11+

[VirtualChrissyWissy]

Hi again
now at the start of DD's year 5 at school and was wondering when the best part of the academic year might be for 11+ tutoring, i.e. should we start now?

Most people round here seem to start September of y5.

12 months gentle prep should be enough, so now if targeting grammars, after Christmas if targeting Independents.

Depends on how up to speed she is with everything. If top table, excellent writer and quick at Maths, you’ve been doing a bit extra at home yourselves then literally 3 months of exam style question practise will do it.

If she’s more average or has got gaps, works slowly etc then I’d start now and she’ll need to learn things/improve rather than just practise exam questions.

As always is the case - depends on the child.

If you ask any tuition agency, they will always say now, as they have obvious bias.

Best would be to do some mock tests, to track how confident and well the child does and that can guide you on when and how much tuition to do. I know Mentor education tuition do something like that, multiple tests spread over several months to help track the child's progress
mentoreducation.co.uk/mock-exams-and-workshops/

Hope this link helps

My daughter sat the 11+ last Saturday, and today I found out she has passed. She only decided in January that she wanted to go to the local grammar school. We didn't start any preparation until March. All we did was some practice papers, and the bond 10 minute tests. I felt like we had really cut it all fine, because I had heard some children were professionally tutored from year 4.

It very much depends on whether you're in a grammar county or applying to selective schools with no coordinated entry system.

For Kent or Bucks, your chances are much better (25%) than in North London or Herts, where some schools are selecting 5% or under.

For the former, some light practice may suffice. For the latter, you're up against people who have been tutoring for 1-2 years - at home or with 1-2 tutors. In these cases, you need to get started now.

Good luck!