Introducing myself and first question of many!

Eleven Plus (11+) in Surrey (Sutton, Kingston and Wandsworth)

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fatbananas
Posts: 1411
Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2010 2:03 pm

Introducing myself and first question of many!

Post by fatbananas »

Hello, I've been reading this forum for a couple of months, since my DS's cousins began their 11+ exams and it got me thinking about my own children and their future!

I currently have DS1 in Yr1. I feel a bit embarrassed that I'm already posting this early! :oops: But I've gradually began to realize this year that a lot of children do Kumon/ have tutors already/ or are given lots of 'home' work by their parents with a view to the 11+ in 5 or so years' time :shock: . Am I doing the wrong thing by not providing this stuff for my son? He is a lovely lovely boy, apparently a good middle at maths, doing well in his reading and has 'higher thinking skills' according to his teacher last week, with a particular aptitude for science. I'm very proud that he's achieved all that without any help from me at all! But will he be left behind as the other kids advance because of the extra help/ tutoring they receive?

I suspect my neurosis (?) about this isn't helped by the fact that my local selective schools, private or state, are fiercely difficult to get into, as I'm aware everyone on the Surrey forum knows better than I!!

Any advice about the best way to support my son as he advances through his primary years would be greatly appreciated. Plus, could anyone tell me whether one needs to be a year or two ahead of your peer group to even stand a chance with the 11+ exams? I'm told at private schools the kids are a year or two ahead of the state schools and, of course, we'd be competing with them for places at private/ state selective secondary schools.

Sorry for long long post! Deep exhalation coming! :D
Seize the day ... before it seizes you.
Shaftsbury1
Posts: 214
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2009 4:32 pm

Post by Shaftsbury1 »

Surreymummy welcome!

My first reaction on reading your post is .........DONOT PANIC!

Breath easy and enjoy your 5 year old! :shock: :lol:

My ds has just done his 11plus with only 6 monthes of prep and no long term tuition! So don't panic,it can be done!

Keep an eye on this site for the different formats of all the various schools.

Make sure he reads plenty,this helps in both the general english paper and the verbal reasoning.

For maths i would say just monitor his progress and if he has a weakness in any aspect then help him through it.

That's it for now and see you in 4 years time!
Plum
Posts: 284
Joined: Thu Mar 05, 2009 10:26 am

Post by Plum »

Hi SM

Totally agree with S1. My DS was not given any work or sent to a tutor until he began Yr 5 and he's off to WCGS in Sept (sorry - proud mum moment!) :lol: :lol: :lol:

If you can get your DS to do some games involving maths or English, great but I shouldn't worry too much if he won't. The internet has some great maths games, my DD likes the ones on the BBC website also there is a list of websites on the maths forum (I think). There are also plenty of English ones as well but if your DS is anything like mine then he will gravitate towards the maths and science stuff. Also, DD likes doing the VR books but she sees these as fun and enjoys them, DS on the otherhand couldn't be bothered.

As others have said before, it's all about enrichment at this age. You don't want to put them off learning but show that it can be enjoyable!

Good luck
Plum
melinda
Posts: 226
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 8:40 pm
Location: surrey

Post by melinda »

Just to echo the above in that he is far too young to start thinking about extra work etc now - school should be a fun place at 5 years old - don't feel pressured by talk in the playground about tutoring so early.

I used to hear about tutoring in Year 4 amongst some mums, which to me is still too early - my son had a year of tutoring (ie Year 5) before sitting the selection tests.

It is a pressured time for the boys and their parents and you want to keep that pressure to a minimum.

One thing though, it might just be a good idea to get the names of some good tutors in your area so that you are prepared when you need them. I do know that it can be tricky to find recommended tutors who are not already booked up a year ahead. But do no more than that.
Good luck.
Sherwood
Posts: 57
Joined: Sun Mar 07, 2010 4:24 pm
Location: RBK

Post by Sherwood »

Hi

I agree with the previous posters.

The other thing I would add is that grammar schools don't suit all children. I felt that Tiffins was the right school for my daughter who has always been very able and has suffered from it both socially and through bordom at primary school. My son, however, is also very bright and scoring way above average (he's Y2 now), but he is much more rounded and I feel would probably do better in the fast track of the local comp where he'd be a big fish in a small pond. So it's horses for courses, really, and you have to decide what's best for your child.

For what it's worth, my daughter did about two practice papers a week from Jan to Nov (not including the summer hols) when she took the Tiffin test. She's no.3 on the waiting list. Maybe if she'd been tutored she'd have scored higher and I'd not be biting my nails now, but I'm really proud of her because I feel she got that mark pretty much on her own. I certainly wouldn't consider any tutoring before year five, it's really not necessary.

Enjoy the time now, before you have to get into the whole secondary school process! It'll come along all too soon.
surreymum
Posts: 553
Joined: Wed Jan 23, 2008 10:26 pm

Post by surreymum »

Hi Surreymummy

Welcome to the forum.
I have sent you a PM-if you scroll down to the bottom of the page you will see a link about messages-you will see it if you click on that.

Surreymum
fatbananas
Posts: 1411
Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2010 2:03 pm

Post by fatbananas »

Wow! I am overwhelmed by the amount of sensible advice! It certainly echoes my instincts. I was pretty alarmed by the number of kids in my DS's class who have extra help already and did feel I was being swept along in some hysterical tutoring wave! :P

Thanks so much for all your replies. Will be back in 4 years' time. Good luck to all you and your DC in the meantime.
Seize the day ... before it seizes you.
SunlampVexesEel
Posts: 1245
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 9:31 pm

Post by SunlampVexesEel »

My 2p worth..

Ignore the whole thing until Year 5..... except... encourage reading and an increase of vocab through reading....
Animis opibusque parati
runningmum
Posts: 77
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2009 1:27 pm

Post by runningmum »

SunlampVexesEel wrote:My 2p worth..

Ignore the whole thing until Year 5..... except... encourage reading and an increase of vocab through reading....
I couldn't agree more! A large vocabulary is key to success. All children can learn how to do the mechanical-type questions quickly and easily in a few months.
fatbananas
Posts: 1411
Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2010 2:03 pm

Post by fatbananas »

Thank you, yes. With that in mind, I've just returned from buying some Andy Stanton/ Philip Ardagh books to replace the Roald Dahl book we're about to finish.

Many thanks for all your helpful replies.
Seize the day ... before it seizes you.
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