Scoring 85 to 90 % in practice papers- good enough?
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Re: Scoring 85 to 90 % in practice papers- good enough?
My experience with 2 children the first in practice at home and during practice week at Kip Mcgrath scored a couple of 100% and the rest mid-high 90s, and passed for Pates, the other was mid 80s to low 90s and just missed Pates.
So you will have no problem getting a Grammar place.
So you will have no problem getting a Grammar place.
Re: Scoring 85 to 90 % in practice papers- good enough?
As others have mentioned before the emphasis on controlling nerves and dealing with distractions is paramount. Also keep your child tempered with a good dose of realism (anything can happen on the day and not to get complacent). One child I am aware of went in full of confidence that they would be Pates bound but unfortunately ended up having to appeal to another grammar due to non qualification.
On a lighter note scores in the high 80's and 90's (in the hard papers) are what is thought to be Pates territory, if that is your goal. Obviously on the day scores probably drop a little but that's generally across the board so it evens out nicely. Wishing you luck!
On a lighter note scores in the high 80's and 90's (in the hard papers) are what is thought to be Pates territory, if that is your goal. Obviously on the day scores probably drop a little but that's generally across the board so it evens out nicely. Wishing you luck!
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'They will do well wherever they go' - how often do we hear this ? I may have said it myself when I was naive. Yet if it were true there would be little need for a website like this, as we wouldn't be struggling to get our children into a handful of grammar schools. Why bother if 'They will do well wherever they go' ?katel wrote:You do all realize tha tin the end it doesn't matter? If you have a parent who is concerned enough abot your education to post on a website like this you will do well wherever you go? An A is an A - whatever school it's from!
Katel - do you really think that the mere ability to post on a forum page indicates that the poster's child will do as well at the local comp as they would at Pates ? It's a bit more complicated than that...
Re: Scoring 85 to 90 % in practice papers- good enough?
I wish it were true that my DC would do as well in any of the other schools in our area. Sadly, in the absence of an effective and genuinely comprehensive system, most of the non grammars offer a much narrower academic curriculum with lower expectation and achievement.
It is much easier here in Kent to be deemed selective, and hence have more choices than many other counties. For this reason I am not sure it is fair to pass judgement on parents who wish to be in the same position where the competition is much more intense.
If you genuinely believe what you are saying Katel, then I would wonder why you made the educational choices you did!
Would you have been happy for your children to attend your local non selective? Assuming you preferred an alternative then how is this any different to others on here who also want to achieve a preferred school, but who have to work harder in order to get there because it is a less 'grammar rich' area than Kent?
Glass houses/stones?
It is much easier here in Kent to be deemed selective, and hence have more choices than many other counties. For this reason I am not sure it is fair to pass judgement on parents who wish to be in the same position where the competition is much more intense.
If you genuinely believe what you are saying Katel, then I would wonder why you made the educational choices you did!
Would you have been happy for your children to attend your local non selective? Assuming you preferred an alternative then how is this any different to others on here who also want to achieve a preferred school, but who have to work harder in order to get there because it is a less 'grammar rich' area than Kent?
Glass houses/stones?
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Re: Scoring 85 to 90 % in practice papers- good enough?
Katel.
Just to mix it up a little more...I personally don't believe that attending a non Grammar would have meant doom for my eldest nor,indeed,the rest of my brood.Parental support I do believe is one of the most crucial things in a child's education and experiences.
In fact to an extent I agree with you(possibly only because we have a couple of very good comps close by)
However for US its not simply the "A"at the end of the road but the journey he will have in getting there.THAT is priceless and certainly will be of benefit to him,more so than at the local comprehensive.
Just to mix it up a little more...I personally don't believe that attending a non Grammar would have meant doom for my eldest nor,indeed,the rest of my brood.Parental support I do believe is one of the most crucial things in a child's education and experiences.
In fact to an extent I agree with you(possibly only because we have a couple of very good comps close by)
However for US its not simply the "A"at the end of the road but the journey he will have in getting there.THAT is priceless and certainly will be of benefit to him,more so than at the local comprehensive.
Re: Scoring 85 to 90 % in practice papers- good enough?
The comments may be correct for Kent, but in my corner of Gloucestershire even the 'failing' comp is pretty good for bright children (it just didn't tick certain boxes for meeting unobtainable targets for less able children, and needed a change of governance).
