Page 32 | 11+ 2025 support thread

AquaPeer · 2024-11-02T15:24:00+00:00

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

IsThatYouPam · 15/09/2025 16:04

Very little feedback from DS. Said one of the NVR sections was very hard. Second comprehension harder than the first. Maths on both papers easy. Not sure he's feeling too confident but we'll see.

Maybetoofarsouth · 15/09/2025 17:10

Wirral assessments here. GL. I wonder if the NVP was the same as yours @IsThatYouPam . There was a whole section of a type of question my daughter and her two friends had never seen before. I asked nonchalantly, how many questions was that. "Seven". 😁😭😂🙄

IsThatYouPam · 15/09/2025 18:39

Maybetoofarsouth · 15/09/2025 17:10

Wirral assessments here. GL. I wonder if the NVP was the same as yours @IsThatYouPam . There was a whole section of a type of question my daughter and her two friends had never seen before. I asked nonchalantly, how many questions was that. "Seven". 😁😭😂🙄

Yes maybe, surely there aren't that many 'secret' types of GL NVR question! It was 8 questions for us, so equally as painful to hear he guessed every single one 😣

SFV · 15/09/2025 18:55

IsThatYouPam · 15/09/2025 18:39

Yes maybe, surely there aren't that many 'secret' types of GL NVR question! It was 8 questions for us, so equally as painful to hear he guessed every single one 😣

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Do we know what these question types were just out of interest?

Lamarais · 15/09/2025 20:01

I guess you just have to hope that most kids would be in the same boat and likely the overall score will be lower as a result?! 😩

Any other DAO hopefuls checking emails all the time on the off chance results have appeared early?! No?? Just me losing my mind then!

Maybetoofarsouth · 15/09/2025 20:35

SFV · 15/09/2025 18:55

Do we know what these question types were just out of interest?

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DD's description was rather vague but I'm happy to report back after the second exam for those who were ill today has finished, later in the month. It's not a question type I've seen in our practice papers which are a few years old, or our brand new flash cards. Sorry, I know I sound a jobs worth but 7 or 8 questions is a lot!

Maybetoofarsouth · 15/09/2025 20:37

IsThatYouPam · 15/09/2025 18:39

Yes maybe, surely there aren't that many 'secret' types of GL NVR question! It was 8 questions for us, so equally as painful to hear he guessed every single one 😣

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Yeah DD didn't have a clue what to do and she could see her friends in front of her pulling similar faces! @Lamarais , I hope you're right. I'm wondering if they were trying to tutor- /prep-proof the paper

Lamarais · 15/09/2025 20:47

They seem to do that on the VR too. Throw in a random question type that they may not have seen before.

SFV · 15/09/2025 20:55

Maybetoofarsouth · 15/09/2025 20:35

DD's description was rather vague but I'm happy to report back after the second exam for those who were ill today has finished, later in the month. It's not a question type I've seen in our practice papers which are a few years old, or our brand new flash cards. Sorry, I know I sound a jobs worth but 7 or 8 questions is a lot!

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I agree that 7/8 questions is a lot... hopefully if your child hadn't come across it before, neither had anyone else!

teachermum26 · 15/09/2025 21:24

DS came out of the test really happy, which was such a relief. He found the test quite easy and managed to get through all the questions in time. Luckily, he was familiar with what came up, so nothing caught him off guard. He did say he was expecting it to be much harder.

We took him for brunch after the test and have been relaxing the whole day. Feels so good to not have to worry about this anymore!! I have booked myself in for a massage next week and we are taking this kids to Scotland in the Xmas holidays. We all deserve a little break no matter the outcome.

I hope all the kids had a good day today

Magnificentkitteh · 15/09/2025 23:16

Lamarais · 15/09/2025 20:01

I guess you just have to hope that most kids would be in the same boat and likely the overall score will be lower as a result?! 😩

Any other DAO hopefuls checking emails all the time on the off chance results have appeared early?! No?? Just me losing my mind then!

