Am I shooting my foot by refusing to get a tutor for 7+?
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SraCastafiore
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Tue Mar 02, 2010 6:53 am
Am I shooting my foot by refusing to get a tutor for 7+?
My son is currently in year 1 at an academic pre-prep and I am trying to decide if he should sit the 7+ exam next year (i.e, in 2 terms!).
He is a bright but an "underachiever" in the sense that his teacher complains that he often seems bored in class and daydreams. He loses interest in the simple tasks (cutting words and matching them to pictures). He has a reading level of 11 years and I do understand that simple tasks seem pointless and am afraid that if I don't move him to a more demanding school, he will coast even further downward.
The only problem is that the 3 schools which are options are insanely competitive to get into (Westminster Under, Colet Court, Kings Wimbledon), and I know that almost all the other parents who are planning for their son to take the 7+ have already started tutoring. I will not tutor my son because 1) I feel that if he needs to be tutored to get in, he will have problems when he gets there, 2) I refuse to nibble up the little amount of free time he has as I feel this will be mentally detrimental to him and 3) I was advised to not get him tutored by the teachers at his school.
However, I am starting to doubt myself as it seems like all the other parents are Kumoning and tutoring their sons. My resolve is starting to weaken as fear is starting to set in that my son will not get a place because of my silly ideals because perhaps my attitude is appropriate for a brilliant candidate, but perhaps not for my more uncertain one. My gut tells me that the best preparation my son could have is to continue to plan and build his amazing Lego models, read his encyclopaedias (which he loves to do), and just do a Bond paper here and there. Am I wrong? What are these schools looking for and how do they choose amongst their candidates?
Any advice would be welcome.
He is a bright but an "underachiever" in the sense that his teacher complains that he often seems bored in class and daydreams. He loses interest in the simple tasks (cutting words and matching them to pictures). He has a reading level of 11 years and I do understand that simple tasks seem pointless and am afraid that if I don't move him to a more demanding school, he will coast even further downward.
The only problem is that the 3 schools which are options are insanely competitive to get into (Westminster Under, Colet Court, Kings Wimbledon), and I know that almost all the other parents who are planning for their son to take the 7+ have already started tutoring. I will not tutor my son because 1) I feel that if he needs to be tutored to get in, he will have problems when he gets there, 2) I refuse to nibble up the little amount of free time he has as I feel this will be mentally detrimental to him and 3) I was advised to not get him tutored by the teachers at his school.
However, I am starting to doubt myself as it seems like all the other parents are Kumoning and tutoring their sons. My resolve is starting to weaken as fear is starting to set in that my son will not get a place because of my silly ideals because perhaps my attitude is appropriate for a brilliant candidate, but perhaps not for my more uncertain one. My gut tells me that the best preparation my son could have is to continue to plan and build his amazing Lego models, read his encyclopaedias (which he loves to do), and just do a Bond paper here and there. Am I wrong? What are these schools looking for and how do they choose amongst their candidates?
Any advice would be welcome.
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Chelmsford mum
- Posts: 2113
- Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2009 7:16 pm
Mike
Probably not - sad but true. I have friends whom I love dearly that are doing similar and I have been stonewalled by members of my own family for allowing an 11 year old to choose her school rather than telling her where to go. Utterly mad,but I am standing firm. This just cant be healthy or sane,this is children we are talking about!
Probably not - sad but true. I have friends whom I love dearly that are doing similar and I have been stonewalled by members of my own family for allowing an 11 year old to choose her school rather than telling her where to go. Utterly mad,but I am standing firm. This just cant be healthy or sane,this is children we are talking about!
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T.i.p.s.y
The answer to the original question is unfortunately YES!
I know of boys who are arguably the most gifted boys in the country and had no tutoring and failed to get into these schools. The school report also counts for a lot so if there is an improvement in his class work due to tutoring then that would also help. FWIW, my son got into the Westminster senior school without tutoring but would not have got into WUS as we did not tutor at this age and they are looking for a certain "package" at that age. The senior school interviews all boys and looks at other aspects of their development.
I know of boys who are arguably the most gifted boys in the country and had no tutoring and failed to get into these schools. The school report also counts for a lot so if there is an improvement in his class work due to tutoring then that would also help. FWIW, my son got into the Westminster senior school without tutoring but would not have got into WUS as we did not tutor at this age and they are looking for a certain "package" at that age. The senior school interviews all boys and looks at other aspects of their development.
I'm quite sure people do prep for 7+ (I suppose we should be thankful that at least they're trying, however misguidedly, and are surely not in the same league as those who sell children into forced labour and worse or press gang them as child soldiers). However I stand by my opinion that the senora is probably an MN sockpuppet or a troll.
Mike
Mike
