Bright(ish) child struggling a bit with 11+ prep?

[cheeseismydownfall]

Bit of background - DS is 10 and in the UK would be in Y5 (we are currently overseas). We are planning to return before he starts secondary and have registered him for the 11+ in our home county. The school we have in mind is not a super selective.

He was considered v v bright at preschool, and bright in KS1 (top of the class in his SATS). Since moving overseas he seems to be more one of the average kids in the class, for what it's worth - although it is a gently selective private school. He seems capable enough, I think, but seems to be more easily distracted than he used to be, rushing his work and making silly mistakes. Perhaps it's a maturity thing, or perhaps he really did hit his academic peak at 3 .

Anyhow, we are currently doing prep work for the 11+ using a mix on online stuff and workbooks. He is doing OK, but I wouldn't say he's flying through it, and at his current level I'd say he would have a 50/50 chance of passing. The thing is, though, that I am finding the questions v v hard too, especially the NVR. I don't think I would have had a cat in hell's chance of passing the 11+. But I got straight As at both gcse and a level and an offer from Cambridge, so I'm not unacademic. I just can't bloody do those shape things!

So I guess my question is, has anyone else had a reasonably bright child find the 11+ disproportionately hard? Is there anything I can do to help him? I have absolutely no desire to push him to get in to a school he couldn't cope with - knowing him, I think he would fare better as as a bright kid in mixed school than an below average kid in a selective school - but I want to give him a chance to try. It's all made more complicated by the fact we are abroad and all I hear from friends at home is that all (and that isn't an exaggeration) the kids in his old state primary are having private tuition.

I’m assuming you are returning to a county like Kent which has grammar and secondary moderns - no comprehensives?

If that’s the case, roughly the top 30% get into grammar, so your child doesn’t need to be stellar. It’s a really common misconception that access to grammars in grammar counties is for the super bright only.

Think about which would suit your child best. Lots of people love saying that a borderline child will fail badly at a grammar and struggle academically and be left with low self esteem. This is generic bullshit. Sure, some struggle. Some don’t.

You have to look at the schools and think where your child will thrive.

One of my DC is “borderline”, never did amazingly at practice papers or shone at primary school but is thriving at local grammar.

Hi, it would help if you could add if your are applying for the grammar school 11plus this Autumn and if so which county (they are have differing exams) or the private school entrance exams taken mainly in the Spring of Year 6 also called 11plus. Have you checked out the elevenplusexams.co.uk website that covers all of the above?

Is it Bucks grammar schools?

I too was utterly befuddled by some of the 11+ papers. It's very tough.

In ds1's year, almost everyone passed with really high scores. In dd's year, only 4 passed with much lower scores and teachers saying it struck them as a much harder exam that year.

The Bucks grammar school's catchment areas have shrunk too so it's all very competitive and over subscribed AND very nerve wracking.

Best of luck to your ds. You just can't tell what it's going to be like so just carry on as you are and he will do his best.

Do you have a plan B?

My daughter also found NVR hard and was getting only 50% to start with. She was offered academic scholarships to 2 academic independents. I can't do it either & have a medical degree & a PhD...

Thank you all so much for your replies! It's reassuring to hear that it isn't just me who finds them flummoxing!

It's Lincolnshire. I've got a pretty good handle on what the tests involve, I think (GL, VR and NVR, both multiple choice - sat on two consecutive Saturdays this coming September). Once you've passed, it is then done on the admissions criteria, so "all" you have to do is pass. I'm not sure about the distinction between comprehensive and secondary moderns - there are of course schools in Lincolnshire that aren't grammar schools? We are also on county borders with non-grammar counties, so there are possible options there too. I don't think independent is an option as we have three children and it would honestly be too much of a stretch for us.

I think you are right, we just need to carry on with weekly practice and see how things go over the next few months. Part of me is glad we aren't at home - with all the kids being tutored it sounds like it will be putting a huge amount of stress on those kids, who are now all well old enough to understand what it will mean to pass or fail. Not that I'm criticizing the parents, I understand why they are doing it, I'm just relieved we aren't in the middle of it. I want to keep it as low key as possible for DS, but ultimately we are going to have to fly back for a week to sit the exams so he is going to twig that it isn't just for fun!

Whereabouts in Lincolnshire-I don't think they are as competitive as other areas particularly towards the coast.

We are in South Lincolnshire. There are a couple of more selective grammars nearby (that take the top x% regardless of distance to school), but the one we are looking at just needs a pass at the 11+.

The non verbal reasoning ones are hard - I find it hard to see the patterns in them. They are a test of logic so what you have to do it teach how to go through and eliminate the options until you come up with the right answer (although I will say that even doing this we still struggled sometimes to understand why one was the right answer).

The other thing to teach nearer the time is how to do a test - in other words how to not linger over questions you don't know and move onto the next question. Take a guess, that kind of thing. That was a bit of a revelation when I explained it to DD.

For me (and my DD) it is the other way round- NVR is totally fine. But some of the VR we both find really hard (impossible).

She is an avid and advanced reader and a great writer, but those VR - aaarrrggghhh!

My DD OTOH is stunning at NVR and spatial

Finds the rest of it more of a challenge though

She’s def more “right brained”

My son hasn't done 11+ but his school gives them annual VR and NVR tests. Since year 5 his NVR, while still well above average, has been markedly lower than VR which has fascinated us as he is hugely able in mathematics. The first year we thought it was a blip but it has been a consistent finding now he's 12.

Practice on these things IMO should be more about familiarity, confidence, and basic "exam technique". And not being flustered by questions you can't work out.

I'd look at Lincolnshire on the 11+ forum - www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/11plus/index.php

But a word of warning - people are a trifle intense over there.

Oh, and fwiw, my eldest dd was rubbish at NVR - she scored 90-something in Y5 CATs. With a bit of practice she scored 140 in the actual 11+. Thus proving categorically that you can learn how to do NVR.

Lincolnshire is top 25%, I believe.

NVR is all about practice. Is he showing an improvement over time? Are there specific areas he struggles with? Don't forget in practice that it's now NVR and spatial in Lincolnshire and some of the older papers don't have spatial on.

A lot of it is technique - as others have said, eliminate obviously wrong answers and guess, don't spend too long on any given question, come back if you have time.

I’m not sure practice helps much with spatial. Other NVR, yes.

We are trying for Lincs 11+ this year. May I ask what work books for VR you are using? We are using CGP books but apparently they don't cover all 21 types? Should I just buy a subscription to Bond online??