When to start tutoring for 11+

[Findahouse21]

Dd is relatively bright and I would like to give her the best chance of getting into a grammar school if it's the right fit for her. Just wondering what the optimal time is to start tutoring to support her in this? She is consistently exceeding expectations on her reports so don't need to tutor to fill in gaps from school as such, but rather add to her confidence in regards to the set up and style of the questions. Thanks

I don't think you need to tutor her if she is exceeding expectations in all topics. For context, is she old for her year and is the grammar school you are applying for private, state and if state is it super selective? If not super selective e.g. drawing from a large intake area, doing as well as you say she is, she should be ok with just doing some practice test in the summer term of year 5 as 15-20% of high achieving primary kids in grammar areas usually get a place without too much worry.

Hi, thanks for the feedback - that's good to know. She's an October birthday so does have thay advantage and we're not in a hugely selective area either. We do have a very very wildcard which is a private school and would be dependent on her getting a scholarship based on a test which they describe as being very simillar to the 11+. But I'm not sure I want her in a private environment tbh, although hoping that attending open days will make the path slightly clearer

Lots of people will be along to tell you to do absolutely nothing and if they are bright enough they will pass, but that's rubbish. The style and structure of the questions is so different to anything they do in school. It's not really about 'tutoring' as in learning, but about practise, and the tutor identifying any areas of weakness to work on.

With my DD we started in the September they were in Y5 - ie a year before they sat the exam. Only once a week, just gentle sessions and a small amount of work in between.

With DS we only did some sessions after the Christmas of Y5, as we'd already been through it with DD and had practise tests etc. He got a bit sick of it, so we let it go throughout the summer and he just went and sat the exam a bit blind.

Both passed. Horses for courses is your answer - you know your kid best.

I would say to start no more than a year in advance, so if the exam is at the start of year 6 (like most are) then begin preparing them in year 5. I've been through the process with two children and it was plenty of time. A lot of it is about getting them used to the style of questions and developing their exam technique. If you are planning on getting a tutor then you.may need to book one well in advance as they do get booked up. If you are doing it yourself then start off with the 10 minute tests (make sure you know which format the exam will be - ie CEM or GL) as these are a nice gentle introduction to it all. Good luck!

Thanks both :)

Both my DDs started in September yr 5. They are both bright girls at a prep but they need work on exam paper techniques. A year was enough to keep the pace going, the stress to a minimum and feel prepared enough. Eldest DD got all her school offers and so had choice. Youngest had all hers and scholarships to choose too.

We had friends who started kids tutoring in yr 3 (yes I think that is max). They did well too but not that much better than my DD for all the extra work, if you see what I mean.

*mad not max!

And being older in the year doesn't necessarily benefit your child as the results will be standardised to take this into account.

At the beginning of year 5. As others have said, very gently so that no-one runs out of steam.

We are in a grammar area (no idea how selective, not super selective I don't think) and some of DDs very bright friends who did not prepare did not pass. It is an unfair system.

I think DD would have passed with plenty of prep rather than a tutor, but taking into account our temperaments and all the homeschooling we had done, we went for group sessions once a week for an hour and some practice papers in the summer between year 5 and 6.

It would be wrong to think that because she is exceeding expectations she will be able to cope with the 11+. There will be questions and problems on the exam that she hasn’t seen before. She also needs to learn to budget her time in the exam. A tutor will also encourage her intellectual development and give her a trial exam.

They don't need a tutor but they need plenty of preparation and support. The exam is a speed/accuracy test and very different to school exams. I recommend starting in year 5.

As others have said, it's not so much "tutoring" for the subject matter, it's more a matter of exam practice, confidence building etc. Schools don't really do much in the way of "formal" exams of a style/nature like the 11+, so that's got to be the focus for a high achieving pupil.

We started our son's 11+ "tuition" in the Easter ahead of the 11+ in September, so, approx 6 months. The tutor wasn't particularly keen as he preferred to do at least a year, if not 2, but at the end of the day, he wasn't going to turn away the money!

His biggest benefit was that the tutor did a "mock" exam in a local church hall on a Saturday morning in the August, where he set out the tables like a real exam, imposed normal exam rules, etc., to give as accurate an experience as possible for the big day itself. It was invaluable as DS is the kind of child who hated the unknown and would get really stressed about doing anything for the first time. By doing that, he was literally "happy" to go for the real thing, no sleepless night beforehand and he came out smiling afterwards!

Following as we are hoping to enter DD for independent entrance exam January 2023. She is currently in top 5% of her state primary class but her maths seems a very long way off where it needs to be. We have looked at some of the practice papers but she could only answer 2-3 Qs confidently. Currently starting with the CGP 10 min Qs books, 4 books covering 4 maths areas per week and then 1 x English comprehension or creative writing task per week. We have decided to start with a tutor in September but I'm worried this may be too late to get her to the required level although she will be having weekly sessions until Christmas.
Not in an 11+ area so many tutors don't have experience of prepping students for this so have gone for one who covers KS2 - 3 and has prepped students for GCSEs.

@HelenWick

They don't need a tutor but they need plenty of preparation and support. The exam is a speed/accuracy test and very different to school exams. I recommend starting in year 5.

I second this.

Check what the exam format and content is going to be. Most 11+ exams for state schools are in either CEM or GL format, mostly multiple choice and computer marked. It is straightforward to prepare a bright child for these tests at home using workbooks.

We didn't use a tutor, but DD did workbooks at home during Y5, and a couple of mock exams in the summer, which were extremely valuable.

Also worth considering the time scale for finding a tutor - many of the good ones get booked up way in advance in our area .