How much tuition for grammar school?

[pizzanoodle]

Hi everyone!
We would be interested to know how much tuition should one do to prepare for grammar school entrance exam?
And what are the best places to go to for tuition?
Thank you!

I don't know if it's the norm but I had a tutor for about a year to do the 11 plus for a bunch of private schools. My primary school was really Avant gard and hippy so they didn't teach maths or spelling or ever do tests, exams or even grade your work. So I needed that type of learning to be anywhere close to that level. This was many years ago though.

My child same school and know loads who tutored! In fact they went at weekend with a whole pile from Downey!

Downey parent here too!! ❤️

Must be older than mine as there were 12 from Downey who went to tutoring with them.
Mine went to another prep and they all were tutored.

I don’t think that’s always necessarily true.
in trafford for example it’s so competitive that very bright children don’t get high enough scores because others were better prepared. Attempting the test with no tutor would be considered unusual.

I think it’s worth familiarising your child with the format but would agree with many that if you have to tutor intensively then your child will struggle. Academically selective schools accelerate learning because they can with bright children. If your child is not naturally bright they will struggle to keep up.
Ds was at an academically selective school and although they did some practice papers he was predicted to do well. We did no practice at home. The parents of the children who were not going to pass the test were given at least twelve months notice to look at alternative schools. Some insisted on continuing and were given places on probation if they scraped through but all left by yr 9 because they were struggling to keep up.
The only allowances made were for SEN ( mild dyslexia etc) but only because the children had been at the feeder school and staff could see potential with extra help.
A number left before sixth form because they didn’t meet the gcse grades required.
It can be brutal and it’s not about the money. DS’s school had the best interests of the child first and foremost despite the protestations of some parents.

Yes, DD finished MCB a few years ago. Very few in her year group were tutored. They actively discouraged it at Downey so that the kids wouldn’t be overworked - I have to say that I heavily agree with this approach.

It totally depends on the school. In Warwickshire they're not super selective. I think there is a lot of tutoring, but equally many get in who don't. We took the view that if they need tutoring then the grammar is probably not the right place for them. We were also concerned about the pressure of tutoring for our youngest, who is bright but anxious. We brought the books and did one timed practice a week to get them used to timing and they both got in.
Incidentally one only scraped in and hated it, and left to comprehensive after one year, the other likes it and has thrived academically there. That taught me that even if they get in it might well not be the place for them.

It really depends where you live, in London the vast majority will have had tutoring.

I'm in Kent and have had four at grammar schools. They take the 11+/Kent test in the second or third week of Y6 but cover topics that aren't covered in school until the end of the year, so you do have to be sure they are familiar with the maths content. The speed they need to move at through VR and NVR sections means that familiarising them with the types of questions before the test is important..there may be the odd child who isn't tutored (however that is defined) but the state primaries are forbidden from prepping children for the Kent Test - the preps actively market themselves on the % of children they get into grammars, so it's not remotely a level playing field.

Mine all did group tutoring sessions once a week for an hour and then practice papers (3 a week?) in the holidays. They also did a couple of mock Kent Tests under exam conditions - one at Easter and one in the summer, but beyond that, they have had no further tutoring. We were confident that grammar school was right for each child.

I think it will hugely vary as to the level of competition for the grammars in the area where you are...given the VAT raid on private schools and the taxes on investment etc from this current govt, one imagines that the pressure on state grammar places will only increase, making tutoring a necessity..

Mine did an hour a week in the six weeks holiday between yr5 and 6.
The tutor said we'd left it too late but it was a house move that made us go down the grammar route.

Hi..if you are still looking for 11plus help ,tuition or just guidance
Join this please
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Thank you