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

@DolphinOnASkateboard many threads exist where children apparently 0 tuition and just look at a couple of past papers during the summer holidays. It makes me chuckle especially when I've been honest about the tuition.

Thank you for your kind words. She has Latymer and Woodford county. Latymer is our first choice and Woodford county is back up. She’s in a state primary graded good.

We didn’t think of applying for independent schools as I don’t think we can afford. She’s the eldest of 3.

Well DD has just gone into latymer test. I was in a queue full of people talking about how much tuition is necessary on top of expensive prep school. Oh well, what will be will be. If that's the case she won't be going but I know she'll do well wherever she goes. She's worked hard and under her own steam

My DD is doing Latymer tomorrow! I’m feeling really anxious now I wish schools wouldn’t say to not tutor when everyone is obviously tutoring. I feel my daughter has been disadvantaged now.

Well same, but tbh atom learning suited her better as more flexible. I am sure not all tutors are equal.

Thank you! I’m feeling a little relieved reading this now.

I'm now wandering around a grave yard trying to find somewhere suitable to kill a few hours! There's not much in Edmonton

lol! What was parking like? Are we supposed to send them with a snack or something?

We got the bus but it didn't seem too mad, and probably fine on a Sunday. Is all residential. No snacks allowed, just water in a see through plastic bottle. I peeled the label off some lemonade and it ended up sticking fast to the form. DD not amused.

@Magnificentkitteh thank you! Sorry I did read that in the test instructions but completely forgot! I think I’m having a mini nervous breakdown with all this stress!

So here's what I've learnt about Latymer: the maths and VR are key... and more important than English. I'm sure you already know, they only mark the top 700 maths/VR scorers from the odd 3k kids sitting the exam. So, if the maths and VR score isn't 85-90% the English paper won't even be marked. If you get into the top 700, the odds of getting a place increase dramatically. So, if Latymer was my goal school, I'd knock out some Atom maths and VR papers. Good luck x

@SFV thank you so much! I actually didn’t know this!

I know this is not really an excuse but I haven’t been very well and to be honest any information I do read I forget about it. So thank you so much that’s a great help. DD is studying now so I’ll get her to stop English and just focus on maths and VR first. Thank you!

Does anyone have any information or tips for the next exam we doing - Woodford County pls

Yes. So i meant they only mark the English paper if you child is in top 700 for maths and VR, otherwise not. So, if you get into the top 700, you're then competing against less kids for the English portion. How was she been doing on the Latymer Atom papers?

I really feel for you. When I was younger, I used to do babysitting, and I remember babysitting for an American family. The mum asked me to read with her daughter as she was behind. She said she was behind because she asked other mothers at the school if they were doing any extra reading with their children ( they were in reception), and they all said no. However, when they entered year 1 the mum realised that she had been lied to as all her friends' children could read and hers couldn't and was behind. When she told me that story, even as a teenager that parents lie! I would also babysit for families that would go to crazy levels to conceal their use of tutors. This was decades ago and I can only imagine it's only become worse!

I try and remember that my child is already at advantage as they have parents who care about him and do not view him as a machine or a retirement plan. That is half the battle sometimes.

@sfv - she’s been getting around 70-80%. She’s stronger on Maths.

@Tiredlady1 that’s not nice at all. Yes I believe things have gotten worse. I don’t understand why people do this.

I think people lie because it’s basically an arms race - if parent A says their child is doing 2 hours with a tutor a week, Parent B will do 3 hours and so on. I’ve always been open about the (ridiculous) level of tutoring my DD (now Y8 at a grammar) did, and I have a Y5 starting it again next week.

@doofdoofdneighbour yes I think this must be why. Do you mind me asking how much tutoring you did? (You can pm me if you don’t want to write here). I’m just thinking for my next 2. They are much younger but I need to get some real facts. Also why are schools saying no to tutoring?

@Tea4216 my twins have done an hour of tutoring-from-a-tutor/week and an hour of independent revision/day for the majority of Year 5. In the school holidays they spent 2-3 hours/day revising independently, and they also did a 9-5 two-day boot camp at the end of August. One is in the top stanine of the Century Bond Online program and comfortably scoring 95%+, the other scores 60-80% which will hopefully be enough for our local grammar but wouldn't suffice for a super-selective.

We'll do the same for their little sister, who just started Y5.

@MamaKiwi thank you!

With DD1 she had a personal tutor for Y4 (whom I didn't much rate) - an hour a week, plus maybe an hour extra homework on top.

In Y5 she wanted to join a (hideously expensive) local tutor group that boasted very high pass rates. They made her WORK. A two-hour in-person session once a week, a 2 hour online in-person session once a week, then maybe 6-7 hours of homework on top. She used to work 9-12 on a Saturday (with breaks, obviously), same again Sunday. Monday was Brownies, Tuesday was the 2-hour online session, Wednesday and Thursday we used to scoop up any work she'd not yet done, and Friday was the face-to-face session. She worked as hard as I did for my A-levels, I reckon - and that's with me taking a view that if they'd set her (e.g.) 100 maths questions and she got a random 10 correct, she didn't need to do the whole lot.

While DD2 wants the same opportunity, and so we're using the same firm again, I think I might be a bit more circumspect about what I say yes, she needs to do, and what we can possibly take our foot off the pedal with. We are in Bucks and DD1 scored in the high 130s, so there was definitely some overshooting!

Though it is easy to say that now - I'll be in the trenches this time next year, and I know all reason goes out of the window!

Well she came out of the Latymer test in good spirits. She found it much easier than Henrietta Barnett one with better timings. She said maths and VR felt "too easy" but is a bit worried that means everyone will do well. The extract was one that had come up in an atom video tutorial so I guess she was quite well prepared after all. We have done atom learning for about an hour 4 times a week, plus 3 sessions with an English tutor and independent revision in the holidays, plus one mock and feedback session. So less than many on here but not nothing either. TBF I am not wedded to super selective, partly because they're both a fair hike from home, and we don't have normal grammars, so the stakes aren't so high. Feels bloody good to be done with it anyway. Will worry about HB round 2 if we get that far. There is no round 2 for Latymer

Well done to your DD! She (and you) must be relieved it's over! We have Latymer tomorrow and then 1 more school Friday :) did you do DAO too?

No we aren't in the catchment for DAO (5 mins walk from the boundary). We will do st Mary Magdalene but that's not a grammar - they reserve a few places on aptitude

Was there anything interesting in the area? A place to go for a coffee?