Not DAO but yes re Latymer and Henrietta Barnett and I know really not to expect them till next week at the earliest

Tiredlady1 · 15/09/2025 23:41

These are my thoughts too. We are so exhausted. I don't want to see a piece of paper, let alone a whole book 😫

Tiredlady1 · 15/09/2025 23:44

Yes for the one exam DS has taken so far, I've been logging in everyday. I know it's futile given that the number is based on all results collectively

SFV · 16/09/2025 00:04

Lamarais · 15/09/2025 20:01

I guess you just have to hope that most kids would be in the same boat and likely the overall score will be lower as a result?! 😩

Any other DAO hopefuls checking emails all the time on the off chance results have appeared early?! No?? Just me losing my mind then!

Yes! For DAO... but it's more "I'd like to know either way so we can start bloody maths/English again" I dont dare ask my daughter to do anything work at the moment - i fear she'll bite my head off! Is your child managing to do some light work to keep the brain warm until DAO results come out just in case they make round 2?

Lamarais · 16/09/2025 06:44

SFV · 16/09/2025 00:04

Yes! For DAO... but it's more "I'd like to know either way so we can start bloody maths/English again" I dont dare ask my daughter to do anything work at the moment - i fear she'll bite my head off! Is your child managing to do some light work to keep the brain warm until DAO results come out just in case they make round 2?

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No I’m equally scared to ask 😂 also starting to wonder if we put too much focus on the round one stuff and didn’t think ahead enough. But equally I didn’t want to put too much energy into stuff that may not be needed. I have never just assumed that round 2 is a given. And honestly still feel SO in the dark about the level of VR performance required to make the top group.

SFV · 16/09/2025 07:16

Lamarais · 16/09/2025 06:44

No I’m equally scared to ask 😂 also starting to wonder if we put too much focus on the round one stuff and didn’t think ahead enough. But equally I didn’t want to put too much energy into stuff that may not be needed. I have never just assumed that round 2 is a given. And honestly still feel SO in the dark about the level of VR performance required to make the top group.

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Same... i mean she did maths and English prep before for other exams she sat, but maths was MCQ only. DAO maths isn't MCQ so I think it'll be harder? But right now, I don't want her to prep for smthg she might not need to do - it seems mean. But if she gets round 2, it won't leave long to prep. Dilemma!

thornalizarin · 16/09/2025 08:13

DAO hopeful here too and in the same boat as you SFV! We’re doing just a light bit of revision here and there while we wait to know if we’re through to round 2…

DolphinOnASkateboard · 16/09/2025 08:17

DS went to the open evening at AGS last night and was absolutely blown away by it. "A school full of people just like me". He's desperate to get in now. Seems a bit cruel to organise grammar school visits in the gap between test day and results day but I guess there's not a lot of time between results coming out and the application deadline. Oh well.

Sir Henry Floyd visit next week, then our two possible uppers the week after that. We won't actually be applying for a place at upper #2 as it's the kind of place that has Ofsted inspectors running away from it in tears, but we want him to see it so that our other non-grammar fallback option looks really good in comparison.

Kavita12 · 16/09/2025 11:52

It is QE tomorrow. Probably the hardest exam of all. DS did DAO VR and SWH already. Not much hope here for QE - he took some Harrow mocks and didn't do very well in them, but well... we'll see. There are so many brilliant kids these days who work so very, very hard. The competition is tough and parents are hell bent and spend a lot of money on tuition. Part of me hopes for Parmiters, as there is a school bus where we live. DAO/QE he would have to be driven every day for many years... DS worked very hard, too, he is clever but not a genius like others we've seen. Fingers crossed.

doofdoofdneighbour · 16/09/2025 12:02

DolphinOnASkateboard · 16/09/2025 08:17

DS went to the open evening at AGS last night and was absolutely blown away by it. "A school full of people just like me". He's desperate to get in now. Seems a bit cruel to organise grammar school visits in the gap between test day and results day but I guess there's not a lot of time between results coming out and the application deadline. Oh well.

