11+ preparation fatigue and still below pass mark, keep pushing or ease off?

[Tittis]

My DC is preparing for 11+ with the right attitude and is a capable child. We are not pushing preparation very hard but we are not doing a light preparation either and we can see she is starting to be very tired of it now. We are worried as, although we are seeing a good improvement in her knowledge overall and a decrease of silly errors across both math and English, she is still not where the pass mark is. She is usually somewhere around 60/70% and around 100 atom sas. We have been told she should be at 80% and atom score 120 to have a chance to pass and we are just not getting there. We always thought it was a matter of time but now loosing hope as we are so close to the exam. I would love to hear thoughts or experiences from parents who has a similar situation.
I am not even sure if it’s better at this point to give it a good push as we are almost done or would be better to let it go a bit and see how her brain respond. Thank you

What year and which 11+?

If she’s still 10-20% below pass mark, I would query whether she’s grammar material. What does her teacher think?

year 5 (will do exam in the coming autumn).
we are trying private schools but very competitive ones.
we are at state school and teacher feedback has always been great with results above target but honestly it’s all very generic in that school

I would ditch atom. We did the trial and found it really bad. We are in Kent though so did the Kent test which I think is a bit different. We also knew a few people who relied on atom and failed. I don't think their DC weren't capable, I think it just prepped them all wrong.

It’s bums on seats now for cash. If you have a target school just move them to the prep school for yr 6 if it’s a through school which will eliminate 11 plus / entrance to the senior school.

The 11 plus is evil and also so dull. If she is totally bored I’d let her relax and take her own path. I’m pretty sure the average is 100 for the standard student and should be getting 130 plus if you are wanting a high ranking school (depending on extra sports / musical abilities etc).

Also check out which exam type / what exams they do for entry for the specific school you desire. NVR / vr you might want to practice.

Prep schools can whip children into shape and it’s daily practice and unfortunately that is what you are against ……

Good luck

My daughter was always getting non pass scores on atom and when she did an actual mock practice test she got forty points over the pass mark. So I stopped bothering with it after that in terms of predicting a mark. Have you done any actual sit down mock tests as they may be better indicator of where she is at?

I agree. These private schools may not be right for her. If she does manage to get into one of the competitive schools, she will have to continue this level of slog for the whole of her school career.

It depends on the school. You say ‘very competitive’ ones, so I’m guessing not ones that really need pupils. If you’re in London, for instance, the most academic schools really can pick and choose.

I echo PPs saying be careful what you get long term. The worst thing would be to scrape into somewhere very selective, then spend the next few years always stressed about work and your DD feeling like she’s bottom of the class. Whereas is most schools she’d be feeling far more chill and comfortably near the top.

Those private schools are not the right environment for her, she will be miserable. She's bright and capable but not at the same level as the kids that those schools are targeting and if you push her to get a place there she will spend her formative years thonking she's thick because she's in the lowest quintile of a very able cohort. She will always be in the bottom sets for everything and it will destroy her self-esteem. Find different private schools that are more nurturing and accepting of children with a wide range of abilities and a focus on helping every child to fibd out what they are talented at. So what if you aren't a maths&english whizzkid, there are a hundred other arenas in which to shine, and in such a school she will be above average academically and so be happier and more confident.

I think if you’re at 100 on Atom it might be a struggle to make up the 20% needed for the most competitive private schools. Even with VAT competition is high (although somewhat easing where we are).

You might want to consider the pressure to keep up in these schools, would your child be happy being in bottom set and struggling to feel successful?

Perhaps look at more relaxed and all rounded schools that still get good results but also focus on the whole person and their happiness. Success isn’t just exam results. If echo the PP, you could look for a through school and an earlier place, take the pressure off and let her relax in a settled environment. She can explore music, sport, art, drama, languages and find what she really enjoys whilst still getting good grades in maths and English.

I can’t comment on grammar but I have 3 kids of mixed ability. My middle is very bright but we discounted the most competitive academic schools due to the pressure that other parents say their children have experienced.

if they don't enjoy their prep, they wouldn't enjoy their school

I’ve seen the stress and anxiety that can happen when children are in a school environment in which they struggle. If it’s difficult now, it will be more so later.

Can you list the names of schools? This may get more detailed feedback from MN. Different schools focus on different types of exams and types of questions. Are they computer based or paper based? More VR or NVR and VR?
Does the schools have sample questions to try?

@Tittis- what is the matter with you? Your poor child.
Putting her under this sort of academic pressure at such a young age is awful. She clearly will struggle to reach the pass mark and even if she did somehow manage to get into a grammar school would more than likely struggle to keep up. Is that seriously what you want her educational experience to be?
Encourage her strengths, support any areas that she finds difficult and be grateful for a physically and mentally healthy child who will have plenty of options without a grammar school education.

This isn't completely fair. Loads of children struggle with 11+ purely because they are unfamiliar with the tests, not because they don't have the ability. Atom isn't the best way to get that familiarity IMO.

Is it worth getting her assessed by a tutor who preps for these kind of tests? They may be able to tell you if your DD is miles off, on the cusp or actually in the right place at this point.

You should also put a less academic fallback plan into place, that could be a less selective independent or a local state option that you would be happy with.

The great thing about private schools is range and choice. If she is not scoring well enough for competitive schools, focus on less academic ones.

Has she had 11+ tutoring specifically?

@CaptainCalm Perhaps look at more relaxed and all rounded schools that still get good results but also focus on the whole person and their happiness. Success isn’t just exam results. If echo the PP, you could look for a through school and an earlier place, take the pressure off and let her relax in a settled environment. She can explore music, sport, art, drama, languages and find what she really enjoys whilst still getting good grades in maths and English.

Agreed.

Also agreed. The right school for the right child is more important than % of 9s.

I think it is worth asking your child if they want to continue. We are having the same issue, but my child wants to try for a state grammar school. So she is willing to put in the work. So I could not argue with that line of reasoning. Worth thinking about back up options as others have said.

You still have plenty of time. But I would ask your dc if she wants to do it or not. If she wants to do, she might need to work a little more. I explained to my dc it is a short time of prep compared to your time at secondary school...so if you really want to get into a certain school do your best prep etc. Mine also came from state school. Make sure however you prep is similar to the exams you will be taking. My dc would go up and down with the prep...sometimes we felt like they are ready and then not at all. In the end they did well and are very happy in their schools.

OP my son went to a needs improvement state secondary. His yr 5 teacher suggested he try for a local selective independent. The only prep we did was a month and a bit of Atom before the entry exam to get him familiar with the question formats.

10-15 minutes a day was about all he had patience for and even then some days he was not in the mood. I couldn't have got him to do months or years of prep. And I think for my son it might have had a detrimental effect - demotivating him rather than helping him.

I couldn't tell you his numerical score on Atom as we just looked at the line against the school to make sure he was on track and that he was keeping with the progress curve.

He also felt a bit fatigued especially when he was trying to master one section that was causing him grief. In the end he never did master those blasted 3D Nets and then they never even appeared on any of the selective tests he did 🤣. Which tells me that obsessing over specifics wasn't worth it.

(He was successful in achieving a place at the school)