Secondary schools - whitgift Caterham trinity et al

[Giddymiss]

Hello everyone - I'm very new to all this and am hoping for some good advice from you all, please?

My DS (7) is currently at a small local state school and I am trying to get my head around his secondary school options. Yes - I know it's possibly too early to start worrying but am wondering what things I can out in

.... (sorry hit wrong button).

Just wondering what things I can put in place NOW for him to gently start preparing him over the next few years?

He is generally a bright boy and doing fairly well at school, friendly and chatty and very imaginative!

Outside of school he has started weekly piano lessons and attends a local Beavers Group and also attends a tennis group during the spring and summer months - more for fun than competition.

I'd really like to start "gently" gearing him up over the next few years in order to give him the best opportunity I can when it comes to senior school selection.

All advice would be warmly received.

Thanks in advance.

I think the best thing you can do for him is to encourage a love of learning (trips to Museums and inspiring places) and a work ethic. Make sure homework gets done promptly and to a high standard. Read to him every night and have him read to you. Any more pressure at this stage and you risk him losing out on enjoying his childhood. The beginning of Year 5 is when you need to start thinking about intervention if you need it, but you are right to want to be gentle now. The pressure at 11+ is immense, no point in bringing it on any earlier.

I guess it depends on where you live and what school you would like him to attend. Most secondary school exams, e.g. State and Independent, have tests in verbal and non verbal reasoning and, if your son attends a state school, they do not include this in the curriculum - therefore, a good, gentle starter would be to introduce him to both Verbal and Non Verbal reasoning. Most children quite enjoy "reasoning" exercises and it is a perfect thing to start in Year 4. The private sector schools also have tests in Math and English, and children at independent schools get prepped for these exams practically every day of the Autumn term before the exams. Again, if your child is in a state school, his school will be preparing him for SAT's, which are well after the exams - so, it will be up to you to "prep" for the maths and english exams.

As your son is bright, however, I am sure he will do just fine.

Best of luck to you!

Get him to read, read, read, that's the key. Not necessarily with you (let's face it, how many of us actually get the time to read with all of our kids every night?) but independently will do. It will help with so many things that are tested at 11+ such as verbal reasoning, english comprehension and writing essays.

I agree, reading anything and everything, including non fiction about hobbies and interests (planes, trains, whatever!) is the best prep, even for maths. If you can find time to cuddle up and read to him on a regular basis then that makes reading extra special. My kids still like me to read to them when I can (usually hols only) and they are now 11 and 13.

• Buy him 'First News' not the Beano...
• Encourage a love of puzzle books - word puzzles, crosswords etc
• Help him develop an 'inquiring mind' - look for interesting nature/science programmes on TV for him rather than mindless, endless cartoons etc
• resist the pressure to buy him a DS/ipod/Wii/Xbox etc for as long as possible
• take him to events & places e.g. National Trust, Kid's theatre, galleries, music performances

Thank you everyone for your kind advice - very much appreciated.