Sir Henry Floyd visit next week, then our two possible uppers the week after that. We won't actually be applying for a place at upper #2 as it's the kind of place that has Ofsted inspectors running away from it in tears, but we want him to see it so that our other non-grammar fallback option looks really good in comparison.

You are lucky if you're in Aylesbury and have more than one upper to choose from - for a lot of Aylesbury, it's Mandeville, or The Grange depending on catchment (or Waddesdon if you're religious).

Wave to my DD who'll be giving one of the tours at Henry Floyd on Thursday! (Annoyingly they won't let my Y5 DD look round until she's in Y6.)

Chenanceau · 16/09/2025 12:02

DolphinOnASkateboard · 16/09/2025 08:17

DS went to the open evening at AGS last night and was absolutely blown away by it. "A school full of people just like me". He's desperate to get in now. Seems a bit cruel to organise grammar school visits in the gap between test day and results day but I guess there's not a lot of time between results coming out and the application deadline. Oh well.

Sir Henry Floyd visit next week, then our two possible uppers the week after that. We won't actually be applying for a place at upper #2 as it's the kind of place that has Ofsted inspectors running away from it in tears, but we want him to see it so that our other non-grammar fallback option looks really good in comparison.

We aren't sure about visiting Henry Floyd next week now as DD seems to think it hasn't gone well. We did visit AHS in July and she had exactly the same reaction (as did we - it really was full of girls just like her). Luckily Henry Floyd has some open mornings post results, so we'll probably wait for those. We weren't sure about which uppers to visit, our local catchment one is next week too, but we aren't sure whether to bother with others as she'll almost certainly go to the catchment school- though I do think you have a very good idea - it might make her more enamoured of the local one, which I have been bigging up ever since 11+ day!

DolphinOnASkateboard · 16/09/2025 12:23

doofdoofdneighbour · 16/09/2025 12:02

You are lucky if you're in Aylesbury and have more than one upper to choose from - for a lot of Aylesbury, it's Mandeville, or The Grange depending on catchment (or Waddesdon if you're religious).

Wave to my DD who'll be giving one of the tours at Henry Floyd on Thursday! (Annoyingly they won't let my Y5 DD look round until she's in Y6.)

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We're in catchment for a good upper school just outide Aylesbury. We're outside catchment for Mandeville but even so they sent a letter to every family at our primary inviting people to come to their open evening - in the past couple of years they've offered a place to every applicant regardless of location - so we thought we'd go along to show him that our first-choice upper isn't so bad. Which I realise makes us terrible people but hey, the world as it is not the world as we want it to be, right?

I'll be extra nice to all the pupils at SHF just in case one of them is yours!

Tiredlady1 · 16/09/2025 13:38

I've opted against going to the open evenings of the grammar schools , as I dont want DS to see these amazing places then not be able to attend. 😥

Chenanceau · 16/09/2025 13:41

DolphinOnASkateboard · 16/09/2025 12:23

We're in catchment for a good upper school just outide Aylesbury. We're outside catchment for Mandeville but even so they sent a letter to every family at our primary inviting people to come to their open evening - in the past couple of years they've offered a place to every applicant regardless of location - so we thought we'd go along to show him that our first-choice upper isn't so bad. Which I realise makes us terrible people but hey, the world as it is not the world as we want it to be, right?

I'll be extra nice to all the pupils at SHF just in case one of them is yours!

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Now I'm wondering if you live near us...must be in a different direction outside Aylesbury though as we didn't get a flyer for Mandeville school but we did get one for Buckingham school (not our local catchment school). I haven't looked them up but I suspect they must be in the same position as Mandeville if they are sending out flyers!

Tiredlady1 · 16/09/2025 13:41

Someone asked earlier about the exams. From the GL my son took , there were the expected questions he said. Although I did look on the exampaperplus website and spot two additional topics had been added for NVR in the last week.