Can children get into selective secondaries without tutoring or holiday courses?

[Cranberryhead]

Hi all,

Just wanting to get a bit of advice here as completely new to this. We are aiming for a few schools in the London Consortium, but also trying out Henrietta Barnett, NLCS and Habs. We havent tutored - just working through books at home, but not heavy pressure study. HB is a few weeks away but others are all in Dec.

There are a few companies offering holiday camps and we are thinking of English, as we have tried one already and really enjoyed it. We started looking at more as you can go down a rabbit hole here - and im in two minds because part of me just wants DD to just try it without, the other part is thinking we need to have some sort of formal prep.

i guess im asking can a child get into these places without the tutoring? and if so, what level of tutoring did you have/do.

We paid £35 an hour for 1:1 in Oxfordshire. £100 is nuts!

It really depends on the school, getting into a private can be easier then HB.

Lots of practice papers is the best way anyway. Past papers can be printed out for free or at low cost

My gd is being tutored, the verbal reasoning is something she had not encountered (I had a go, ex teacher 2 post grad degrees, it was very difficult!)

It's possible, but you're up against most who have been heavily tutored both for content and exam technique.

From first hand experience, I would say there is no harm in it at all. When children enjoy learning, continue encouraging it. If a child enjoyed tennis, you wouldn't just stop them from playing or having extra sessions. Now, if you are not fussed on the school, you can just see how they get on. However, if you are keen on a particular school, it would be useful to maybe have a tutor to guide her in the techniques. I've found HB is harder to get into, especially as it is a grammar school. Even when working in a school teaching 1-2 years in advance, only the top 25% of the class would typically get in.

You definitely don’t need to pay a third party for tutoring unless you’re extremely time-poor and really can’t do it yourself, but it would be difficult for a child to get through with no prep whatsoever. I just used past papers and books from WH Smith and both DC got into fairly tricky ones.

I did, parents got some books from wh smiths a few weeks beforehand. Having said that it was less competitive in those days.

Honestly depends on your child, if they are in the top cohort at their current school then sure you can do it yourself, there are loads of prep workbooks available.

It depends on the definition of "tutoring." If you mean hiring a private tutor, it’s definitely possible to pass without one - though it still takes a solid foundation and guided prep (whether parent-led or self-driven).
We didn't use a tutor because we weren't initially targeting super-selective schools; we felt our child was well on track for the selective ones we had in mind, so had light prep. It was only later on that we decided to try for some of the names you mentioned, and the outcome was better than expected. That said, had we aimed For the super-selectives from day one, peer pressure probably would have pushed us to get a tutor! (not necessary though)

The issues are that most entrance exams are in the first term of year 6, if not earlier (one grammar near me has its exam next week) but the test expects a full knowledge and understanding of the year 6 maths curriculum and beyond. However bright the child is, someone needs to teach them that content. Then they not only need to know it but be able to apply it correctly and quickly under exam conditions. Unless, as a parent, you’re familiar and confident with year 6/7 maths then a tutor who is would be a wise choice.
Likewise, VR and NVR needs to be taught and practised. Being able to answer questions quickly is key.
I tutor for 11+. I can tell if a child has a chance or not by 4 things:

1. They need to working at the top end of greater depth in maths and preferably English too
2. They need to want to get in and be prepared to work hard, including completing homework weekly
3. They need to be reading a wide variety of books
4. The parents have to be on board to support with homework, vocabulary development and reading

Tutoring needs to start towards the end of Year 4 and be consistent. It needs to be a priority. Not cancelled in favour of sports and other hobbies. The tutor can be a professional or the parent.
All of the above is pertinent to my area. I appreciate it may differ in other areas.