Wilsons, Wallington, Tiffin, Sutton – why so many applications? Are parents kidding themselves?

[TheWomanOnTheBus]

I went to the Wilsons open day last night, and in relation to admissions the Head at his talk said basically the following:

Yes, there are 1400 applicants. And yes Wilsons have 150 places. However, the chances of entereing is not as bad as that sounds since each of those 1400 applicants is also likely to apply for all the Sutton grammars and also Tiffin. (And some will no doubt also be applying to/preferring indies - my point not his). In total, throughout those 4 schools there are 510 places. He encouraged anyone to apply whose DS was likely to get a good 5 in KS2 (ie 5a and 5b).

Now it is true that some DSs will have a bad day. But if they take 4 tests, and they were at the level the Head said they need to be to get in, then the chances of them having a bad day (if they are at the right level) at all of them is minimal.

So are 900 or so of the parents kidding themselves (nowhere near predicted to get "good 5")? Are their DSs nowhere near that level and they are applying anyway? That many?

Or is the Head being disingenuous and in fact you need DSs at a much higher level?

IYSWIM.

Or in short, "we here at Tiffin have an exam which has NOTHING to do with what your child has been doing at his state primary and passing it has EVERYTHING to do with techniques, speed, accuracy and preparation, as studies and experience have shown. But please, please, do not tutor your child."

Good points, Tiggy.

Yes, Hardboiled, agree with your . I had the Wilsons Head tell me (disingenously as it turns out from this thread): don't worry, if you have a level 5 predicted you will get a place. I had the Tiffins Head downplay the need for tutoring/coaching/practising ...

I missed Wallington last week so if anyone could summarise the lie line they are peddling there I'd appreciate it.

TheWoman, I don't think the Wallington head included the "to tutor or not tutor" in his soliloquy. He may have, I think I dozed off half way through...

correction..."to tutor or not to tutor"

TheWomanOntheBus - I think the Wilson's head speaks the truth. My informant (ds) says that the maths paper really did only cover maths they'd done at school, the English was straightforward, and the VR and NVR just like the ones you buy from WHSmith. He came out with level 5s. The school didn't reveal what level of level 5 - mainly because it was a very low-octane state school that had no interest in enhancing the learning experience provided to their students beyond the bare minimum for the national curriculum. Hth - don't despair/give in to the hysteria.

Mind you - I need to follow that advice myself!! I've just realised I'm now starting on the secondary transfer nightmare treadmill with dd!!!!

Hi everyone!

I'm new to the whole grammar school entrance scene and need some advise. My son will start year 4 in September and is fairly bright. He is working on a 3a/3b level at school. Recently we got in contact with a 11+ tutor who assessed him. The tutor felt that my son was focused and was doing well enough to start tutoring him in year 5. In the meantime, I can work with him at home as I do. I am wondering if this is the right way to go about things, or should children start tutoring in year 4?

No you don't really need to - I wouldn't really formalise the process but incorporate fun learning into day-to-day life - finding synonyms for things, doing puzzles etc.... I personally think more formalised work on Bond books etc... should only start in Year 5.

They are children and six to nine months of practising papers should be enough if you have a bright child!

don't have time to read the whole thread, but if I remember well format of Sutton Grammar answer sheets is different from the rest.

check that with your son so he understands it

Wallington PTA run a mock exam - not only does this give your DS valuable exam experience but you will be able to see from the results where your DS sits against his peers. I know of a number of parents who stopped tutoring based on the results, as they felt that if they were not in the top 200 they most probably wouldn't get in to one of the grammar schools. It still meant a certain amount of tutoring, but they felt that they benefitted from that anyway.
With regards to tutoring in general, if you take a relaxed non-pressurised approach to it, then the chances are your DS won't find the experience a negative one. My DS was tutored for 1 year, with a specific Tiffin tutor, and he had 1 hour a week with her and then a maximum of 2 hours homework. I felt that he wasn't over worked and he had plenty of time for being a child. We only tutored him because we knew he was consisitently performing well at school and we didn't have great local choices for him.
Some children are put through this experience because of parental expectations rather than their natural ability. But we also had a tutor who was VERY honest, and would not continue tutoring children after a certain point if she felt (with many years of experience) that they were not doing sufficiently well. Harsh but ultimately kind?? Who knows - it's a minefield but you know your DS, you know best how well he will cope and if he's bright and a high achiever then he won't need the huge amounts of work that some children are put through. Good luck :)