2023 Eleven Plus support thread

[elevenduck]

I thought it might be useful for parents of 2023 children taking the 11+ test next school year to have a space to talk everything 11+ - tips on managing stress, approaches to the different papers, ways of relaxing etc.

Let's try and keep it positive and supportive!

No you don’t. You have to be living there before the deadline for applications (end of Oct). Exams are 2nd week of Sept.

The teacher did live in Bucks. So the child already lived in Bucks but was applying to multiple authorities and then the parents were going to move to the beta option. Utterly bonkers.

I see loads of discussion about Atom on here, the platform is cost-effective if you're not looking for 1-to-1 tutoring as well, but is just digital support enough? I think so much is gained from having actual 1-to-1 support especially in the early stages to identify where to focus attention and boost confidence. Are loads of tutors combining the Atom service with their own 1-to-1 services?

There's a service (based in Bristol I think but online too) called Spotlight Education who are a group of headteachers who provide support and an online discussion to help you make those first few steps. They'll even help you see if going through the 11+ process is even right for your child, its cool and a few mums are raving about simply not getting that kind of feedback from their kids' schools. Worth a check?

My son has had some results back from a mock CAT with a private tutor and he got 115 in maths and 114 in English. He has had no prep at all as we only just did our finances to realise he could apply for Merchant Taylor’s Crosby. His exam is November. Not sure if his marks are good enough though currently but that is his absolute raw ability with no extra tuition etc.

Those are good but I would not base it on one mock test. However; I think it shows your son goes to a good school.

I also think you have enough time to improve those results but they are good anyhow as a start. Suggest you do a few more mock tests just to check.

I think I have to make peace with the fact that DD won't pass the 11+. It's frustrating, her school report indicated she is working at greater depth on Maths and English and her teacher and tutor both state she is capable of passing.

The problem is her complete lack of motivation/interest. She insists she doesn't want to go to the Grammar as she want's to attend the local (Ofstead rated Inadequate) secondary her friends are allegedly all going to. I have two friends who removed their children from this school and have no intention of sending DD there. Unfortunately the other options are not great and the better secondary schools are out of our very tight catchment. Kicking myself and wish I'd looked into schools more closely before we moved here.

She is scoring ok on the 11+ mocks but won't sit and listen when I try to go through the questions she answers incorrectly so she isn't making any progress in the area she struggles with (mainly NVR) and given how incredibly competitive entry is I can't see her getting a place.

I'm all out of ideas and feel completely stuck. I've accepted she won't go to the Grammar school but I don't know what to do. I'd rather home school than send her to the secondary she wants to attend where a couple of kids were stabbed in the playground recently, Ofstead commenting safeguarding and behaviour out of control... I feel like shrieking at her sometimes. My parents didn't give a crap about my education and I so wish I could make her see how important it is to at least try.

@Eastie77Returns - I’m similarly ready to accept dd won’t pass. She’s not motivated to try particularly and gets stressed /wound up by the practice tests. If she has a good day, doesn’t panic etc she’ll easily pass. But I can’t see that happening. We are backing right off prep now as it’s just making her more stressed and the chance of a panic on the day happening.

we are lucky that our “plan B” school is a very good faith school. I’ve stuck with a very very crap job there, knowing I’m underpaid for 2 years so I’ve got a staff place for her. If she keep calm and passes the 11+ I’m job hunting the next day!

@LimeCheesecake great that you’ve got a Plan B although the job situation there is not ideal. Would you be able to leave once she gets into the faith school or is her place dependent on you remaining employed there?

It sounds as if she may well do well in the exam if she’s feeling calm so stepping back from the prep sounds like a good idea. Best of luck!

Nope - once she’s in, she’s in until sixth form - so I’m job hunting in October time this year or September the following year. (Although even if she passes, might hold on until grammar place confirmed!!)

It is a horrible part of an 11+ area - I know she is able to work at a level that would suit the grammar school. I know she could - in the right frame of mind - pass. And comfortably pass, not a squeak through just over pass mark. But on the day, she has to stay calm and answer the questions.

