Anyone else starting Yr 5 now & beginning the journey?

[lemondrop]

Thanks for that Herty DD is a very keen reader, and has a quirky sense of humour that comes out in her writing (can't think where she gets that from )

Back in the dark ages, when I sat school entrance exams I did it untutored as well, but I think the playing field has changed and is no longer as level as we'd like. I hope the tutor doesn't get her swallowing a thesaurus and writing textbook essays, if she does I'll fire her!

[herty]

I'm sure it has changed, and not for the better - far too much pressure these days.

But you know what? - I'd rather have a child who failed to get in but looked back on a glorious childhood filled with reading wonderful books, rather than one who scraped through, and looked back on hours of weekly tutorials. Any school that valued those skills above all else isn't one my DD would be happy at,anyway. Seriously.

They're not doing A Levels, are they? They're 10 or 11 years old - time to be young, and enjoy playing.

It's late - should go to bed.

[daofan]

Hello lemondrop
Thanks for your reply. I will read the article you suggested and hope to pick up some tips to get my son to read.
Thanks

[smitha]

Hello All,
I am there too starting on this journey.Good Luck to all of u.
I Live in Harrow ,i am looking for a good tutor for my daughter in Harrow for the 11+ .Can anybody
1. suggest a good tutor in harrow

2. I would also want the tutor to teach the concept to the child, not just the techniques.

3. advice on some good books please .

[lemondrop]

Hi Smitha,

I had a lot of trouble getting a tutor at all. I eventually went to an agency. DD has only had one session so far. The tutor seems nice enough, but seems very English biased despite me asking for an all round 11+ tutor. She already admitted to me that she didn't get NVR so wouldn't be able to help with that. Thankfully I am very good at NVR and DD seems to have a knack for it, so I'm happy to go through those with her myself. I will wait and see how she progresses with maths, but I'm not overly confident. However, I must give the tutor a chance and think a few more sessions will give me a firmer grasp on whether or not it's working. Good luck finding someone.

LD

[smitha]

Thank u LD .Wish u Goodluck ,I am sure everthing will fall in place take care and keep in touch.

[smitha]

Can anybody advice me on this 11+English A Parents Tool Kit byKatherine -----.I would like to buy this as my daughter would be preparing for 11+ and would also like to know what this book contains, and is it worth buying.Thank You

[BarnetDad]

Well, with one daughter in Yr7 HBS and another in Yr5, we're kind of starting again.

I think we've ruled out Latymer for DD2, but HBS and DAO are bound to figure highly on the state school list. We also visited St Albans HSfG which we'd not seen before and liked very much (probably my favourite indie - strikes a nice balance between cosiness and academic focus) - surprised to see DAOGroupie there, as if there's any chance her DD2 would go anywhere other than DAO!!!

BTW - The biscuits at SAHSfG weren't a patch on NLCS, although the lemon drizzle cake with goat cheese in the "food technology" dept was absolutely stunning - I hope to be getting the recipe...

[lemondrop]

Hi Barnetdad, thanks for your reply. It must be strange doing it all over again, but you have the benefit of hindsight this time around. I'll be going through it again in a few years with my DS but I'm not thinking about that at the moment.

Can I ask why you're not considering Latymer this time around, did you not like the school, or was it the exam, or is it the logistics of travel with one child in HBS, or is it just down to it not suiting the personality of your DD2? I really liked Latymer but can't really see DD there, however I can see DS there. I saw DD fitting in well at HBS.

We're not even looking at indies, we can't afford it, which saddens me being indie educated myself. I'm so annoyed that we can't try for DAO due to being in the wrong sector of a postcode!

Our tutor started 2 weeks ago and it was a very gentle start which I'm pleased about, just reinforcing basic principles of grammar, punctuation, spelling etc and going over the times tables. I'm watching carefully though to make sure it picks up a bit as time goes on. I am also doing some NVR and VR with DD, she's had no problems with the NVR so far and thinks they're fun so I hope to keep it that way. Will she still think they're fun this time next year?

Anyway, I hope to meet you when your DD2 and my DD both get into HBS in Sept 2012

[vas]

Hi Lemondrop,

I don't post so frequently as I find the forum very addictive, but do enjoy a visit now and then. Can I just make a suggestion. Don't rule out indies altogether. I don't know your finances, however I can say that most indies do give generous bursaries if you qualify and even if you didn't there are scholarships available.
Also going for these exams is an experience in itself which your dd will enjoy.

I didn't take my ds to any open days except one (only to collect the application form), and don't think I will for my dd either. Hence even if you decide not to see the schools, do consider applying.