Does your state primary prep for 11+ ?

[procrastin8or]

Just that really. If you are in or near an area with the 11+ does your state primary do any work to prepare pupils? I've been told that the 11+ covers stuff not taught in year 5 and the exam is first weeks of year 6.

Our 11+ exams are just verbal and non verbal reasoning papers, so we run lunchtime " familiarisation" sessions for anyone interested, just so they have an idea of the different question types.

There's a lot of talk about kids being tutored to pass and then maybe struggling but people don't talk about the kids who are tutored and don't pass. Tuition isn't a guarantee of a pass and I don't think necessarily means they wouldn't have passed without it. I understand parents getting tuition particularly as it's more common so that feeling you might be doing your child a disservice by not doing especially if you lack the confidence or education to help yourself.

Our school sent a past paper home. I think the local authority arranged for anyone who had signed up to do the test to receive this. I would not have been able to answer all the questions in the time allowed. I'm not sure I'd pass now.

Bloody hate the grammar system tbh. I don't really want my kids to go to a grammar. They're very pressured. They'd have to leave the house at 7:30 and not home till 5, at age 12. No time for anything else. But I also don't want them to go to the big secondary here that's just got slated on sen and reading by ofsted and known issues with bullying.

That makes me wonder if the schools who are doing it are already doing quite well and meeting their other targets or if it's parental pressure in the area or both.

That's the problem isn't it, where there are grammars it can mean the other options aren't great.

@procrastin8or

Our local grammar schools send a " mock" test to be completed in the summer term. They are kept in school once completed and can be used in evidence for appeals if someone does surprisingly badly in the actual test in September.

I think in our area the pass mark changes according to how pupils do each year so that only a certain number pass. More pass than there are places, some of those that pass will go to selective schools in other areas as they do multiple tests. There are also people who take the test that are not from the area so if they pass they may not get in on distance rather than ability.

No ours doesn't and we have 4 grammars in our borough.

Parents who are interested in that route generally get a tutor.

Even when my DC were young, the state school wouldn't prepare or support applications to grammar even though it was the nearest catchment school.

Surprise, Surprise, a huge number came from independent preps who did prepare from year 4 up. ( friends DS had no tutoring because the prep did it as part of normal lessons.)
As usual, the disadvantaged pupils had an uphill battle to get a place.

My understanding is that if you are in an LA where all children take the 11+ unless they opt out (eg Bucks), then state schools can and do prepare you. (That was the case for me 40 years ago.) But I believe it's banned in all Kent schools (state and private) and in my area, next to an area with grammars, the state primary school weren't even allowed to advise us as to whether our DC would be likely to get in and do well - though DD's teacher basically said "We're obviously not allowed to advise you, but if we had been allowed to then I would have said that DD would be very likely to get in and thrive there".

DD was one of only two in her Y7 class who didn't have a tutor - other than us, as we helped her prepare using Bond books etc. So it is possible and if your DC gets in without a tutor then you know it was the right place for them to go, whereas if tutored it may not be - some of her classmates have had to keep going with tutors all the way through secondary to ensure they can keep up with the work.

That’s untrue. Our Prep school does weekly lesson practicing 11+ style questions.

OP the truth is that almost all of the children who take the exam will have been prepared for it either by a private school, private tutor, or parents. The state school does NOT prepare them. If a child sits it without any preparation they are massively disadvantaged compared to most of the other candidates.

The good news is that many resources online / on Amazon can help you prepare your child.

Our primaries don't prep. It definitely covers yr 6 maths. We didn't tutor but did apps. Only one of several being tutored passed this year...

Nope. As at our school only the wealthy apply & they get tutors. Rest focus on Sats prep

Not sure what happens now (DC are 19 and 23) but their state primary school offered 11+ prep classes before school every week for the last couple of terms of year 5. Free of charge.

The prep schools definitely DID do 11+ prep after school even in year 2 (DD had a swimming friend at prep).

Well given they didn't have any school homework & were home by 3:45pm I don't think 1 hour 4 or 5 times during term time is excessive test preparation. It was still a long way short of what their prep school contemporaries would be doing on a week night & we obviously didn't always manage every night/the full hour but it was a good grounding in the basics and got them through the test without a huge battle.

And agree with others who comment on the 11+ being divisive. The grammar schools in my area have significantly lower % of children on FSM with many coming from private sector.

Those times are pretty standard for all schools if they provide after school clubs. My ds has to leave at 0730 to start school on time. If he goes to one of the many optional after school clubs he gets home just before 5pm.

@Angelik this is leaving school at 3 / 3:30 though, so spending that time sat on a bus. Which means no time for any after school activities.

@Reluctantadult my DS goes to grammar and he had plenty of time after school for sports. As they get older, training starts later anyway. For example, his football training is now 7-8pm. Also, it depends how far away they live. Not everyone has long journeys

@Lozzybear I'm saying about the grammars that my kids could go to and the bus times to get there. But fair point about activities for older kids being later.

I don’t think they can. It’s not in their remit. Here anyway

In Kent. Local primary mine attended did familiarisation and ran half term/ after school prep for 11+.

My daughter is at a private prep school. They absolutely prep for the state 11+ and most of the children from her school go on to to a state grammar school. There are 3 within commutable distance from here though, which may be a factor.

We are kent so the test doesn't cover year 6 curriculum. But most children who pass seem to have done a lot of preparation so its not a level playing field. There is one state primary out of about 10 in our town that does prepare them. Obviously that is fairer to children who might not otherwise get any preparation, but its also at best a bit of a waste of time for the majority of children. I guess an optional 11+ club is a fairer way to do it I have heard of those on Mumsnet but not around here.