Things you wished you had known about the 11 plus process

[Goposie]

For me, that the numbers applying are crazy and the sheer odds stacked against getting in.

That it takes a lot of energy to not get sucked in by the hype/ general anxiety of it all and more importantly to not pass on that anxiety to the dc sitting it.

That grammar isn't right for all kids,even if they get in. Ds got in, no tutoring. They had little to no experience of Sen (dyslexia) and he was miserable. The atmosphere was totally wrong for him; he left after a year, and is much happier now.

That it can turn normal, sane parents into monsters! I had a do not discuss 11plus policy with anyone. Helped to keep it at bay!

well, depends where you are.
in our area the numbers are not crazy, and you have an excellent chance of getting in if you are bright, and well prepared.
That is true of many of the areas where ther are 20-30% of kids going to grammar too.

Main thing people should know is that it is just a school.
Find a second choice non grammar school. Visit both, tell your child they are both great schools, and how lucky they are to have 2 good schools.

second thing, (in our area) you do not need a tutor. You do need to do some preparation, but it can all be done at home using the books available.

That if you are in certain parts of London there are schools there is no point applying to unless your DC is in the top 3/4 in the class academically and has been tutored within an inch of their lives. And that unfortunately oversubscribed schools don’t care about CAT scores. It’s all about the exam on the day!

I think parents focus far too much on getting in instead of looking objectively at the school and deciding if it right for their DC.

It is incredibly competitive and I think ppl lose sight of the reality of what will happen for the next 7 years once their DC are in.

It is not right for everyone and that is ok

In my experience, some parents see this exam as somehow validating them as parents, and it's awful for the child and everyone around them.
Everyone claims to be relaxed and happy with the alternative of X non-selective school down the road/won't sit private etc. If the child doesn't get in (and the vast majority won't in London), they freak out and go private.
It's just the start though. All grammars are chockablock with very bright kids. If you have over-prepared your child, be prepared for misery and to supplement with tutoring.

On a practical note, I’ve learned to save up holiday as there’s an awful lot of having to take whole or half days off (frequently at fairly short notice).

I haven’t found it too bad at all, so I’ll do the same next time - home preparation (makes for easier scheduling), only apply for a few schools (ideally ones that have exams at different times to each other), do a mock test in early summer, keep on with all the fun extra-curricular stuff as usual, reward effort rather than achievement.

Weve got 11+ this September so lurking. Only one grammar, and the type that take only a few from each school so v competitive. Not london though.

Had planned to casually prepare at home but its hard not to buy into all the tutoring and angst.

Also realise that especially in London, many apply for multiple schools but can only attend one - this makes the odds of getting on look worse than they really are. All schools have to over-offer to one degree or another.

Also know that it is very possible for children from state schools to get places and children who are well prepared at home can do as well as those who are tutored.

And know that people lie - about if they are applying, if they are prepping or tutoring and how much, if they have had offers....all of it!

Things you wished you had known about the 11 plus process

The main thing is that they're ALL different, so you need to ignore any stereotypes you may have heard.

A super selective in London is a VERY different scenario compared with a more normal grammar in, say, Lancashire or Yorkshire.

For some grammars, the odds aren't greatly stacked against the applicants. For one near us, there are only about 300-400 applicants for 180 places - that's pretty good odds of getting in. For some you need to score 95%+, for one near us, the average is more like a mark of 70-80% to get a place.

Some require a written paper, some even interviews, but plenty just have multiple choice question papers.

Like everything with the UK education system, there's no standardisation - schools are different, catchments are different, 11+ "pass" marks are different, the 11+ exams vary.

What you need to do is forget everything you hear or read, and concentrate on the school(s) itself. Go to the open days, read the prospectus, ask questions. Many schools will show average number of applicants on their websites and the number of places available, they provide sample test papers.

Do your own research and ignore what you may have heard, both pro and anti.

ALL grammars are chockablock with very bright kids.

No, they're really not ALL at all. I refer to my previous post, ALL grammars are different. Some are super selective and full of the brightest. However, outside the London SE areas, there are some grammars which are pretty normal. Obviously, the average pupil will be "brighter" than average, but they won't all be the next Einstein, and some will be from pretty normal backgrounds.

that dc miss vital days at school to attend the test.
that dc get stressed beyond healthy.
that dc will be rejected by some schools.

Children at my dc's school get two years of tutoring for the 11+ ... TWO YEARS! I'm not that organised and wouldn't be able to afford tutoring, so not sure there's any point us trying when everyone around us is putting in all that extra effort (London borough).

Green - our grammar has the test on a saturday so no school missed!

Im v much aiming for my dc not to get stressed beyond healthy. Im not sure why they should if im not putting that stress on them. Im actively trying to avoid it in fact.

Age theres people here doing the 2 years of tutoring too. Im not buying into that and it certainly creates a difficult situation for the child if they "fail" after all that time.

I have learned that our primary not giving clarity On their position on the test left us in a very difficult position after dd failed by. 4 of a mark... Our head apparently doesn't support 11 + in anyway.

I feel as the business she is in is education... And people's choices are absolutely non. Of. Her business to judge this should be made open and clear..
Parents hinted at it but there was no clear information about in what way she wasn't supportive.

I also wish I had tutored dd even for 6 months. I put her into a test where literally at least 10 people we knew of had been tutored minimal 1 year most 2.
Totally agree with all pp posts however... And inspite of myself I did get sucked into it even though we are lucky and we do have other really good options!!

I'm glad it's over and if we did think other dc have a shot.. I would tutor for 6 months. Mainly for the the maths side because it's that area that seems to have most irrational on curriculum.

Swimming true but at least they know they are not suited to grammer.

Relief really.

I learned for sure what I already suspected-that it is a psychologically damaging, societally divisive, educationally questionable and crashingly unfair system.

I'm in London. Some people tutor from year 2 or 3. Doesn't make sense to me as tutors use books you can buy on Amazon. I guess some people just think that anything you pay for is automatically better!
Agree with poster who said parents see it as a validation of themselves as a parent. Lots of mums get congratulated for their achievement for getting their child into a school.

We put my dd in for it Bertrand Russel, it's not going to be psychological damaging for her at all

Infact she's completely forgotten about it.

I really don't think one can tar every circumstance with the same brush.

Children need a variety of schools, not every child will suit the same things.

BTW if it hadn't been a dirty word in our school and talk and help was more clear in the the context of the 11+ then my dd would have got through.

“e put my dd in for it Bertrand Russel, it's not going to be psychological damaging for her at all hmm”

I’m pleased about that. Sadly it’s not the same for many other children.

That's the parents isn't it though... I do know far far more youngsters totally failed by their school though and left with life long harm from exiting with no grades inspite of being capable.

Bertrand Russell please ignore this if I'm incorrect, but was it you who once mentioned going to the Book Club in a bit after GCSES results later on. I've always hoped it turned out well. Because I'm with you all the way on this. Completely agree.