Have you done enough to get YOUR child ready for the 11 Plus examinations?

As parents search their hearts and minds for answers to this question, the first series of examinations have already begun. Many high ranking grammar school examinations have already started.   A few parents know the answer to this question already.

How much is enough preparation?   Do you go it alone, get a tutor or use a Saturday school? What are the merits of each?

Getting your child a place in the best secondary schools is a major challenge for parents.  If you have the income, then the route is normally a good prep (preferably part of  a feeder for an established independent school) or, one that is so reputable and recognised that your child will be a strong contender for any grammar or selective school.  The current economy sees fewer than ever parents choosing this option forcing some preparatory school to close their doors and obviously putting more pressure on state primary schools.  In the latter scenario, the child is attached to a tutor who tops up their education and fills any necessary gaps.

Yet other parents decide to go it alone, particularly if this is the second or third time going through the process.  There is a an abundance of excellent information available on the internet, in book stores and, some private schools even publish sample papers which you can use as a guide.  These parents feel a particular sense of pride when their offspring passes the 11 Plus exam.

The other method is to send your child to a reputable Saturday School, carefully selected with qualified teachers and a proven record of success.  This can be the ‘pièce de résistance .’  Here your child not only gets the relevant teaching in all areas but also the chance to work alongside other bright children preparing for 11 Plus and they begin to get some idea of the competition they will face.

Other parents opt for a combination of the above.

How do you know you have done enough?    Numerous 11 Plus Mock Exam centres have sprung up across the country of which the Sutton Grammar School Mock Tests organised by the Sutton Grammar School PTA is perhaps the most established. The organisers state that “The test is not modelled on any particular school’s entrance test” but provides valuable experience.  Some purport to provide a clear indication of how many marks your child will eventually get in the entrance test for particular schools.  The mock test centres are usually private concerns and generally not connected or affiliated to private and grammar schools.  If you want to know how authentic the mock examinations are, or whether they are genuinely representative of the school 11 Plus exam, call the relevant schools to see whether there is any affiliation to the mock test centre offering the examination and whether they endorse the mock examinations.    The results of the mock examination are not always clear cut leaving some parents feeling even more desperate and worried.

A significant number of parents find that the verbal and non verbal reasoning preparation is problematic and that some tutors will teach one but not both, whilst others will not teach Verbal or Non Verbal Reasoning at all, leaving you to do the best you can, or send your child to the examination with little or no preparation in this area.

How do you know when you have done enough?  A really good guide is the information coming out of school.  Being moved up, certainly being at level 5 or 6 and being selected for extension work. It is as much to the school’s benefit for your child to get into one of the best schools as it is for you and your family.