I know quite a few children who passed the 11+, but decided to go to one of the local comps as it suited them better. Just because it's a grammar doesn't mean it will be right for your child however bright they are. Bright kids can, and many do, flourish at the comps round here, just as some children do not flourish in the grammars.
Just because a child is bright does not mean that they will do well in any educational setting - you just can't generalise. For instance, some grammars also happen to put a lot of emphasis on sport, so if you've got a boy who abores sport, he may not fit in & thrive there, despite it also being academic - he might fit in better at a performing arts specialist comp, and do better in the top set there than at the grammar. The operative word, though, is 'might'.
I know quite a few children who passed the 11+, but decided to go to one of the local comps as it suited them better. Just because it's a grammar doesn't mean it will be right for your child however bright they are. Bright kids can, and many do, flourish at the comps round here, just as some children do not flourish in the grammars.
Just because a child is bright does not mean that they will do well in any educational setting - you just can't generalise. For instance, some grammars also happen to put a lot of emphasis on sport, so if you've got a boy who abores sport, he may not fit in & thrive there, despite it also being academic - he might fit in better at a performing arts specialist comp, and do better in the top set there than at the grammar. The operative word, though, is 'might'.
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My personal indicators for eleven plus success are :
Does he know all his multiplication tables ?
Can he read the entire series of Harry Potter books at least once ?
Can he hold an articulate conversation with an unknown adult?
Does he play and enjoy playing a musical instrument ?
Does he ask lots of questions about a random assortment of subjects; space;archaeology;history etc and generally drive you crazy with his quest for knowledge ?
Then he is probably "Grammar School material" and with a concentrated effort on practice papers should pass his eleven plus !
Does he know all his multiplication tables ?
Can he read the entire series of Harry Potter books at least once ?
Can he hold an articulate conversation with an unknown adult?
Does he play and enjoy playing a musical instrument ?
Does he ask lots of questions about a random assortment of subjects; space;archaeology;history etc and generally drive you crazy with his quest for knowledge ?
Then he is probably "Grammar School material" and with a concentrated effort on practice papers should pass his eleven plus !
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Interesting list. My eldest didn't know her multiplication facts (and probably still doesn't). She hadn't read any of the Harry Potter series (didn't appeal to her, and neither did Tolkein), but does have a collection of over 400 copies of Beano.Alice in Underland wrote:My personal indicators for eleven plus success are :
Does he know all his multiplication tables ?
Can he read the entire series of Harry Potter books at least once ?
Can he hold an articulate conversation with an unknown adult?
Does he play and enjoy playing a musical instrument ?
Does he ask lots of questions about a random assortment of subjects; space;archaeology;history etc and generally drive you crazy with his quest for knowledge ?
Yes, she'll talk to anyone about anything, and had grade 5 flute when she started grammar, and as for The Questions (though they calmed down in about Y5).
DD2 was better than DD1 at multiplication facts when DD1 was leaving primary & DD2 was in Y4; she enjoyed the Harry Potter & Lemony Snickett series. She's confidently got G4 piano and will do G5 in 1st term of grammar, was last Friday asked by school to play piano accompaniment on stage for 4 numbers in Bugsy Malone (at which her piano teacher expressed strong surprise, as the parts are much harder than G5, and she's never had to work with a singer before) - the play is in 2 weeks time. She also is around G3 in orchestral percussion & timpani - and did her first gig with Stroud Symph Orch last weekend (2 rehersals). But again, The Questions....
I think the 'musical instrument' is a bit of a red herring, in that , yes, many grammar children are into music & playing, but many are not - they may be into dance, or sport - or even all three. In appeals I might ask about music abilities, but that's because I understand it, along with some dance. Sports don't interest me personally, but does other panallists, and we all tend to use the information to fill out our knowledge of the children rather than using it to decide which appeals to allow - it never ever comes down to "well, this one is good at music, that one is good at sport. Which one is best? There's only one way to find out! FIGHT!"
It's more that the child is passionate about something, be it sport, music or macrame, rather than 'passionate about my speciality'.
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Re: Scoring 85 to 90 % in practice papers- good enough?
That a child is passionate and determined..thats IT.
Bombed out on the Harry Potter and instrument here-ok on the rest
Bombed out on the Harry Potter and instrument here-ok on the rest