Am trying to plan my next five years (to make god laugh and all that) is there any indicators as to whether they are 11+ material ?

[KatieDD]

Hubby and I both have good degree's if that counts for anything and she has a reading age of 10yrs 3 months and is 8 yrs and 2 months.

I'm just trying to decide around schools. Whether to tough it out or not.

Katie - Have you tried the "elevenplusexams" website? Apologies, can't do links yet.
You can post this question in your area section but actually I'd advise reading through posts on the site. You'll get an idea of the level of commitment required, for your area (it varies). There's also a bit called "Beyond 11+" which has a thread about whether parents would do it again. Interesting and maybe relevant.
The website is for the very organised, so not everybody is as focussed as those on the site but it has a great deal of useful information.
There's also a humorous thread on "AQA English" for a bit of light relief.
Good luck.

So she is Year 3?

Do you know how competitive the area is in terms of grammar schools? The standard varies a bit across the country.

How did she do in SATs in Year 2? And how many children typically go onto grammar schools from her school?

Heres the link
There are some crazy devoted folks there, I didnt find the site until AFTER dd1 had passed the 11 plus and it terrified me the extremeness of it all.
Good Luck!
My dd2 is the same age as yours and I will start her on papers the year before she is due to take it.
Oh and if it counts for anything, I have no degree or anything lol

She's year 4, an august baby.
She was above average in English and Science and just below in Maths but we've spent a lot of time working on that since last year.
About 50% go to the grammar from our school, hence I'm considering moving her to a private school to up her game for the next two years.

Our local state grammar selects pupils from the top 25% of the ability range. Over 1000 children sit the exam and 150 get places.

You need to (a) find out what goes on for entry to your state grammar and (b) to get some tutoring for the exam.

The private school option sounds okayish but I think the private tutoring will be better as it will be designed specifically to help your DD through the exams. It will also be significantly cheaper.

Second Quattro. If 50% of your school get in then that is already pretty good. Quite a lot of upheaval to move her for a couple of years. Woud be better to spend some money on indivudal targetted tuition assumig that you are otherwise happy with her current school.

Quattrocento: If 150 out of 1000 children places then isn't that the top 15%, not 25%? Or even fewer, because presumably there are some children who wouldn't sit the test because they have no chance of passing it?

Or am I missing something? (I don't have any experience of grammar schools because it's comprehensives in my area, fortunately.)

Moving schools has other advantages as well as the extra tution, I planned to start that at the begining of September anyway.
Oh for a crystal ball.

I agree with you Melpomene, the point that i was trying to make is that the bottom 75% just won't get in.

The average ability range is more like the top 10% in practice but exceptions are made for children who have siblings in the school etc

relax

Katie - Are you planning schools with a view to definitely having dd sit the 11+ or with a view to swapping into private now and perhaps staying there post-11+?

I really don't know Dougal, I could do without the fees long term I'm just worried she won't pass and then she'll have to go private or we'll have to move house either way a big expense.
Or whether to move heaven and earth to get her through the 11+ by whatever means.
It's her emotional state of mind that's as much of a reason to move her rather than my doubts that the current school could educate her to get through it.

The authors of "this bookwww.bookfinder.com/dir/i/Succeed_in_Exams-Tried_and_Tested_Methods_for_Guaranteed_Good_Re sults/0340728116/" live near us and run workshops on get the most out of children, I am considering sending her back to them for a while maybe instead of private school ???

It sounds as though, in your area, with 50% from her school passing, there's a good probability she will. However, the thing about the 11+ is that there is always the chance that she won't. Yes, you can "maximise" her chances but sometimes really surprising things happen.
I only asked because it sounded as though you might be weighing up the whole decision. What I was hinting at in my earlier post was that the 11+ can be surprisingly stressful, even for the most laid-back parent. It raises all sorts of issues, it can even affect your relationship with your child (if you let it).
It sounds as though you have decided to go for it, in which case i think you're right with the tutoring option.
I only post this because no-one else has come out and mentioned the emotional aspects of the 11+ and I think they should be an aspect of any decision you make. I think people don't mention it because often you don't realise until you're in the middle of it.
Good luck.

My DD's prep school are working, on average, a year ahead of the Nat Curric. I think that is fairly standard in pushy prep schools.

So if you moved your DD to a prep school she may be behind and have lots of catching up to do, this may damage her self esteem/confidence and not be a positive move.

At our Prep parents start extra tutoring at the beginning of yr 4 and the drive to pass the 11+ (apart from the truely posh/rich who are sticking it out for CE) becomes all consuming.

My DD isn't emotionally robust enough to cope with this type of pressure, despite getting 3s in her yr 2 SATs and having a reading age 4 yrs above her actual age.

I am kicking myself for moving her out of prep school, really really am but is it really too late ?
She's certainly not ahead in anything other than writing and not exactly happy where she is.
If I moved her it would be to a prep school so she'd have to move again at 11 either way.

Katie - I would urge you to only move your child if she is unhappy. There seem to be two things going on here 1.) your desire for certainty about the future, specifically the outcome of the 11+ and 2.) moving schools.
I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but they are separate and you need to think about them separately.
Re. 1.) Well, the future, and the 11+, is uncertain. For you, tutoring is probably the best option. You must enter it with at least a slight thought that she may not "pass", so make sure you build her confidence and don't ever indicate that "not passing" makes her a failure.
You're clearly quite "thorough", so I'm sure you can find a really good tutor. A good tutor will have a great deal of experience of your 11+ and a clear outline of the course of practice they will take with your child. He/she will identify any weaknesses and work with them. The experience should be calm and focussed.
With 2.), well, I think that's another thread. The school sounds academic enough but you clearly have other issues. If it's really bothering you, try sitting down with a pros and cons list.
Good luck , again.

Sorry Katy, I should have stressed more that your daughter is having issues with the school. You keep suggesting that all is not well. Do you have any idea why not?

Too be fair it's her not the school, she seems to be going further and further into her shell, pushing people away, family included. She's done some daft things.
I think I've got the solution to that issue so am feeling better about that aspect. I just wonder whether she should have a fresh start and a break from those who "know her". If she passes the 11+ she might come across them again and if she doesn't it's highly unlikely, apart from social occasions.
The school itself I guess is actually fine.

Katie - That doesn't sound at all fine. If you want more opinions on mn (to bounce your own views on school changing off) you may need to give more detail. But maybe you want to be private about it. Whichever - good luck to you and withdrawing daughter.
Re. 11+ (are you bored yet?), if you're lucky enough to live in a VR only area, concentrate on practice, KS2 maths (number bonds, multiplication) and lots (lots, lots, lots) of reading; if you're in VR + NVR, likewise; if you're VR + NVR + maths and/or english papers ... eeek(!) ... that'ss hard work.

It does depend a bit where you live too. There are some areas where you have to be super bright to get into the grammar schools - others just bright!

I had a chat with the tutor tonight after her first session and they feel it won't be a problem her passing at all.
I think I stick with the devil I know because the issues are of her own making so we need to get to the bottom of them because they'll follow her where ever she goes if we don't.
Thank you for the tips and website though, extremely interesting.

Do be very careful with that website though - there are some very 'driven" parents on there, and i found it hugely stressful when my bright but average dd was coming up to the 11&divid;1

That was supposed to say 11+!