Where to start if applying to NLCS? Year 7 prep

[YelloyellowBlue]

Starting hugely late here but we have decided to try and apply to NLCS. DD is doing ATOM, good with Maths, no tutoring. Are we mad to even try? Should I be encouraging more reading? Any tips greatly appreciated.

What year is your DD in? Where is she scoring on Atom? Unpopular but especially if late, would definitely recommend a tutor… the vast majority of other applicants will be heavily tutored

@getsetdad year 5 and we have only just started atom. We tried a week and scores are around 100

I agree with the PP, most will have started earlier but you do have enough time, and I also highly recommend you get a tutor

You definitely spring for a tutor asap.. from what I understand that is far too low.

@getsetdad yes, im kinda hoping its early as she immediately wanted to try the test without any prep. What sort of levels should we be aiming at?

I’m afraid there will be people better qualified than me to answer that

We started in year 5 and went in heavily with Saturday half day tutoring classes at an eleven plus centre and 5 hours of homework each week.
Received offers at top schools and most selective grammar.
Atom doesn’t even scratch the surface of what’s required. Atom can help with round 1 however no point in making it to round 2 if you haven’t prepared simultaneously. Challenging maths, comprehension, inference and creative writing are key and without tutoring is hard.
NLCS is an amazing school, good luck!

@challengeAcceptedd that's amazing, well done to your DD. That sounds like a ton to do for mine plus the cost. Did you go from state?

A good indication is scoring above 80% on EPP mock tests. They’re quite pricey and it works better when you buy in a bulk.

You need to look at the type of exams they give on top of doing Atom. A tutor who has experience with the school would know what she needs to cover. On top of that her atom scores should be 130+ for NLCS. But all is not lost. My dd scored 105 on atom as her baseline and started end of year 5. Her scores quickly shot up though. We did not apply to NLCS, but for the top schools they say scores on atom should be 130+. Dd got this and got into G&L. NLCS uses I think paper exam so you need to see what to cover.

@challengeAcceptedd which papers do you recommend?

ExamPaperPlus for practice at home. They are the most difficult so as long as you hit 80% or more you’re fine.
For in person tests I recommend ElevenPlusExams. They also run intensive courses over the school breaks, especially now at Easter. Normally open to internal students only but worth asking if they have any unfilled spaces.
they are the best and have very impressive success rates. I think something like 70 boys tutored there go to QE each year and about 50-60 girls to Henrietta Barnett.

I hope this helps.

@YelloyellowBlue I agree EPP have the best practice papers but there are also a few NLCS past papers floating around online for free.

I think intensive Easter courses are good but not a substitute for a weekly tutor, bespoke to your child’s needs/ gaps etc until test day.

There is still a long way to go, 9 months or so and ample time to make progress with the right one.

Hope this helps, best of luck!

If teaching at home, a lot of these schools haven't listed the exam board. What age group should we be buying? Would it be 9-10 as exams are early in year 6, or 10-11? How can children know the work if it hasn't been done in school yet?

That is why you have to get a tutor. The HT at our Primary School suggested that our DS would benefit from attending a Private School. He also suggested getting a tutor because state schools do not cover all the work that is in the tests for private schools. Find a tutor who knows NLCS - they will know what they need to cover and will probably have past papers. They will also know how the interviews run. Your DD also needs to get used to working to time and completing a piece of work in a set time, something they don’t teach in primary schools but is important for the 11+

This is why you need a tutor: to teach the content from the year above. You need to be aiming at using the 10-11 papers as that’s the level she’ll be tested at but if you put the time in, start with 9-10.
Is she’s in state, is she consistently working at greater depth? She needs to be at the top end of greater depth and maths needs to be confidently managing the year 6 curriculum now in year 5.
I like the CGP workbooks for VR and NVR. Also their vocab cards. Scores need to be over 90%.
You've left it late but if you put the work in now she might just make it.

I think it’s more about how advanced a child already is at school rather than how much preparation they do or how early they start preparing for the 11+.

Our daughter’s CAT scores were always above 135, and her teacher consistently said she was about two years ahead in both english and maths. Her reading and creative writing skills like year 11 students. She loves creating writing and loves reading a lot! She was in independent all-through school, and honestly, we felt even if she doesn't get an offer from top schools she already has a place in seniors, so we didn’t put her under pressure. We never had tutor! While many others were taking extra Maths and English lessons, we chose to focus on LAMDA, art, music, and sports instead. Only in Year 6 did she did a few practice sessions just to get familiar with the exam format.

On the other hand, one of her friends at the same school had been taking extra maths and English lessons for two years, yet still didn’t receive offers from St Paul’s Girls School or City of London School for Girls. But my daughter did and she will start City of London Girls next year.

Every child is unique and different. I don’t think it’s necessarily about starting early or doing more. Only you can really tell whether it’s “too late,” because sometimes, no matter how early you start, it doesn’t guarantee a particular outcome and for some children its never too late!