When to tutor for the 11+ (if ever)

[Shireena]

Currently year 4 independent North London, in the top 5 of class. Considering 11+/some more academic independents (Shhs, nlcs, city, channing) and would be happy with any choice.

Head recommends a few tuition lessons at end of Y5.
Another parent says to start with a formal tutoring company at start of Y5
Web says do Atom learning for last 6 months of Y5

I'm not sure what the best approach is. I want to avoid heavy stress later on

You could download a few old tests or mock tests, and try your DC out on them, without a time limit. That will give you an idea of how much ground you've got to cover. There are lots online. This website is helpful

www.elevenplusexams.co.uk

My son did 11 + prep classes from the December for the September at school. His school offered classes 2 mornings a week. They just went in 45 minutes early.

He then did prep work with me from July. We just did some workbooks and writing practice.

I did not want a formal tutor. I work in a school and live in a area with 4 grammar schools. Children who are over tutored may well pass but then significantly struggle in the grammar. We wanted to prep for the style of questions but that's it. Some parents have been forced to have a tutor all the way through secondary.

As it is my son did not pass, he missed it by 4 marks. However the prep helped him for year 6 and he is still off for his first choice secondary.

I think it all depends how much support they will need - if naturally very bright end of year 5 should be fine. If they struggle with the assessment then start of year 5 would be sensible. Doing practise papers as suggested should tell you this?

@Dontsparethehorses so we are going through assessment papers/bond books for 8-9 with the aim to start on 9 to 10 before the start of year 5. I'm strong at Maths, less on the rest.

Exams are at start of year 6 though so won't that mean not enough time?

hi I think we started after the Christmas in Year 4 onwards or the summer hol between yr 4 and 5 latest. seems like another lifetime now DS is in the midst of GCSEs.

we used an online platform with access to a real live tutor. they did a base line assessment at the start and the tutor felt DS was definitely capable. this was really useful. I always sat with DS while he was online. we also used Bond / CGP books too.

DS sat two 11 plus exams - scored very comfortably above the pass mark in both. Key thing was the preparation never felt like a struggle for DS.

I live in NL and know lots of girls going to all those schools, including my DDs. The impression I get is that nearly all girls at the first three were looking at the past papers by the summer after Year 4. They weren't necessarily doing prep every week at that point, but their parents were checking out how they were doing.

Atom Learning may be useful for the Consortium (SHHS & Channing), and the CLSG first round, but it won't be enough for NLCS or the CLSG second round.

The entrance exams for those schools begin mid-November (CLSG first round), beginning of December (NLCS) or beginning of January (CLSG second round & Consortium). If your DD is going to a prep, I'd expect that they will be doing exam specific preparation such as timed mocks throughout the autumn term, with most beginning in summer term of Year 5. What does your DD's school do?

@ProudDadOfTwo the school actually doesnt do much at all so its really left to us to prepare them if they want to go elsewhere. The general consensus here seems to be start early (!) and also tutor. It does sound like im on the back foot a little here as i didnt want to pressure DD too close to the time.

Former 11+ tutor here.

First, no amount of tutoring will help unless your child is right for GS. Is he consistently at "exceeds" in all core subjects? Is his vocabulary and problem-solving noticeably stronger than his peers?

Top 5 out of 30 (or less in an indie school) is not necessarily strong enough.

If he's right for GS he doesn't need years of tutoring. Start with a practice test and find out what the usual % is for a passing score in your area- it was around 80% in mine. Less than 50%, it's probably not worth it.

Most of the kids who pass start off with around 70% and just need a bit of fine-tuning in certain areas, which can be done in the summer holidays before the test.

Is your DD at an all-through? If so, then yes, you'll have a lot to do.

Teacher and tutor here. I would recommend starting at the beginning of year 5 to ensure the tutoring is less pressurised. Some children are doing two hours of tutoring a week plus additional homework, and that's a lot of extra stress. Go for a teacher/ex-teacher rather than an ex-pupil/student or Atom, which only works for online exams. An experienced, qualified tutor will be able to identify any weaknesses and plug those gaps. They should also be able to provide a wider range of resources and activities rather than just plodding through the CGP or Bond books which is deadly dull IMHO and it may be this approach you are thinking of when you say it could have a negative effect. Tutoring can be fun and stimulating. It should also be confidence building. Good luck with your journey.

You need a year so it doesn’t become stressful for your dc
Thats what most people in my experience do.

but not necessarily all with a private tutor. I’d start with online practice tests.
You could even widen the net and pick up tests posted by many other schools that way you’ll get a good idea of what needs to be practiced or taught from scratch. Otherwise you’re going in blind and wasting time and money getting a private tutor to work it out before you’ve even started.

TBh for the likes of NLCS, CLSG I would start right now. The competition for those types of school is very high and being bright by itself is not enough. I am taking it that your child is at a through school - they are actively disincentivised to help you prep properly for 11+ as they won’t want to lose kids so I wouldn’t take what head says as gospel.

Hey! I just wanted to mention that my child started tuition for the 11+ in year 5 and somehow my tutor (swiftlearn.uk) was able to get her a 265 in her test!