11+ independent schools

[SandD]

Hello lovely parents,

I have a 10 year old boy and I am aiming to get him into one of the good independent schools. Like all parents we are aiming for City of London, St Paul’s, kings college and Hamptons. He is going to a state school, very bright in maths and average in English. He has been tutoring 1-1 in English over last year but he recently did a mock for QE ( though not our target school but we wanted him to practice). He scored 80% in maths but only 50% in English- now I am very worried about it and thinking if he is benefiting from his tutor- I have helped him a lot do- lot of question papers etc and I know where the problem is… he doesn’t read the text properly. Shoukd I change his tutor? I am paying around 65/hr for his english tuition plus spending so much time and energy.. would a change in tutor at this stage help him? The current tutor is nice, praises him a lot but o just need honesty and see a good score?we recently started Atom and he gets a score of 110-130 ( once!) in english mocks and levels at 8 in english and 9 in Maths. I know it was his first mock and my son was scared too..

we have some safe school options as well but since I have worked so much with him I really would like him to get a place in one of the top school. I can’t wait for this 11+ to be over!


any advice would be deeply appreciated.

[ChnandlerBong]

I'd discuss it with the tutor - is it exam technique? Perhaps the QEB exam is very different from the ones at your preferred schools?

The key is that the tutor has experience at the right kind of entrance exam and that your ds gets on with them?

ps not all parents are aiming for St Paul's/CLSB et al?

[Yodaisawally]

Not all parent are aiming for those SP / CLSB. At all.

If my kid was getting 50% I'd be looking at other options.

[SandD]

Thank you, other schools on our list is Epsom,Reed and KGS- is there any other school that I can target with his current scores?
we have been in UK for only a year and our knowledge is very limited. I was told about Epsom just last week and it looks like a fab school.

yes he has been preparing for independent schools and has got a hang of questions asked and method of answering.

many thanks

[mydearsunnnyyyy]

I feel for you, its so stressful. Sorry but I dont think he will be able to have place with thoes scores if he doesnt improve by exam time. Talking by my experience. I advise you to consider elss academic school, just in case so you do not feel disappointed and at least have a place somewhere. Best of luck.

[LIZS]

Have you already registered for all these assessments? Which schools does his tutor suggest he might be successful with such scores? You may need to realise that those will not gain entry into many selective schools and temper your expectations. Epsom could be a stretch for example. Which are deemed "safe"?

What school is he currently at and could he benefit from going to a prep first and entering a secondary at 13+ (although in practice pretests and deferred 13+ are also taken in year6/7).

[Bikeproject]

Hi, I'd try and enroll for a Yellow Bird mock exam. Their marking is thorough. They anonymise the results and put them all in a table so you can see how well you've done but also how well you've done against others. They should also be able to tell you what sort of score would get a place in top tier schools. It's a bit pricey but I think worth it to know where you stand.
If you're in a state school, your school may or may not be able to guide to schools taking in more/a fair number of pupils from the state sector. I know KGS is one of them but there must be others.
All the best!

[Roundlampshade]

Where do you live? No, don’t tell me, but aim for the best school within half an hour from your house. If you’re looking at day schools then your son will want to socialise with his friends out of school.

[Bikeproject]

Just been on a tour of Hampton. They say that 60% of their intake is from state primaries.
Sport and music seem to be their strengths + academic obviously. 🙂

[Snuffy28]

Please widen your options, as a score of 50% in English won't be enough for the schools you have in mind. Even if you change tutors, these schools are looking for boys who are top performers all round, and the interviews are just as important as the entrance exams. There are other schools where your son would thrive.