Has anyone got into Tiffin without a tutor?

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

Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators

11 Plus Platform - Online Practice Makes Perfect - Try Now
Rosette
Posts: 78
Joined: Mon Aug 25, 2008 6:48 pm

Has anyone got into Tiffin without a tutor?

Post by Rosette »

Hi

I'd be really grateful to hear if anyone has passed the Tiffin exams without using a tutor.

My son is in Y5 and I feel we could quite happily practise the papers at home and use this site for support but worry that this exam is now so competitive.

Thanks
Rosette
Gilly
Posts: 139
Joined: Tue Sep 16, 2008 8:30 pm

Post by Gilly »

Hi Rosette,

Definitely you can do it, if you know the subjects well enough to assist your son. With a proper planning and required materials there is no reason why you should rely on a tutor.

Whoever tutors your son nobody can guarantee a place at Tiffin. All you can do is try the best, provide the best tutoring and hard work.

Gilly
Thea
Posts: 250
Joined: Mon Dec 05, 2005 4:01 pm
Location: Richmond

Post by Thea »

Yes , a friend's son, two years ago. Thye declined the place as he had been offered a scholarship at another school. (They had originally intended to go with a tutor, but the child got anxious about it, and did not want to go after the first two sessions.) There is a lot of mystiques and superstition about tutoring - I think this is because it is a situation where we all feel we have not control, and so you might as well cover all bases. But for some children it is counter-productive as they feel there is so much at stake, and get very stressed ( by the fact of going to a tutor - I mean.) The tutors don't have insider info, or any special magic and the feedback they get form their ertwhile pupils is not much (the children tend to forget entirely the minute they leave the room. :lol: ) Not intending in any way to denigrate tutors, but they are are not indispensible, and vary a lot in quality.
Best Regards,
Thea
mad?
Posts: 5621
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 6:27 pm
Location: london

Post by mad? »

Yes, two girls this got through last year doing one paper a week over summer hols, 4 one hour sessions with a friend's Mum who happened to be a teacher in September and then the odd 10 min test in Oct/Nov for 'fun'. Friend's son got in the same way for 2006 entry. These were state primary kids with no extra help at an 'average' primary school. I think different things suit different children. This site is great, but in some ways I am relieved I did not discover it until after test results came through as I think it would have made me really panic about lack of preparation etc That said, would have been kicking myself if the results have gone the other way...
mad?
sunnymummy
Posts: 65
Joined: Wed Nov 05, 2008 9:59 pm

has anyone got into tiffin without a tutor?

Post by sunnymummy »

Hello mad? - you've really cheered me up. My son's taking the Tiffin test and is somewhat underprepared. Now I feel there is still hope.
mad?
Posts: 5621
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 6:27 pm
Location: london

Post by mad? »

Good - no point being getting despondant (remind me I said that in a year's time when DD2 will be at it!) and good good luck....
mad?
Rosette
Posts: 78
Joined: Mon Aug 25, 2008 6:48 pm

Post by Rosette »

Thanks Gilly, Thea and mad? for your encouragement.

It does seem to me that the whole tutoring system has gone a bit crazy and I have been told by a fellow mum that I would "have" to get a tutor!

Good luck sunnymummy with your preparations - I'll be rooting for you!
Rosette
ews147
Posts: 152
Joined: Thu Oct 30, 2008 10:47 pm

Post by ews147 »

My ds sat the 11+ today, and trust me, from what he has told me about the test, you do NOT need a tutor!I would recommend lots of 10 minute type tests though - the resources for which you can get on this and other websites for next to nothing.
frenchmum
Posts: 23
Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 10:09 pm

Post by frenchmum »

I know quite a few kids who got into Tiffin (boys) without being tutored BUT... they fall into two categories. the strangely bright ones who are reading Philip Pullman, Tolkien etc.. at the age of five and the ones who have incredibly dedicated mothers (sorry - it is usually mothers) who ban TV/computer games etc and have them sat at the kitchen table working for a long period each evening - which is very hard if you work and have other kids.

Haven't ever heard of a normal bright bouncy workshy boy cruising along and getting a place after very little practise. Would love to though! Isn't that what should be happening?
Drastic Dad
Posts: 138
Joined: Mon Nov 26, 2007 5:14 am
Location: Middlesex

Post by Drastic Dad »

frenchmum wrote:I know quite a few kids who got into Tiffin (boys) without being tutored BUT... they fall into two categories. the strangely bright ones who are reading Philip Pullman, Tolkien etc.. at the age of five and the ones who have incredibly dedicated mothers (sorry - it is usually mothers) who ban TV/computer games etc and have them sat at the kitchen table working for a long period each evening - which is very hard if you work and have other kids.

Haven't ever heard of a normal bright bouncy workshy boy cruising along and getting a place after very little practise. Would love to though! Isn't that what should be happening?

I have one exact same kid as you described above. Read the whole of Narnia series before reaching seven, huge vocabulary, regular hard work on daily basis, no television in the house, hundreds of books shelved and piled up in his room (including Tolkien, Pullman and the latest translation of The Count of Monte Christo unabridged and unexpurgated!), everything going for him with both parents with some sort of teaching background. What does he do? Leaves seven questions unattempted in Langley NVR test. What can you say? I just told him that everybody gets a second chance and only idiots drop the ball repeatedly. Tiffin here we come! I guess some days you are bound to self-destruct but some days you are destined to shine. Maybe yesterday was not his day. I will pick up the pieces and we will give it another go. I think all systems, specially in education, are a bit biased against us the "right-brained" people in favor of the majority, i-e the left-brained folks:


http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/s ... 95,00.html

No matter how hard I try, I can't see the dancer turning anti-clockwise.
Back to the original topic. What do these heavily tutored kids do when they finally start their schooling at these good schools? How do they cope? If they were all really tutored to get their places then they would fail to meet the standards required to survive the pressure of studying in a highly competitive group of peers. I am sure this is a myth that only tutored kids get into any good school. That school would surely collapse or the child would breakdown as more tuition would be needed for his survival in the new system. I am sure majority who get admissions in these good schools are not extensively coached. The myth of the necessity of tuition for success keeps tutors in the business but in an ideal world 11+ should be a test of a child's abilities, not his tutor's. I don't know anybody who successfully got to get their kids pass 11+ through extensive coaching. My son goes to a private (Prep) school and the kids get only 6 hours of coaching into how to do the Common Entrance Exam limited to repeatedly doing NFER Practice Papers in an after-school class during October and November of Year 6. They do English as well which leaves only 1 1/2 hour of preparation for each test! Still most kids get into good schools as they are trained to work very hard and get daily homework and are strictly required to read extensively and regularly.
Post Reply