Those sitting the 11+ this month..

[Manana]

Can I be nosy and ask a question about the prep you have done. My DS isn't sitting the 11+ until next year, so we've been doing basic ground work plus Bond English/Maths and getting spellings up to speed. I've seen the fab list giving the order of which papers to work through-IPS, tutors etc but I was wondering when you started doing the Bright Sparks/Letts/GL/CSSE ones? I'm figuring there are a set number of each of these so I should work backwards from November to get them all in-say one each week? Can I ask what you did?

I have the 2011/2010/2009 CSSE English/Maths so that's 3 weeks and I think there are 4 Bright Sparks. I get *very* confused with Letts/Gl and giraffes-but think there are about 8 of these. Is that 15 weeks' worth!?

I thought if this was fresh in your head someone might kindly give me some advice!

Many thanks

[Manana]

Oh, I'm confused!

Thinking eg just about Maths-Does everyone do the 8 Letts, 4 GL, 4 Bond papers, CSSE papers, 8 Bright Sparks plus any papers from other schools from the internet, plus having finished Bond 4th (and 5th) papers? There don't seem to be enough weeks if you're only doing one paper a week. Do people not use all of these resources or do you do more than one a week in the last 6 months?

Any advice would be hugely appreciated-I need a plan!!

[inmystride]

We only did 6 weeks of prep. We used the CSSE papers and downloaded some free past exam questions ie Manchester Grammar.

[NOTLEY PARENTS]

Hi, I have three girls, DD1 was tutored late, from June before the test (2006) and we were ill prepared really only doing a few hours a week with work sheets set from her tutor, she didnt get offered a place, so with DD2 we started her tutoring from the February before the test (2009). To be honest I wasnt going to bother due to the stress of DD1 but thankfully DD2 insisted she went for the 11+ and we used Bond books and work sheets from her two tutors. She done a few hours a week then increased that during the August holiday to an hour a night except on tutor days. Nearer the test she had double lessons with her maths tutor (a senior school maths teacher) and she is now in Year 8 at CCHS and doing extremely well.

Lastly DD3 has the benefit of our past experience and started her tutoring in January 2010 with the same tutors, only one lesson a fortnight then in January 2011 increased to once a week, she started on Bond books(year 9/10) and has over the course of 18 months finished them all (think year 11+ or 12 cant remember which) and mental arithmatic work books (Scholfield & Sims) now finishing the Susan Daughtry 11+multiple choice practice test papers. Her tutor set her weekly spellings and the occasional work sheet as well as past 11+ papers.
She was doing 45 mins work a night (weekdays only and not on tutor days) until September this year then I increased it to an hour a night, though not always possible with out of school activities etc. Now I trying to get her to do a bit more but as the clock is well and truly ticking away its hard work really as I always insist she does her school homework first so theres not always the time. Im sure the school are trying to annoy me by increasing her home work

Its important they read too, I got quite a few of the books on the list (see 11+ notes) Dickens etc from ebay and encouraged her to read for at least half an hour before bed highlighting unusual or difficult words and looking them up. Think she has read a good ten books, could do with more but I only started the books this year.

If I had the chance to do it all again I would stick with DD3 route, its better in my experience to start then early but gently so they get used to the work and increasing the amount slowly. Any longer than that and they could get bored before the test. It gives you the chance also to monitor their progress and decide whether your child is capable of sitting the 11+ test etc. If they can cope with the extra work/tutoring then they will most certainly cope with Grammar school, I can see that after seeing the work my DD2 comes home with, but she takes it all in her stride whereas my eldest I dont think would have.

I also try to encourage my DD3 to take note of the news on tv and we often discuss what we have heard whether it be politics or famine or war etc, any bits of info can help and it opens up their minds a bit. It must work as she often asks questions about things at a later date or refer back to something we talked about.

Having said all that she likes nothing better than chilling out on the settee to watch Spongebob and I think after the exam in a few weeks time that she will be doing a lot of Spongebob watching and I wont mind a bit. I may even join her

[Fran17]

My DS2 started 11+ prep in the February before the exam and saw his tutor once a week. She took him through the Susan Daughtry books for V.R. When she felt he was up to speed she dropped back to every other week. She covered the maths that hadn't been covered at his primary school and nearer the summer holidays started working on comprehensions - she had her own set of comprehensions, the origins of which I am unaware. We used the Bond assessment books and I particularly liked the 10 minute tests. She didn't see him during the summer holidays but left him with some practise papers to do. In September he started working through the past 11+ papers with her. I kept all the work he had done and went through the V.R. and maths papers and copied any questions he had got wrong and gave him those questions again to make sure he had mastered them. Luckily he loves reading and I think that was important. As far as some of the classics are concerned we got hold of some abridged versions just so he could familiarise himself with them. I felt it was a big ask to expect him to read books such as Mill on the Floss aged 10. Above all, remember to do what you think is best for your child. They are all different. My son would have hated doing everything at the last minute as he likes to be organised, so it was preferable for us to start in February and take the slow steady approach. He is still the same and is already revising for his GCSEs. Good luck with it all.

[moved]

I like mine to do a paper of each subject each week as a minimum after the summer.

I write the English papers and these start from basic confidence builders with grammar included and end with clones of the real thing.

VR, one technique per week, until all techniques are covered, bits of revision for the holidays through a general paper.

Maths, depends on the child, so techniques at their level.

If teaching your own child, then use Bond for English and maths and do one paper per week of each.

[Manana]

I like mine to do a paper of each subject each week as a minimum after the summer.

I write the English papers and these start from basic confidence builders with grammar included and end with clones of the real thing.

VR, one technique per week, until all techniques are covered, bits of revision for the holidays through a general paper.

Maths, depends on the child, so techniques at their level.

If teaching your own child, then use Bond for English and maths and do one paper per week of each.

Thank you so much, everyone; that's really helpful.

Moved-when do you move on from using the Bond 4th or 5th papers and using the actual Bond tests-or do you not?

[moved]

No, I don't think the Bond exams are very useful. The format is quite different. Once a pupil is ready for the real thing then they do past papers or those that I have written.