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.

*you're

Thank you, mumteacher. I'm sitting for 7+ boys' and girls' - boys for myself and girls for a friend. I'm also curious as to what will come up in second round of NLCS.
I didn't say at any point that I was against tutoring. I am certainly not. I have explained that my beliefs are that tutoring can only allow a child to reach their personal potential - not to exceed it. So much is down to personality and natural aptitude, as I explaoned previously.

Explained

Betterday I find it strange that you want info on Habs boys 7+ Habs girls 7+ Nlcs, you know that Nlcs round 2 is tomorrow, you seem to know Habs 4+ letters were out.

Forgive me if I find it difficult to believe that you have 'friends' with children sitting in different school across all the different age brackets.

To assume I won't have information because you don't is plain naive.

My motives are questioned on here all the time and I don't mind helping you so that you can feed info back to your students but drop the cloak and dagger routine.

My previous post was for betterworld.

Mumteacher, this year and last you've failed to come up with as much infirnatin as you've striven to glean from people like me who have children sitting for assessments. What surprises you about the fact that I don't want to disclose personal details about my children? What surprises you about the fact that I have friends sitting for the 4+ and the 7+. Having two children of this age, being a parent at a school and a nursery, I happen to have a number of good friends who've agared more than you're caring to.
Of COURSE I know about the Habs. letters and emails. I received one. My friends did too. It's bizarre that you come on here purporting to do so to 'help' those sitting assessments who can't cone to you for tuitions as you've no space, but you consistently take from us more information than you give.
If I'm wrong, please demonstrate that by responding to my query about what's likely to come up in tomorrow's 7+ boys' second round (Habs.) and for my friends, the girls' school.
How rude of you to make such assumptions. Would you feel threatened if there were another tutor on here?

Please excuse the typos. Tired and infuriated.
I expect very little in the way of a helpful response from you as I don't believe that you actually KNOW much of anything of use. This is all a red herring and excuse for you to veil not sharing information that you hold (do not have).
Schools certainly DO alter assessment formats to avoid prepped children as well as to streamline their intake according to observations of how previous cohorts have fared.

Definitely a stressful time of year huh?!

Sorry your dd didn't receive invite round 2 at Habs.

I wasn't asking for personal information just what age your Chn are sitting for in these assessments.

And just to be clear I told you about emails being received from Habs4+ you happen to share letters were being posted out which would've been obvious as that's what the initial registration letter said.

So far I haven't had the privilege of learning anything from you.

I'm going to ignore your requests for all your friends, neighbours, family members and concentrate on your D's 7+ Habs.

The boys are split into small groups were they are expected to work together to construct something. Could be a car out of cardboard or a shoe out of several differ materials.

As parents you get an opportunity to have a chat with a senior member of staff - have some questions ready to ask.

Oh if only my conscious would let me take back my last post! ????

Having read your last post betterworld/day

Not sure what you mean re. your conscience? Do you now regret having told me what you think the boys' 7+ will entail tomorrow?
Hmmm
Yes, its a stressful time. Thanks re. your heartfelt consolation. Lol
Let's see whether your predictions are correct - or whether they've ch aged it. I'll let you know.

Sorry you haven't 'had the privilege of learning anything new from' me. Wasn't aware that this was overtly what you were about - although it's pretty obvious from the feeble and meagre offerings toy make at crunch time, unless you're challenged.

You pointed out I was here to learn from you is rely explained that wasn't the case.

I should not have engaged in this line of conversation for this long. I know how stressful this all can be.

Good luck x

Just wanted to wish everyone loads of luck for the 4+, 5+ and 7+, know how stressful it can be and the waiting part is definitely the worst!! Hope you all get the results you want.

Does anybody know when UCS offer letters are sent out? I have a pile of letters from all the schools, but I don't seem to have this info. Thanks!

I'm in SW London so don't know anything about Habs etc... but from my experience with my DS doing 7+, agree with BetterDay that it seems the schools do try and change the assessments a bit each year and I think the motivation is to try and counter tutoring and provide a more level playing field. One school won't even disclose what their assessment involves at all for precisely this reason.

My DS is doing his last assessment today so luckily this is almost all over for us, barring waiting for the results.

I wonder if what mumteacher describes on the group make something activity is the "art" that is coming up in round 2. Rather worrying unless they give my friend's son a pot of magnolia paint and a paint brush and ask him to repaint a wall - bless him - he is not what I would call artistic in the slightest. . I wonder what they are looking for - not all boys can really do art. Same for PE - I wonder what they will make them do.

Examnewbie, please don't wordy. IF Mumteacher is correct about the construction aspect of the second round, it'll be related to how the boys work as a team - the role that they adopt, cooperative and creative ideas, etc. As for PE, they usually screen for obvious dyspraxic tendencies that would suggest difficulties with coordination as these can affect written work in terms of organisation, too.

I'm a tutor.

worry vs wordy

That does make sense to me - thanks for that. Good that they are not looking for a new Leonardo (that is the artist not the turtle! )

Absolutely. Lol

Highgate 7+ second round group interviews. Any ideas what to expect?

Anyone who took nlcs 7+ today? What feedback did you get from your DDs?

anyone has any ideas on what to expect in HABS Boys 7+ interview on Monday ??

For mumteacher and other parents with DS doing the 7+ exams, honestly how much extra study/tutoring did your DS to in addition to normal school homework in the year leading up to the 7+? Our west London pre-prep finishes at 8 years and they will not properly prepare DS for 7+ in January 2016 as they want him to stay an extra year. Is an hour/day of Bond papers enough? My DS is in top set of mixed ability school.

Very much depends on what would be reasonable and therefore effective input. If your son is particularly tired and reluctant to do any work, three separate sessions over the course of the week would be preferable to daily hour-long sessions which may best serve to entirely demotivated him. The length of the sessions will similarly depend on effective use of the time with respect to his 'window of attention and interest' vs an arbitrary hour of slog.

I'd recommend broadening your repertoire beyond Bond. How academic are the schools you're sitting him for? Starting off with Bond - age appropriate for confidence boosting - is often a good idea. After this motivating intro., I'd up the game by heading towards the books written for those a year above his chronological age. Be discrete about this. Covering the front of the book or placing a sticker over the age banding is a good idea.

Ensure that you contact the schools you're sitting him for to ask for the format / specimen papers. These can often be found on the schools' websites. You'll then know which aspects of the curriculum to be covering, broadly. In general, maths (including worded problems, knowledge of more simple units of measurement and multiplication tables, etc.) and an English paper (comprehension, composition and sometimes punctuation / dictation).