Anyone home tutor for 11+?

[Mymadworld]

There's loads of threads about tutors but I can't seem to find much about home tutoring. Everyone I speak to IRL is adamant that even the brightest child needs formal tutoring even if just for VR/NVR papers and exam practise and I'd be doing my child a disservice if we don't do it. I'm not particularly academic so whilst I can help set and follow a timetable, work through papers etc with ds, I don't feel confident enough to be his 'tutor' (plus work FT so limited opportunities in the week). Are there books that can guide you through all the things he needs to know? Any recommendations?

Ds is definitely grammar material - eldest dc at excellent non-selective state secondary so not a problem if dc2 doesn't go to grammar but feel he would excel in more academic environment plus his sport is played at grammar.

Any mumsnetters considering grammar school but not going down the private tutor route?

Hi,

We're doing a combination of private tutoring on a fortnightly basis and backing this up with work at home.

The Schofield & Sims Progress Papers are very worthwhile and we have been using these in addition to a selection of the CGP 10 Minute tests books on areas that need a bit more practice.

The most important thing is to research which kind of paper the grammar school uses (e.g. in our area it's CEM) and ensure that you're studying the correct papers.

Vocabulary also seems to be a huge focus, so a wide selection of literature, especially some of the classics, should be read if at all possible.

Little and often seems to be the best approach for us atm.

Good luck!

I went to a grammar and have been told that DS1 is grammar material; I also think the academic nature of a grammar school will really suit him. I don’t really believe in direct tutoring to pass the 11 plus as I think it sets a child up to fail later on. However I have bought DS a range of test books - Bond, I think - to do as and when he feels like it and make myself available to help him with them if he asks me. This is throwing up the areas of maths which he hasn’t yet been taught so then he learns that. He was doing them every Thursday but hasn’t done one for a while, I suggest it every so often but am not going to push it. He also does the Parallel maths challenge every week, again that’s down to him, I don’t even really know what it is.

When he reads to me we are reading slightly more challenging books and short stories, and I am asking him the occasional question to help with comprehension, also when I read bedtime stories we are reading a range of books and I will ask the odd question. We have a creative writing element in the test so I have also got him a book of prompts - 132 things to write about or something like that - he hasn’t used it much because he doesn’t like creative writing so I may start doing some “let’s all write a story” games soon. And when we do board games I have been suggesting Scrabble as a way of helping with anagrams and things, although I don’t present it like that. And nearer the time we will do a few actual past papers in test conditions.

Basically stuff we would do anyway, I have a “might this help with the test”head on, and the stuff he is weaker on (creative writing and inference) I am thinking of ways to help with. I hope some of that helps.