11+

[catinb0oots]

Does anybody else have a year 5 child preparing for the 11+?

DS2 is still having his tutor (on zoom) once a week and we are doing the workbooks at home.

I can't find anything online to say if it will go ahead as planned in September.

If the schools are back then I will imagine it will go ahead as normal although children might have to sit it in their current school to avoid mass sittings in exam halls.

Remember that it’s supposed to be a test of natural intelligence and not something to be tutored for (although we all know the great majority of kids are tutored). All kids will be in the same boat and many will perform less highly than expected, but the pass marks will be adjusted accordingly.

The grammar 11+ isn’t like GCSEs where grades can be given on past work regardless of how many other children get the same grade. There are a definite number of school places and there are always more children that qualify than get a place. Deciding who gets those places without a test score would be surely almost impossible, particularly for those children who are borderline.

Just my thoughts anyway.

Thank you @Zodlebud

I guess we'll just keep plodding on with the work. It supplements what he does at school anyway so can't do any harm!

I have a child (DC4) who was following the same path as his siblings - prepping well and heading in the right direction. His teacher is absolutely confident that the school we are aiming for is completely the right place for him. But since lockdown, all tutoring has stopped and he's totally lost motivation - and it seems the ability to do any NVR. He's just done an NVR paper and he was getting 80%+ at the end of the term - he's just got 40%. I'm really stressing about it because he's such a maverick, he's one of those children who will either follow his siblings to the superselective grammar, having got a top score, or he's going to crash and burn because today he's thinking about the plot for his next story and he just doesn't want to focus on anything else....!

My DC's aren't old enough to worry about it yet but their prep has made general statements that they'll continue to prep Y5 for 11+. I would assume for now that it will continue as planned or be delayed but go ahead eventually. Obviously kids from poorer educational backgrounds will be massively disadvantaged by it but there will still be grammar schools and those schools will still need to select students.

DS isn’t as he’s in year 6 and so starts at his grammar school (Corona permitting) this year but I’d advise caution about assuming that all children will achieve lower scores due to school being shut. I know a few parents of year 5 children who are using the time solely for 11+ tuition. I expect there’ll be a band of children who score higher than usual and a band that score lower than usual.

I think the exams will still go ahead as planned. And I think the percentage of children from disadvantaged backgrounds who pass will be lower than ever. Prep schools are still teaching and doing prep, parents who can afford to are still paying for tuition, albeit online, and those who go to state schools who’ve decided to teach no new content next term or have parents who don’t get them to do any work next term will not have even covered the y5 curriculum they should have, let alone had any specific exam prep.

@CoronaIsComing
I imagine it will just exaggerate existing inequalities. Some families will be using the lockdown to do even more 11+ prep than they were before and other families who don't have the resources or inclination to do any prep will have kids who perform significantly worse.

@Zodlebud

Yes we all know that’s what they should be

But fact is - they’re not.

Tutoring is all about familiarisation with the style of questions.

I have watched my year 5 boy go from struggling with non verbal to being able to blitz papers. He hasn’t got more intelligent. His tutor totally focussed on non verbal and he’s improved enormously.

For what it’s worth - my son really prefers the zoom tutorials to face to face! We will keep going I think

@Bringringbring12

I agree it's long been established that there is no genuine IQ test. I have always done very well educationally (1st class degree and PhD from top uni) but am awful at NVR (VR is a better predictor of academic success). I can however learn how to do the tests if I need to. VR is also fairly dependent on vocabulary - a brighter child will absorb vocab more easily but they have to be exposed to it first, so children from homes without lots of books or without parents who tend to use a wide vocabulary will be disadvantaged.

I am assuming it will go ahead but I feel less pressure. DS is able and should easily pass. I'm not cramming and I cancelled the tutor. He only did advanced maths anyway with a bit of VR or NVR chucked in every other week.

We will pick up bits and bobs and refocus in the summer holidays.

Now more than ever, headteacher appeals surely should have more gravitas. His can prove his maths and reading ability to be well above expected for year 5 before lockdown.
He's got 130+ in NFER tests. I'm delighted to be able to drop the bag of shite called 11+

My daughter was preparing for the 11+ this time last year. It really stressed me out, but thankfully she passed and got a place at her current school.
I really don't know what will happen. I guess I would check the school website of the one where your son will be taking the test. I am sure you will be told at some point.

I'm fortunate that the independent school exam is not until January but I'm also worried about lack of motivation. We are using online tutoring as well.

Ring the schools and find out what plan B is (if any).

Ours are due in September, they have delayed them by 2 weeks so far. The results need to come out before parents apply for secondary schools so can't be delayed much beyond that.

spanieleyes can I ask what area you are in please ?

Does anyone think that grammars will just stick to local children?

Does anyone think the exams might move until jan 21?

We are late in preparation and out of area and my boy gets quite upset at times when he gets stuff wrong so it is proving a challenge as he would rather kick a football around so maybe he isn't 11 plus material. If he does an hour a day is that enough? His primary school for year 5 is not great as an example zero work has been set during the lock down. My son is bright but is not at an outstanding school.

Lincolnshire.
Here, results are received back before the end of October to enable parents to take account of the results before secondary applications have to be in. Otherwise you might be wasting an application slot. This means they have to be held late September/early October to enable the papers to be marked.

Thank you

@Pokemontrainer an hour a day seems an extremely long time to me! Definitely enough I would say.

Thank you very much - that is all we do.

Lots of other parents keep telling me it is simply not enough and they are doing a full days home learning then up to 3 plus hours of 11 plus.

I have realised the year 5 class my son is in has no been great .. the home learning set took him all of 10 minutes. They list a topic such as UK rivers but do not suggested activities - no maths, no grammar, no creative writing.

So I am realising that my D.C. is behind from schooling but he does pick up stuff well.

First time posting here. We are returning back to the UK (Berkshire) after spending 7 years in the the Middle East. DS has just completed Year 4 in a British international school. We want to prepare him for the 11+ exam but feeling confused over choosing which tuition centre to go for. The popular ones are AE Tuitions, Susan Daughtrey
and XL Education (as heard from a friend). Any recommendations on these would be greatly appreciated.
Also in our situation remote learning seems like the best option as our relocation will take place early next year. Please share your experience about online option too. TIA