11 plus preparation DIY route

[MySharpNavyGuide]

Hi all, my dc is preparing for 11 plus , is in year 5 and is doing 10 mins tests of Sims. Could anyone suggest DIY route.
thanks

It depends what kind of school you are applying to and how competitive. Look at what they require for the exam and make sure you cover it. Every school is different.

Which test will they be taking? You need to find out what that specific test covers because they do vary a bit.

I've done DIY with my children. I would focus more on teaching the content they need to know at this stage rather than testing.

Look at the 11plus forum. It's specific for each area, includes independent school information too if that's needed.
Has links to resources.

I coached both of my DC successfully myself with information I gleaned from there. It did however take an immense amount of research on my behalf as to which type of books/papers to use for the area and I don't know if I'd have been successful if I were in another part of the country.

Thank you for your replies. We are not living in Trafford region but would like to move if DC gets through. We started doing some Year 5 Practice books in summer holidays and DC has had some reading. Finds vocabulary and sentence formation difficulty. We started using flashcards. Any suggestions please. Thank you.

I'd suggest signing up for Atom (you can tell them the grammar schools you're targeting in the registration process) and see how that goes for a month or so. You've just got to set aside some time every week (or several times a week). It's pretty straight-forward and the parents area is really helpful.

If you use the code EXAMNINJA20 then you'll even get 20% off.

Find out as much as you can about the exam content and work through books and test papers that are the closest aligned. I found Bond and CGP books good and GL Assessment papers. If you mean 11+ for independent schools then the format varies per school. From my experience the 11plusforum mentioned above wasn't up to date for the specific school I needed but the school gave some guidance.

Have you checked that you have a realistic chance of a place at one of the Trafford grammars if you only move after you know the result of the test? I understand that competition is fierce and you have to live close to your preferred school to be in with a chance.

In terms of DIY prep, the Trafford grammars use the standard GL test, for which there are plenty of workbooks and practice tests available. We liked the ones published by CGP the best, but it is a good idea to use a range of publishers for variety.

Agree with CGP books, work through 10-11 book for each subject, then move onto 10 min test and practice papers.

You need to move into the catchment area for your target Trafford school and be there by the time you apply (next April/May). Read the admissions criteria carefully, I saw a woman on the 11+ Forum move too late and her child will now be considered as a late applicant.

Thank you all for the replies. I would concentrate on Workbooks and Practice books now and later start on 10 min tests. I feel unsure of moving. This will help DC in curriculum of Year 5 anyway.

Great plan. I recommend the CGP books over the Bond ones.

Do as much as you can. All books (sims, bonds, cgp etc) 9-10, then 10-11, 11-12, 12+ as much as possible. All mental maths(it will help with speed). Do not forget times tables(yes it sounds simple, but just believe me). Look for maths olympiad riddles. I would also recommend to look for 11+ papers that you can find online for free. If it is still not enough EPP

Autumn term of Y5: 10-minute tests, book or audible for 30 mins every evening.
Spring term: Atom learning (full subscription so your dc can go to all the classes and do practice tests) and continue with the book or audible every night.
Summer term: as Spring term but mock test every week.
Summer holidays: ditch the Atom and move to paper-based tests (Bond is best. Really hard but do one a week). Keep up the reading and audible but you dont need to do a lot, except for having one intensive week in August where you should do a test a day.

Many thanks. I feel reassured by your responses.

Just remember that the system is quite brutal, so the majority (numbers increasing every year) unfortunately won't pass, so the approach we should have taken is trying not to put too much pressure on them. We (or I) did this a couple of years ago, and when they missed the priority score by a 2 marks, they were upset. Thankfully, we appealed (extenuating circumstances) and managed to get a place.

@MySharpNavyGuide I hope you don’t mind me saying this… you would be better off with a proper plan.

If you are genuinely targeting Trafford grammars for your DC, you really need to move house by April/May 2025, as @yoshiblue has advised (you should check for yourself the actual date by which you need to have moved.) If you have not moved house by then, your DC will have a much slimmer chance of a place as a late applicant (assuming you do move eventually!)

If you are no longer actively targeting Trafford grammars and simply want to do a bit of work with your DC at home to support the learning in school, the 11 plus practice materials aren’t the best ones to use as they are not directly linked to the National Curriculum and the type of questions that will come up in the SATs. There are Y5 workbooks for maths, English, science etc. that will be more relevant, and you can take a more relaxed approach.

Putting your DC through intensive 11 plus prep without a realistic chance of going to a grammar school seems a bit pointless, and a bit mean on your DC!

Agree that ones needs a realistic plan based on requirements of the area. But respectfully disagree that it's pointless, as it lays the foundation for year 6 and 7 work, and builds a work ethos.