Hello All.

my DC is in year 4 and I am just starting to look at 11 plus and am totally in a spin as i do not even know where to begin.

I think the aid of a tutor would be great and was firstly wondering if anyone could recommend an 11 plus tutor for the central london area.

Are tutors specific to 11 plus regions? if so which would be the region to go for, my are does not seem to a region??? I guess that it would depend on the schools but the only schools i know about are the redbridge schools.

I donot believe that my child is exceptionallyt bright but i believe that with hard work hey see results and she is willing and excited about having a tutor which is a great start.

I am sorry if i sound absolutely silly i just have no cleue whatsoever and thought the best thing to do is join this forum to educate myself so that i can prepare my DC in the best way possile in the time scale

thanks you so much for your assistance in advance


NM

Hello NM, you might want to do a search on my posts. I have had a lot to say on what I feel to be the ingredients of success! In my opinion you either have to research the exam in depth or use a tutor who has. Each school uses their exam to get the type of student they feel suits the school best. QE boys changed their format last year to put more focus on English which went from being 25% of the mark to being 50%. Previously boys with high Maths and NVR marks could get a place with a weak English mark but no longer. DAO has always made the English paper the key to securing a place but Lattymer is this year removing their English paper. So understanding the format of the exam for the school you are interested in is key. Every year at results time I get a series of depressing pms from parents who have used a general tutor who did not know enough about the details of the exams. For example many students at the DAO English exam this year were taken aback by the length of the passage. My students were all prepared for this because we had been preparing using passages longer than the one I knew they would be facing. Some students apparently skim read the passage! How you expect to get a high mark on the comprehension and creative writing if you only skim read the passage is beyond me. So decide which schools to focus on and find someone who knows about them or do the investigations yourself, plenty of info on here. DG

(1) Are you planning to stay in your current house/flat? If so, then make a list of the secondary schools within a radius that you'd be prepared for DC to travel to. Then check out their websites for admission requirements / entrance tests of the one(s) you think would suit DC
(2) For each school that you're interested on, make sure you know the format of the tests (standard vs multiple choice, English, Maths, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning) length of each paper, number of questions, weighting of different papers.
(3) I have never hired a tutor, but I would be looking for one that was knowledgeable about (2) and also prepared to assess my child's relative ability in the different subjects required, as well as strengths and weaknesses within each subject. For example, with VR, there's no point spending hours on code questions with a child who is brilliant at codes but weak on vocabulary.
(4) If you choose to DIY then you'll find loads of helpful advice and tips on here. Find out where your child is now in each subject that they'll need, then make a plan for the time between now and the exam with intermediate targets.

What schools are you planning to go to? For example Barnet has quite a few good secondary schools, compared to other boroughs and districts of London. If you don't mind moving house you could try Sutton or Bromley.

Try looking through advertisements in you local library, sometimes tutors put posts up. Or try local tuition centres or chain tuition centres e.g Kumon or AE Tuition. AE Tuition have great books to expand vocab. Here is a reading list and some papers from independent schools(http://www.sevenoaksschool.org/y7downloads) though I would recommend not to start doing those until Year 5 or when your DC is very confident with bought papers. You can also find more independent schools papers by searching '11+ Sample Papers' on Google.

Many parents start just a little after Christmas of Year 5, so your DC is actually very early. Bond and other companies like GL Assessment, and CGP produce books in different age groups, 8-9, 9-10...

I'm sure you will manage just fine

_________________
From Splash

Hiya Namsmum, I would advise looking at the schools first and go from there. Are you aiming for state or independent schools?

For state schools, first port of call is to check out your local council and ask for their schools admissions booklet. You can apply for other boroughs as well, in which case, google is your friend

Not sure where you are in Central London but different boroughs and schools will have different criterias. For somewhere central like Westminster, there are good all-girls state school like Marylebone Girls (strict church entry, limited open spaces depending on distance) and Greycoats Hospital (church criteria as well but they offer 15 language spaces). Holland Park (in RBK&C) is co-ed and has fabulous new facilities. Redbridge schools (Woodford County for eg.) tend to have strict catchment areas so you will need to move. HBS has no catchment area and Tiffins is going through consultation on catchments now.

There's no stopping you getting DD a tutor to cover basics such as English and Maths although at Yr 4, it is quite early. Perhaps do extra assessments with books from WH Smith for starters? It is a long slog until the tests in early Year 6 so be careful of burn-out by then. There are also some feedback on 'over-tutoring' to just pass the 11+ exams can be counter-productive i.e. DD may not cope at secondary school.

If anything, please PM me. I am in Central London too