7+ or Bust

[Haironfire]

Are there any other parents preparing their DC for the 7+ exams in January slowly going insane with study over half-term? DS is getting tired with 3 hours work a day excluding breaks but his tutor said we must press on. We sound positively lazy compared to the tutor's other students. This is the first time I've prepped a DC for the 7+ and it sure is a slog.

Artistic did your DS complain about studying 6 hours a day or is he a natural student? I'm inclined to agree with you that English is the differentiator as almost all the boys in DS school are strong at maths and reasoning.

My son got into KCJS with shocking (but legible) handwriting at 7+. My boy did 20 minutes some days in the holiday, some days he was up for more and did 40 minutes. I do think the activity morning at KCJS gives the school more information that the exams do as to the child's actual potential rather than the amount of preparation forced on him by the parents!

For what it's worth we did nowhere near 7 hours practice and 3 hours a day sounds too much to me as well.

We did nothing during the week at all but did a practice paper each weekend for 6 weeks leading up to the exams.

I would be very wary of swnding my child to a school where they needed that much preparation to get in - if it is that hard for them it os not the right fit.

Ps apologies for the typos - bloody phone!

Salti - my DD was ok with the work as I'd started around September & gradually built it up. Also I made it fun & did a lot of mixed work from different sources. I think she was excited to be ahead of her class in school & so she took it quite well. I also had a few lessons from a tutor only for creative writing - mainly for the 'how to use your imagination creatively' rather than the actual writing which I helped her with.

DD is now in year4 & outstanding in creative writing. However this was her weakest area in 7+. I think she just improved leaps & bounds with age & more reading rather than any tutoring or practise.

Despite all the prep she didn't get into one of the most super-selective schools in SW London (I suspect girls write better at a younger age & my DD wasn't ready at the time!) She did get into all other schools where she sat the 7+.

I would say that one needs to prepare depending on how selective your target school is. And the best schools do see well prepared children sit the 7+.