11+ SW London. Idiots Guide

[notlikeanyother]

Outing myself but for the last year we have been expecting to move to Europe next month as Dh's department was being transferred. I was very happy with this but DH has just been offered a great job here and wants to stay. Problem is DS is Yr 5 in state primary and I haven't given a thought to secondary schools as it wasn't going to be an issue. Options here aren't great and if I'd known we might have moved but not really time for that before Oct applications now, and all 3 DC are happy in primary.

So, friends have suggested he should be sitting the 11+ but I have absolutely no idea how it works. DS has always been right at the top of his classes for English and in the top group for Maths but I don't think he's ever really been expected to extend himself. Was 4a across the board at the end of Yr4.

How do I know if its even worth him sitting the 11+? I don't want the whole experience to dent his confidence if he fails just because we started too late.

Is it possible to get him through ourselves? I am very English language orientated and have journalist training so confident in English papers. DH has Maths degree, although not a huge amount of time if starting new job.

What is Verbal reasoning and non verbal reasoning about?

What would we need to purchase to tutor him if we do decide to do it?

Aaargh. Feeling we've failed him really as no doubt if we'd been planning this a year ago he'd be well up to speed now. He doesn't mind studying although much prefers playing sport.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[TeddTess]

top tip for tutors by the way - see if they have any one off slots during a holiday break... if your ds seems easy to teach / a dead cert they will miraculously find a space.

that's how dd got one... of course i left it to yr5 too and they were all booked up.

[Bazelle]

VR and NVR are highly teachable. A friend of mine got his son into Tiffin this year and this is ALL they did. But this year Tiffin will only test English and maths, first round will be multiple choice, second round traditional. I wouldn't rule out VR and NVR all together though as they can easily be included in English and maths papers. 4A in year 4 is good, but I would tutor. I have another friend whose son had a level 5 in year 4, they are not tutoring him but he goes to a good prep school and he has special work set for him and another clever boy in the library.

[AliceMcGee]

What the National Foundation for Educational research says about NVR

[TeddTess]

i am not sure a debate about the merits or not on NVR is particularly helpful to the OP.
my experience is that anyone who gets the state grammars, who use NVR/VR do a HUGE amount of tutoring, papers, practice, mock tests etc.

then again these schools are super selective (Tiffin anyway) so you are talking about top 1% getting a place.

if you take the yr6 population as a whole and give them all a few practice papers/a bit of tuition then yes VR/NVR would i suspect indicate the top 10% of children by natural ability.

however you are only getting the top say 5-10% of children even attempting these tests as everyone knows how tough it is. And within that top 10% it IS all about practice speed practice speed familiarlity speed. I very much doubt they actually identify the top 1%.

and FWIW i think NVR is easier to teach than VR. it is definitely hard to get a child with limited vocab up to scratch with VR. Then again i'm not talking about average children, but pulling apart the super bright.

[notlikeanyother]

Thanks all for the replies. Well it may well be a mute point. Dh accepted the new job and we told the DC we weren't moving after all. Broached the subject with DS about studying very hard for tests in September and he melted down. He's done 2 hours a week intense language study for almost a year, with lots of practicing at home. I thought he'd coped with it very well but he's furious about more intense study.

Obviously he's too young to make these decisions but I just don't know how to motivate him to start a new program now if he's already feeling burnt out with study. He's only 10.

[SpecialDispensation]

I think you need to visit then potential schools with him, so he understands what the options are.

If he doesnt want to put the work in, there is little point considering a superselective.

[SpecialDispensation]

In terms of motivation, a certain amount has to come from him.

We are in a grammar area, and we didn't actually visit the superselective he's going to at all, until after the results were out. We did, however, visit the local grammar and non selective schools so that DS could see where he might best fit. DS is very competitive and driven, so we thought the visit to the superselective might make him put undue pressure on himself. I think it was the right thing to do in our situation, but obviously everyone's child is different - it's about finding the best way to motivate your child without putting them under too much pressure.

But I also think it's about guiding them as a parent, and letting them have some input into the decision. After all, no one wants to be in a situation where an adult child of theirs says "Oh I was never given the chance to attend that school."

[Bazelle]

If I were you I would get him assessed by a reputable 11+ tutor to get an idea of his chances and the amount of work he would need to put in. It might not be that bad at all. And give him lots of rewards for effort. All this hard work would not be wasted IMO, if he doesn't get into a grammar school but get into a good comprehensive he would be put in the top set and is likely to do really well.

[MrsCakesPrecognitionisSwitched]

A decent tutor shouldn't make it feel like slog nor, if he is as naturally bright as you say, will your DS find it particularly hard. DD thoroughly enjoyed the work she did for the 11+. I think she enjoyed bring stretched a little and succeeding and getting praise from people other than the usual suspects. And she wasn't close to the levels your DS has been working at.

[TeddTess]

My experience too is that they really enjoy the 1:1 experience with a tutor, lots of praise and work pitched right to their level.