11+ exman - Newstead Wood | Advice please ? (new on mumsnet)

[jessica36]

Hello,

First of all I am new on Mumsnet, so I hope I posting this in the correct thread.

I would really like to get some advice / feedback on how I can help to prepare my daughter (currently age 7 in Y2) to maximize her chances of passing the 11+ exam for Newstead Woods (a lovely secondary school close by for girls but apparently very hard to get a place).

Do you have any tips / suggestions on how I can assist her? I have to be honest I am not up-to-date with the current ways/system of tests, and how to approach this best?

Any advice you may have is more than welcome, I assumed i had plenty of time but it seems you cannot start preparing them early enough.

Thank you in advance :)

Jessica x

I work at newstead and just wanted to say that it is indeed a lovely school. Girls that are keen to learn, polite and friendly. No knowledge of the entrance tests I'm afraid, other than they test aptitude and iq rather than ability. Be wary of tutoring too much to get in tho. One of my girls mentioned recently she had been tutored to get in and felt much of the time that she was behind/not as clever as her peers. The girls there are extremely high achieving.

Thank you for your kind responds. My daughter is doing very well at present, not the top but certainly in the top 5 of her class. (but she is also one of the oldest in her class with a lot of August childeren, so really she should be)

I have started the bonds books with her, she enjoys them so that is good thing. She does need some motivation i think ...

I think it might be an idea to check out the elevenplusexams website and see what advice parents there can give you. There are also lots of tips on how to prepare for 11+ or independent schools entrance exams.
Good luck to you and your dd!

Hi, my DS is taking the 11 plus this November, we started tutoring in January, in hindsight I think it was too early.

I would speak to her teacher at the start of year 5 to see what she needs to brush up on.

I would not do anything specific at your DD's age. Just encourage her in her school work and particularly reading and vocabulary. I found a list of compound words useful for English and VR.

Also concentrate on any areas of weakness.

The elevenplusexams website mentioned by thenevernever is very good.

Where we are they test on Verbal reasoning, maths and English. Some areas do nonverbal reasoning.

My daughter is the same age as yours and several people who are in the know have advised me to use Bond Books, available from WH Smith, I think they also have a website.

forgot to mention that we will also be trying for NW!