11+ 2025 support thread

[AquaPeer]

Hi all,
I really enjoyed reading previous 11 plus support threads and I think we’re probably ready for a new cohort of year 5s start their prep?

so I thought I’d set up one for next year. All welcome!

we are trying for dame Alice Owen. DD currently has group tutoring once a week but we are looking to increase to twice a week before Xmas.

i am trying to get her to do a cgt GL 15 min tests a day very unsuccessfully! This half term is going to be all about embedding routine 😀

look forward to meeting other parents preparing

It's slightly under 30 secs - 9 questions in 4 mins. After all that prep, to cover everything in an hour feels weird

After six years of primary school, to try and assess everything they've learned (and their potential for the next six or seven years) in an hour feels even weirder!

Yes. Tbh my main takeaway from yesterday was that if she doesn't get in it won't be the worst thing. I did what I thought was a reasonable and proportionate amount of prep. If it wasn't good enough, for these particular schools who value something frankly pretty niche then so be it. I think DD felt a bit the same, having heard some of the other kids chatting about how much work they've been doing - hours a day for years. I'm not sure what these super selective chools offer is worth that. In fact I've lost sight a bit of what it is I do want from them other than validation for DD!

I think that's entirely the right attitude. If the only way to get into the school is to sacrifice years of childhood to endless study, what's it going to be like when you're there? It it worth writing off half your teenage summers in order to get a couple of extra grade nines at GCSE?

We know kids who made HBS outside the 3 mile (or whatever it is these days) and quite often they were waitlisted first. There seems to be quite a bit of movement post 1 March of Year 6, typically, as there are a lot of competitive selective private schools in North London.

Every family has to decide how much work is worth putting in, or not. There is also some luck involved on the day. As there is for actual GCSE exams.

The most stressful part for us as Londoners with various “selective” options was always ordering the schools and having a very short window to do so, post results! Like 1-2 weeks. And it is also a question of luck, there too as to how people ranked the schools. One just has to go with the process and be done with it, but sadly it drags out because of the 31.10 application deadline and then the anxiety around National offer day and then for many the waiting list wait.

So my advice is, relax and play the long game. We know people in Year 7 switching grammar schools now after some kids have not showed up!

Yes you do have to get through the rounds1 to be eligible for the waiting lists though and that in itself means being in the top ten percent of this cohort of v academic intensely tutored kids. Not easy!

My daughter did HBS today. 25 mins for reading pages of English text and 26-27 MCQs. 20mins for about 50 VR questions and then 4mins for 9 NVR questions (times 2 - as there were 2 sets of NVR questions). She completed everything aside from NVR - she missed 3/4 questions. What will be, will be.... either way, it's boosted her confidence for her next exam! :)

Good stuff! A couple of Dds' friends sat it today too. They said it was hard and they didn't finish it. I still am not sure if DD completed everything, she was a bit vague. And like you say what will be will be But Latymer is the one she really wants should play to her strengths better. FX!

Creating a paper for 10 year olds that most of them are unable to complete is so disheartening. I just think the pressure some of them would have felt knowing that they didnt have time to finish.

Similar to a previous comment, I am already proud of my DS and know he'll thrive at high school so a whilst I am glad we gave it a good shot, I am glad that we didn't strip him of his childhood.

Different from other posts, but hoping OK to ask… what is everyone doing the day before the exam? Ours is on a Monday but I’m not sure how we should spend the weekend.
Should we be cramming, doing something active or just lounging and relaxing?
Sunday especially feels like it should be a day of no more work but then I worry that doing something active might create tiredness the next day, but then I’d like to make her tired enough to be able to get to sleep easily. A relaxing day of doing not much might not sufficiently take her mind off the exam and therefore she’ll be worrying about it, plus then she’s less likely to be able to get sleep at bedtime
Yes I’m an over thinker! 😄
Anyway, what have others done/are planning to do?

Also multiple classmates are taking the whole week before off school, or Wednesday-Friday. Is there benefit to that? Friends doing this are doing it for extra last minute prep, but I’m not sure whether to jump on that bandwagon or not.

I'm not doing that. Dds' friends were gutted enough to be missing part of the first day for the test itself. They're doing things that are very important to ten year olds like allocating their lunch tables!

She is going to do a bit more practice after school today and tomorrow (she had yesterday off) and I'll do some reminders of literary devices etc on Saturday morning

On your other q, we will be all done by Saturday teatime but last weekend before a Tuesday test we did a mixture of stuff. Not loads of cramming because I didn't want to make it look as a massive deal but I think one paper each day but also we went to a garden party, had a friend round and went out for lunch and to the hairdresser. Main thing was no late nights in the run up.

I’m waiting for DD whilst she is in the HBS exam and have found this thread!
It’s not our first choice so she only started prepping NVR 2 weeks ago. We did a last min online mock yesterday with eleven plus tuitions and she came 32/613 girls so hopeful she might stand a chance to pass round 1 🤞

Did anyone else receive a map with drop off at Bigwood Rd but actual drop off is Central Square?? Caused some stress this morning!

We dropped off at Bigwood Road yesterday... there were 2 lines depending on your "colour code" and pick up was from Central Square...

I can't even remember exactly where we dropped off but the queues were pretty hard to miss! They were serving tea and cake in the big domed church. Good luck to your DD, that does sound a great performance in the mock. That provider is tough.

I'm kind of torn on how to handle the next few days, trying to find a balance between keeping up his normal routine so he's relaxed but also making sure he's familiar enough with cube face rotation and whatever that he doesn't drop 50% if they come up. Skipping football practice on the Wednesday night mainly so he doesn't get home late or break his leg.

Honestly I've been thinking the same thing. Before mocks we do a quick review and then leave it.

So my daughter was struggling with cube things and then she watched a couple of videos on YouTube by Top Dog Tutors and she understood it finally! Now she does it by process of elimination.

I need a holiday!

We're also on a Monday (15th) and having the same thoughts about the weekend before! My plan is to spend a bit of each evening next week focussing in on anything he's found hard over the last few months. Saturday will be the last day we do any sort of actual practice. Sunday I am planning on keeping free - maybe I'll chuck a couple of random questions at him here and there but definitely nothing that will risk him losing confidence. Hopefully get him out to the park and playing football or something to keep his mind off it all and burn off any nervous energy!

DD has her final tutor session tonight before the Bucks 11+ next week. She says she is feeling confident (good for her!), but I am so not. Her last assessment she was still scoring very well on English and Verbal, but Maths still sometimes a bit wobbly and NVR just pants. I know she is strong enough that she ought to pass / be at grammar, but I’m still wobbling!
I want this next week over!!!

LoL we watched EXACTLY the same ones yesterday and he immediately went from total wipeout to a consistent 75%. Though now I worry that he's spent so much time and effort plugging gaps in his NVR skills that he's neglected the basics and will drop points on stuff he used to be fine at. This is all getting a bit silly.

I know how you feel... I hate NVR. So manu things and most won't come up possibly! Not even looked at folding paper and hole punching yet!

I’ve seen some parents recommend taking the whole weekend off before the exam. I told DS we might do the same, but now I’m not sure if that’s the best approach. He’s been working hard and is doing well, so I feel confident in his abilities, but I’m also curious to know what everyone else is planning to do that weekend.