11+ so confused!!! Help!!

[wat2dodontkno]

Hi there,

My daughter is a very academic and highly motivated student — she’s performing well above her class level, especially in STEM subjects, but also across the whole curriculum. She has excellent reports. She currently attends a selective girls school which is among the top 100 schools in the UK for GCSE results, and she’s very happy there.

We live near two co-educational schools that rank within the top 50 nationally, but she absolutely doesn’t want to take the 11+ exam or apply anywhere that isn’t a girls’ school. She insists she wants to stay at her current school.

I personally think that if she did take the exams for those nearby schools, she would almost certainly receive offers — and possibly even an academic scholarship — but she says that even if she were offered a scholarship, she wouldn’t want to move.

Do you think I should try to persuade her to sit the entrance exams anyway?

Also, she has the potential to earn a academic , music art or sports scholarship at her current school. If she takes the 11+ exam for another school and her current school finds out (since the new schools would ask them for a reference), do you think that could put her at a disadvantage at her current school?

Thank you in advance

Would you like her to swim the English Channel and for that you would change school? 🤨🧐

it’s also beneficial for future reference, prestige, and applications for post-16 education and university. Am I wrong to think that way?

Dear OP do you seriously believe that? Do you realise that at Oxbridge it does not matter and they recruite basing on achievement rather than the prestige of the school? If anything they are more pressed for accepting kids from state schools. Hence e.g. Brompton Manor case.

Let her focus on the education, and bless the fact that you have a happy child. A change of school could destroy it by making ill founded decisions.

Her current school will need to know as they all ask for academic references. It won’t put her at a disadvantage and I’m certain that many girls in y6 at her current school will be doing exams for other schools. As others have said it may make them offer a scholarship as a way of keeping her.

But, has your school done any prep for the exams? Although bright and top of class if going for super academic schools a lot of bright and top of class kids will be also applying and have at least a years worth of prep and more importantly practice in exam techniques so while kids apparently do pass without any prep, a lot have a little so they know how to time exams etc. application windows are rapidly closing and exams are looming so you need to apply, get her on board and then do a little bit of exam technique practice if she’s not already doing it at her current school.

As pp have said difference between top 50 and 100 is no different for a bright child but chosing to move schools for better enrichment / co curricular activities is a reason to move so do understand why it maybe appealing.

I do think it does make a difference for uni but not in the way you feel. Going to a school full of bright academic girls aiming for oxbridge and the like is going to put your daughter at a disadvantage if that’s her aim as she will be judged against her peers especially if they have similar course aspirations as her. If that is where is wants to be she possibly is better as a top performer at her current school.

tbh it’s all a moot point if she really doesn’t want to move schools. There is always the option occasional places or 16+ too so it’s not all now or never.

This is all pretty entry level stuff, most of these are offered by decent state schools never mind private schools. You are right that if the current school doesn't offer these, then it is very limited, although I doubt this is the case.
Do remember that lamda and music lessons tend to take the child away from their standard lessons so it isn't always a good thing to do them in school anyway.
Another thing to consider is making sure that your dd can shine at a school. She might be in the top 3 chess players in her current school. If she moved to a school "strong in chess", she might be outside of the top 10 players at the new school. Therefore she might not be selected for tournaments that she could have been involved in as a star player in her old school.

Duplicate post deleted.

If Year 6, you may have missed the deadline for Open days, applications and references from current school. If you register for the schools already, let her sit the exams but decisions would be hers to accept or refuse.

Am I wrong to think that way?

Tbh, yes. You have a DD who is happy and doing well where she is, and you want to make her move, just because she ' could' get a place at a school that is further up the league tables? Yes.

Hi, I hear where you are coming from. Her current school is probably very good, but St Paul’s westminster, city are amongst the best in the country, and are excellent places for bright minds to develop.
I would say they are not easy to get into, especially as it seems you have not done any tailored preparation for them, which others will have done for 1.5-2 years.
You could sit the exams and if you get offers you don’t need to accept them - you would not be disadvantaged, you are perfectly entitled to explore your options.
What we tried to do in the 11 plus was to make sure we had no regrets by not doing so and so.
I think the time to register is coming up very soon so make sure you apply to any before the deadlines. Best of luck!!

@Sparklinggreen We have no tutor. But she did past papers practice - did very well in all tests.
Her Y5 SAT results are 139/141 english, 141/141 maths - not sure if admissions consider those but its in her report.
Thank you so much🌸

But what is best @wat2dodontkno because at the moment you are looking at what YOU objectively feel is best based on results. And that isn’t that the only criteria because a HUGE one is where your daughter is happy and she is happy where she is

DD went to a selective grammar and the number of parents who force their likes and expectations onto their daughters and the impact of that was horrifying

talk to her and listen to her is my advice

Those a great scores, I would say typical of other serious candidates for those schools. If she’s done practice papers, you should get her to take the tests, as I mentioned for the option to say no if you decide not to take it.

cat scores are not really taken into account as the schools rely heavily on their own testing.

make sure you get the applications in before the deadline next week I think

No. SATS are not considered ast this is the exam native to state schools. The 11+ are different. In my opinion SATs are easier. At 11+ you may have non verbal reasoning that is not at SATS but also even verbal reasoning is different than English at Sats

But if the school doesn’t offer things like LAMDA, instrument lessons, DofE, ski trips, or opportunities to prepare for and enter competitions, that child might not be fully discovered and might not discover themselves either

I bet her current top 100 school offers most if not all of these, and more.

If she’s in y6 you may too late for registration for next year anyway. Where do you live and where is she at school now?

Deadline for St Pauls registration is Friday.

it’s also beneficial for future reference, prestige, and applications for post-16 education and university. Am I wrong to think that way?

Yes, you are. Top universities just want the best student for the course, regardless of where they went to school. Oxbridge are very keen on widening participation and this is why they have contextual offers.

Your DD will do well where she is happy. If you rip her away from her friends and familiar surroundings she may struggle to start with.