to be sat).

Even then, I'd not recommend studying every day. Maintain their enthusiasm. Reward heavily with praise, positivity and compliments (even when you want to shout "Come on! I KNOW you can do that!"). Those are the essential ingredients. Far more worthwhile than a stodgy two hours!

Roll on 2016...who's in this boat?

Hi mum teacher
Could you please guide me a bit about the entry test at habs for 5 year olds , what is the Assesment like ? Do they have to read and write

Holy cow! My son is doing the 8+ so similar prep as 7+ in terms of daily grind...we're doing the 8=9 books for all subjects as I assumed we should aim a year ahead, he is 7! but if the 7+ are doing the 8-9 books then we should be looking at 9-10. Eeek.
We are doing 30 mins before school and about an hour after school. I can't imagine doing any more at the moment, maybe come December, assuming I haven't had a nervous breakdown, we will have to work much longer in the xmas holidays...

Mayyya, after a term in reception they will definitely be expected to have some ability to read and write simple words. They don't have to be fluent readers but are expected to have progressed from picture books within that first term.

Thanks a lot for the info :) of any one else also has any experience please do let me know as I am very stressed

S999 is your DS doing 90 minutes of 8+ prep in addition to homework from school or does that include homework from school?! Yikes.

Habs junior has a new head as of this September so I'd think all bets are off as to what will be in the 5+ - and it will be their last one as they are taking in a double reception class this year and no 5+ after that.

But generally I'd say yes simple reading, ORT 2-3 maybe and able to write a few words.

90 mins on top of homework and that usually means two papers a day (Bond, Schofield or exampapersplus paper), either a VR paper or Maths or English but then his school only gives homework on Monday and Tuesday to be done for Thursday and it's not much at all. We are abroad so no prep whatsoever for 8+. Absolutely none although the teachers have been quite supportive if I ask them to look at extra work he does at home. Otherwise I'm doing the Maths with him and I have just engaged an English tutor.

Thankyou softhedgehog for the info , could you please tell me what's ort

My daughter is doing 7+ in January 2016. We covered the maths in summer and she was really good. However since term started we haven't done anything. Got the papers out at the weekend, and she has forgotten some concepts! It is really hard to do during the week, can't believe some people are doing 2 hours on top of school work! I think I am going have to do a little every night to stop her from forgetting. Her school doesn't prepare for 7+ at all. Almost wish I had put her into school that does, then it would have been school time work. Making 6 year old work again once there home from school is challenging ! Especially story writing, half hour to write story usually begins and ends with tears, not fun at all.

Banners75 my DD did 7+ and her school did not prepare her at all. At the risk of starting a debate, I have to say the girls 7+ is very different to the boys, it is far less rigorous than the whole Colet Court/Westminster thing. And DD was trying for one of the major girls schools. I think there is less movement at 7 for girls whereas so many boys pre-preps end at 7/8. DD did get in and I think a large part of the process was the interview/group assessments to see how focused, creative and well-behaved they are.
Having said that story writing is important tho and times tables and basic mental maths.

Mayyya ORT = Oxford reading tree

May I ask- are your children at independent pre preps or state primaries? If the former, i was under the impression that pre preps prepared children enough and that if they were good, they should - by and large - get children into the schools that are right for them? Am I horribly deluded?!

Luckygirl my DS attends an independent pre-prep and the school has a 7+/8+ club for 45 minutes every Friday but many, if not most, of the boys have private tutors or very dedicated professional moms tutoring them for several hours a week.

Really? Wow. Would that be on areas of weakness or everything? Trying to decide at the moment whether to go pre prep or prep that finishes at 11 or 13. Bit of a minefield. Have plenty of time - DS 1 is only one and a bit but he's registered at the pre prep already as where I live it's a kind of a sign up at birth or miss out situation. DS2 currently in build and will go where his brother goes all being well!. Very interested to hear how it really is from more experienced parents.

Luckygirl some people hire separate tutors for math and English and some just hire a tutor who do it all.

Hmmm. Makes me wonder if we should abandon pre prep idea and go for the 4-13 option from the outset. Sounds super stressful! Problem is there's no way of knowing if they're academic or not when they're 2/3 (which is when you have to decide round here) is there. Or is there?!

Luckygirl - you should go with the school that feels best to you - on education, pastoral care, location, etc. Exit results are also useful to look at.

Rather than the amount of tutoring (because it exists for 7/8+ and 11/13+) - you can explore middle/secondary schools in you area. If most take boys at 7/8, then going for 11/13+ might reduce your options.