It is a horrible part of an 11+ area - I know she is able to work at a level that would suit the grammar school. I know she could - in the right frame of mind - pass. And comfortably pass, not a squeak through just over pass mark. But on the day, she has to stay calm and answer the questions.

I hear you @LimeCheesecake, it’s so nail biting.

My DD insisted she really wanted to go to grammar school but fought me when it came to revision more often than not (and, knowing how difficult she can be, I was not pushy with her at all because it’s counter-productive), sulked when I pointed out sloppy mistakes and would muck around when her tutor gave me feedback (she’s autistic which explains most of the behaviour). The fear that she wouldn’t do herself justice was massive. She ended up squeaking in with a score that didn’t quite reflect her ability - but good enough is good enough.

Ironically she did brilliantly on her SATs with zero conflict and strife because I let school handle all the prep and didn’t insist she revise at home 🤷‍♀️

ah yes, I’ve already said SATs only matter to the school, not me, so I’m guessing she’ll be super relaxed and do well!

I bet few parents/kids will do any specific prep for SAT at home.

We've promised DD the year off from homework (she's very compliant and likely to do the tiny bit of school homework she's been set anyway- but no pressure from us.)

She has worked so hard this year, and regardless of how she does in the exam, she deserves a proper break from stress before secondary school.

You’d be surprised. At the start of year 6, we were specifically asked by the school not to do recent past papers at home or with tutors because they would be doing them as the year went on.

Im not sure why school will ask for that specificly. Parents are not incentivized to do this SAT at all?

I think some parents routinely tutor their kids for anything and everything 🤷‍♀️ Clearly, it had happened in the past which is why the school didn’t want their mock tests to be spoiled by kids having seen the papers before.

The incentive for high SATs scores, I suppose, is feeling like you’re getting your kid on the right path to top GCSE grades, top sets, etc?

I'm beginning to feel super stressed about 11+ now. So many people I know, their children passed it in recent years. FS is SO bright, always been top of class and greater depth at everything. He's absolutely fine with NVR and Maths and broadly speaking at the comprehensions...

BUT depending on what Verbal reasoning questions come up he can really struggle. Especially with synonym and antonym pairing.

The outcome is weighted so English and VR is 50% and then maths and NVR are 25% each which goes against him . He's SUCH a grammar school type boy and if he can't pass it I don't know who does but I'm really nervous is VR will pull his overall score down. We're obviously working on it a lot through summer but it's so hard.

I also feel like he's going to just have a bit of a shit summer because this is just hanging over him. We do have a week away in mid August (UK holiday) and.plan to give him a total break. He's feeling good about it all but I'm just dreading it. I don't know how he'll cope of he doesn't pass, no matter how much we're trying to downplay it and talk about other school options. His best friend is likely to nail it and they really want to go to the same school.

I absolutely hate this.

It’s so hard isn’t it? It was easier with dc1 as he was so good at all the 11+ stuff we smugly didn’t make him do much practice. And if DC2 was obviously not suited to grammar I wouldn’t worry, our plan B school is good. It’s the situation of knowing it would be possible for her to go to grammar and knowing on the day she might just not show her full potential is so shit.

I can totally relate to this. We are in exactly the same (and also exactly the opposite) situation. I suspect we are also in the same county (Bucks) given the weighting you mention.

DD also has a best friend who's likely to sail through it. DD has been great at it since year one, but opposite to your child, she really struggles with spatial reasoning, (English is good, maths is good enough, NVR is borderline poor but not as poor as spatial) and her best paper is verbal reasoning!

I totally hear you about the shit summer. I'm trying to take photos each day of anything fun we do, so she has some memories, other than just doing practice papers!

• Greater depth, not great at it! We haven't been making her practice since Y1!

@Coraline353 Also it's GREAT that your DS is feeling positive about it. It's so much better that than feeling anxious and he'll be in a happier state to learn.

I keep telling myself we're in the final stretch now.

Not in the same area @elevenduck - we're Bexley but sounds like it's similar.
I just imagined DS would sail through it and on paper he TOTALLY should. But his VR is just feeling so tricky.
I am glad his confidence is up though and we have some mock tests during the summer.
I actually think he performs better under pressure than when he's distracted at home.

I'm just stressed for him