Grammar School Mock Tests - HELP!

[Trants]

Hi there

We live in Wimbledon and are looking to try out for Grammar schools. This is our first child and we literally have no idea where to start!

I have just seen that there are mock tests coming up for Sutton Grammar but they are all booked out.

What about Tiffin? do they do mocks?

I guess what I need to know is what should I be doing right now basically!

Thanks all, panicking I am really behind on the whole process....

B x

Try this link

www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/11plus/viewforum.php?f=30&sid=d7816f52378a180a8ae50d4fde20b715

Hey Trants

What year is your child In? Are you trying to find out more about entry for girls or boys?

Mock exams are only for children in Year 5. All 3 boys grammar schools in Sutton hold mock tests (for girls and boys). If you go to their home pages and follow the links this will give you better info about the 11+ selection tests, available mock tests and booking forms.

Wilsons School
Wallington County Grammar School
Sutton Grammar School

Hey Poundpup

I'm looking for advice on how to go about entry for boys. My son is in Year 5.

Feel a bit lost!

Hi Trants

I'd say you need to be getting on the case now. Are you already tutoring your DC (or does he have an external one)? Don't want to panic you but it's only about five-six months until the initial 11+ exams.

Have you visited the SW London super-selectives yet? Most have their 'open evenings' this side of the summer hols so you need to check out the schools' websites for diary dates.

Also, you will need to complete SET application forms (one that covers the Sutton ones and another for Tiffin) for your DS to be eligible to sit the 11+ exams. From the SGS website I've just found this info:

"The Selective Eligibility Test (SET) 2017, for entry in September 2018 will take place on Tuesday 19 September 2017. Registration for the SET opens on 2 May 2017 and closes on 18 August 2017. The online registration form will be available on our website, and on the websites of the other participating schools.

The SET is the first stage test common to Greenshaw High School (selective band), Nonsuch High School for Girls, Sutton Grammar School, Wallington County Grammar School, Wallington High School for Girls, and Wilson's School."

Note that it's better to do the registration 'as soon as' rather than waiting until summer hols (when it's easier to overlook such things).

It's not necessary to do the Mock Tests BTW - although there is a lot of SW London panic chatter about the necessity of doing so. I guess it does show you where your DS sits in the cohort , highlights strengths/weaknesses and gives practice in sitting a formal exam (which can be quite intimidating/daunting for an average 9/10 year old).

Competition is fierce and getting more so by the year IMHO. All the DC I know of who've got in in the last year or so have been tutored for a matter of years (rather than the few months of home 'DIY' tutoring with parents that used to be more normal).

Good luck!

Trants- We didn't do any mocks. You can access various practice tests online and at WH Smith. We didn't tutor (too much ££ for us), but I did spend nearly £300 on various workbooks and GL assessment papers as well as CEM mocks to gage where he was. You can also download various papers from the private schools. We just did a little bit at a time and then in the summer, did 3 timed home-mocks. My DS got into Tiffin (1st choice) but passed the Sutton Grammars as well. I think you have to wage what will be best for your child. Sometimes doing a mock can knock their confidence and demotivate them, so don't worry if you have missed the deadline. I missed it because I didn't even know they existed. We decided in May/ June that we would visit the schools and from there we applied. The main thing is have the child be used to sitting in an exam environment. You can create this at home if you have missed the mocks. By the time my DS finished all the various selective exams I thought he had had enough, so was glad we didn't do a mock as well. Good Luck!

Hi, both Wilson's and Wallington do mock exams from May to July - book in for one of them. They follow the SET format for maths and english and if you do an early on in may you will be able to gauge where you are and if you need to work more on content or timing.

Wallington's are £27.50 or free for pupil premium and available here:

www.wcgsptfa.com/tests/

Sutton Grammar also do mock exams but think they will be booked up already.

We just did a little bit at a time and then in the summer, did 3 timed home-mocks. My DS got into Tiffin (1st choice) but passed the Sutton Grammars as well. I think you have to wage what will be best for your child.

Agree that home tuition is entirely possible. However, I would say that it requires commitment and continuity from parents and the child concerned.

DS started to prep for the 11+ in the March of Year 5 and he did six months of revision - started off with limited exercises from the books we'd bought in, working up to doing proper timed papers towards the end of the summer hols. He didn't do the Tiffin 11+ exam but did all the Sutton ones ( this before the introduction of the joint first round one), passing all three. He is fairly bright (his primary school teacher suggested that he should apply for grammar school) but not exceptional. However, he was focused (eye on the prize), as he really wanted to go to a grammar school.

Every year there are more and more children chasing those grammar school places, so the amount of extra study prep and support that secured a place easily five years ago wouldn't necessarily guarantee the same positive outcome now.

Happy to answer any other questions if you PM me.

Thanks everyone! That's been a great help.

Having looked more in depth at the grammars I think the Sutton ones may be too far for us. We will still try for Tiffin Boys I think.

We also have a fantastic state catholic school that we will go for. So should we put Tiffin first and then the state school on the list?

Will we get penalised by the catholic school for not putting them first?

Trants the schools don't know what order you put them on the CAF (secondary schools application form), so you have to list in your true order of preference.

Depending on where you live in Wimbledon, Sutton Grammar isn't entirely out of the question (although Wilson's and Wally Boys are a bit more of a challenge). Boys can go by train from Haydons Road or Wimbledon directly to Sutton Station (and then it's a 5-10 minute walk to the school). The 164 bus goes from the centre of Wimbledon via Morden to Sutton town centre too.

Good luck!

Trants - would recommend tutoring or some kind of extra help - don't want to panic you but having just sat Grammars last year I can confirm that they are getting tougher and tougher to get into - and I have a very bright son - over 4000 kids roll up on one exam day for 500 places.

Good that you have a back up.

Go and take a look at the schools as well - we didn't like Tiffin but preferred Sutton Grammars - both are a bus ride away from Wimbledon.

Good luck.

pS - re practice papers I would go straight to GL assessment papers as Bond is not the right level. He needs to be getting well over 80% in both by the summer to stand a chance.

Have you emailed the PTA of any Grammar school? Email addresses should be on every G. School website under PTA heading. Just ask them to email you if they have any cancellations. Good luck!

www.elevenpluscentre.com/courses/

Don't discount the Sutton super-selectives just because they seem less convenient. We're in Merton and were much more enamoured of the Sutton grammars than Tiffin. Lots of boys at DS's school from Wimbledon.

The Admissions Officers at all the grammar schools are very helpful in my experience, so do contact them if you have questions.

At the end of the day it's a bit of a gamble. But worth a punt if you feel your DS would benefit (and most importantly, he's motivated to go to a grammar school).

Hi, where did you see thet Sutton Grammar were advertising for mock tests?

mocktests.suttongrammar.sutton.sch.uk/ All sold out for this year.

Wilson's mock tests look like they're still taking bookings.
www.wilsonspfa.org/

Wallington County Grammar School still has availability.

www.wcgs-sutton.co.uk/2018-Familiarisation-Test