Sutton Grammar School tests - Which books/assessment papers should I prep with?

[01abbie]

We moved to Sutton late last year. My son is in year 5, and although we tried encouraging him to work towards sitting the tests, he was lacking the motivation to do so. Therefore with a busy family life having younger children also, we felt there was no point pressurising him to do so. Now he has decided he does not want to lose this opportunity and is willing to work and put in the effort needed! Now doing some research I see that many parents send their children for tutoring many months in advance and not sure if this is already too late; hoping if he is dedicated enough as he is a bright child, he still has a chance.

I am unsure and overwhelmed as to which books or assessment papers to work with (home tutoring) to prep him for Sutton Grammar specifically. Please could someone offer me some advice? Thanks

It's not too late, but you will have to cover the KS2 maths syllabus at least. Bond Books, 11+ practice papers are available at Smiths or online. Do lots of comprehension papers and creative writing.

I wouldn't just leave him to decide when to work. If he wants it, you will need to support him, explain where he's gone wrong etc.

Someone posted on MN once saying that her DD wanted to sit an extremely competitive exam. She plonked a pile of 11+ books on her desk and then was surprised that her DD didn't open the books and was bound to fail the test.

It will mean work for you as well unless you pay a tutor to do it for you.

Good luck.

Thanks for the response. Yes I agree entirely. We've been working with him consistently for the last few weeks as he is no longer adverse to doing so! There was no point when he was constantly distracted and not putting in any effort every time we sat with him.

I have some printed sample papers and was looking at what other books to buy. I will look at purchasing the Bonk Books, hoping there papers will be sufficient and see how we go. Thanks again.

We went through this process last year. Some things to bear in mind:

1. The first stage of testing is common to all the Grammar Schools in Sutton. It's called the Selective Eligibility Test and is held in September. It's a multiple choice test and we found the best practice material for it to be from GL Assessment and Exam Papers Plus, who produce practice papers specifically with this test in mind.

2. The second stage of testing is school-specific though it seemed quite similar from what I gathered from my son. There's a standard Maths paper with some quite hard questions towards the end. We used sample papers from private schools to prepare for this. There will also be some form of writing exercise which is quite time-pressured, around 25 minutes or so. It's definitely worth practising for this as there is some technique and structure to it.

3. Whilst it sounds obvious, make sure you put Sutton Grammar as you first choice on the form. The matching process definitely takes this into account.

4. We used a tutor who specialises in this exam to help with the prep. I don't think it's vital to do so but it helped take the pressure off us as parents and made sure our son was learning the right things and using his time efficiently.

5. Our son went through ups and downs in terms of motivation but I think he really benefitted from the process in the end as there was a successful outcome to all the work he put in. A good life lesson is nothing else!

Good luck!

Linda9786
Thanks for the advice regarding the GL Assessment and Exam Papers Plus, I would rather go by recommendation. Definitely think I’m more concerned about the time-pressured writing exercise for him as his maths is strong. I think this is where he will need to focus more and get some practice in.

Are you perhaps able to pass on your tutor details? May be worth looking into from my perspective to ensure he is learning as he should.

Really please your son had a successful outcome and yes, definitely a good life lesson.

Have sent you a PM

Sutton Grammar run a series of 'mock' tests in May/June prior to the actual tests in September/October. they are open to anyone who wants to sit the 11+ exams at any of the Sutton schools. My DD found it a very helpful experience. The school website has details of how to book.
Also, make sure you know exactly which tests are required for the stage 2 element, if the SET is passed. All the grammars seem to vary the content of the second stage. One of them (Wallington Boys or Wilson's) has decided not to run the second stage next year, just relying on the SET test so do check all the websites carefully.
On a final note - the Sutton grammars are extremely competitive and the kids really do need to be very bright - try to manage expectations with your DS just in case.....

Thanks Seeline, I tried booking the mock test this morning at Sutton Grammar but all full! Booked him for one at Wallington instead.

With Wallington although no second stage tests, I am in SM3 and wanting to be realistic about the over-subscription criteria whether he will get in based on that; proximity of home address from the school when scores are equal.

How exactly did you go about finding what will be included in the stage 2 element. Looking at Sutton Grammar website they just state that the second stage test for English and Maths are based on the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum. Is there anywhere else to get more detailed information?

Thanks

We used the Creative Writing Magic Money cards to help with creative writing - they are brilliant and really helped my son. I tried to read aloud to him each evening, focussing on classics (Tom Sawyer, Dickens...) and then discussing "wow" words, word origins and words he didn't know to help build his vocab. The Kindle is brilliant for this as you can save words in the vocab builder and then discuss/test and it has the word origins too. One thing to bear in mind is the SET is straight after the summer holidays, I used most of my annual leave up during the summer to run "summer school practice" with him 4 days a week - 2 hours maximum work, followed by lunch out or a treat - to keep us both motivated! We practiced lots of different writing formats - persuasive text, letters, descriptive text, newspaper reports etc. and different writing times as Wilsons have one 50-minute writing piece, Sutton have two shorter pieces. I think doing a mock test was really helpful as we could see roughly where our son lay in the cohort - WCGS are running them too this year in case Sutton is sold out.

Good luck to you and your son and wishing you all the best!

Hi VivienneWestwood,
Very helpful advice and definitely given me lots to think about. I have ordered the cards as they have fantastic testimonials so looking forward to receiving them.
Think our summer holidays will be pretty much the same getting him focused and working. Will be worth all the effort and commitment in the long run as either way he will benefit with his learning.
Many thanks

As far as I know there is no way to find out what is in the second test for Sutton or Wilson's, besides asking your son afterwards or children who've done it before (and they don't remember much!) The schools only say that it's maths and English.

Mock tests are very useful. Most children haven't done an exam in a big hall before, finding their desk by themselves, filling in the topsheet etc. It also gives you an idea of their place in the cohort.

Thanks everyone, you've all been really helpful and it is much appreciated.

Hi,
Could you please pass me the details of the tutor who helped your son for preparing for sutton grammer school.
Any other suggestions for the preparation? My son would be appearing for the exam this sep.

Regards,
Suchitra