Madness

zee · Post by **zee** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 12:17 am

Chelmsford mum wrote: I still say that you don't need Â£30 an hour for 2 years.

With the caveat that if they do, the child is unlikely to thrive in a grammar school.

tiredmum · Post by **tiredmum** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 12:22 am

sherry_d wrote:Oh my.... I am beginning to feel a bit nervous now that I am the only one without a tutor. .

My dd passed the medway test reecently. I didnt use a tutor. Financial reasons and i wanted to DIY aswell. About October last year i discovered her maths hadnt improved in nearly 2 years - level wise - so i set myself the task of getting her back on track! We did so well that by the time january 2009 came her teacher agreed she may have a shot at the 11 plus

So you have lots of time. I did about 20 mins after tea, four or five eves a week. My dd enjoyed working with me and I am so proud of both of us

sherry_d · Post by **sherry_d** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 1:10 am

My dd passed the medway test reecently. I didnt use a tutor. Financial reasons and i wanted to DIY aswell. About October last year i discovered her maths hadnt improved in nearly 2 years - level wise - so i set myself the task of getting her back on track! We did so well that by the time january 2009 came her teacher agreed she may have a shot at the 11 plus

So you have lots of time. I did about 20 mins after tea, four or five eves a week. My dd enjoyed working with me and I am so proud of both of us

Thats really ecouraging and I think I should really go with my heart and do what I would like to do ie DIY. DD really love this time we sit and do the work together and she asks for more work as...

These are rare moments in our house (as mummy is forever busy cooking, looking after DS 18months and fuffing on the computer)...so DD loves it when she gets this rare moment of so much attention and NOT her brother for once.

Maybe thats another madness scenario, to only really sit down together doing 11+

Marylou · Post by **Marylou** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 1:49 am

SunlampVexesEel wrote:
Marylou wrote:Have to confess I'm fascinated by this thread as I'm currently thinking of starting up as an 11+ tutor...
Don't blame you. Kerrrrching!

Well, it make sense to diversify when things are as quiet as they are now...and why not do it by offering a reasonably-priced service which you know you can provide in an area where you know there is a demand for it? Local parents looking for tuition currently have to drive a fair few miles to the nearest tutor...if she has a place for them!

I also know how difficult it can sometimes be to teach your own children in this way. I imagine this is just one of a number of reasons why people enlist the services of tutors. There were times when I was tempted to hand the task over to someone else. However, once I started teaching DD2 together with one of her friends who was also sitting the exam, things got considerably easier.

Marylou · Post by **Marylou** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 1:58 am

sherry_d wrote:
DD really love this time we sit and do the work together and she asks for more work

Well you must be doing something right then...I don't remember mine ever asking for more!

And I doubt the tutor you rang has any cool tips that you won't find somewhere on here.

Best of luck for next September!

Daogroupie · Post by **Daogroupie** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 12:05 pm

I think change has already come and it will be very interesting to see how the eleven plus industry responds to it as it is a potential thread to some tutors. This year St Pauls and City of London girls schools,, both in the top five of the Sunday Times League Tables, have introduced computer tests that have to be taken BEFORE any paper exam. See thread called City of London in Independent Schools section for more detail. I am convinced that this is only the start. The financial overhead to schools of the huge numbers of children applying cannot go on, plus the increasing instances of tutors somehow getting access to the papers before the exams or schools finding themselves with the same papers. The computer tests can be marked automatically and the questions can be generated automatically so no risk of them being seen beforehand. For a while at least the bright kids will really benefit from this because so far no preparation for these tests seems to have emerged. We did no preparation at all because we had no idea what to expect. I think these tests will be used to reduce numbers and may even replace paper exams completely.

moved · Post by **moved** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 12:41 pm

Â£240 per hour - I usually charge Â£15 (11+) or Â£20 (A level/GCSE)!

Only one of my pupils has ever failed to attain the school he wanted - he happily said though that the lessons had not been a waste as his English and maths were vastly improved and he had enjoyed our weekly sessions. He went to his 2nd choice school, where he is in top sets (yr 9 now) and flourishing.

Tuition is a supporting role and I would hope that all pupils leave feeling more able in many ways - not just able to pass an unpleasant test.

I am not advertising services or advocating that tutors are necessary, a parent can provide what a tutor provides with the advantage of knowing his/her DC much better than a tutor ever can.

wonderwoman · Post by **wonderwoman** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 3:23 pm

zee wrote:
wonderwoman wrote: The grammar schools are in charge of their admission tests
No, they're not. At least many of them are not. In Bucks, the whole county has 11+ and the tests are administered by the local authority, not the head teachers. I suspect it's the same in Kent, which is also a fully selective authority, and maybe other areas too.

One of the problems when debating 11+ issues is that it's easy to forget how very different the process is in different areas.

Yes, the procedure is different in different areas. I am thinking of our area, but many people here don't know how the system works, they think the LA is in charge. We only have grammars and secondary moderns, so fully selective, unless you opt out. If you gain a qualifying mark though you can apply to any grammar, not just the local one. Though parts of the county are not selective, but you can still opt in. Complicated or what?

Anyway back to OT - I'm not a fan of tutoring for the 11+, but I don't think Â£30 an hour is an outrageous fee for expert advice, if that is what you want. I pay that quite happily for riding lessons, music etc. They are 1 to 1 though, but a small group is much more profitable for the teacher, the more experienced and successful the teacher, the more you pay.

2outof3 · Post by **2outof3** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 4:03 pm

The "accepted" price people are willing to pay for tutoring obviously differs greatly from area to area. One of the most sought after tutors in SW London for the Tiffin exams charges Â£25 per session and there are usually 10 children in each sitting........

You currently have to get your child's name on the list at least 2 years in advance of the test to even be able to sit her assessment test..........

sally40 · Post by **sally40** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 11:14 pm

We had a very good tutor for a couple of months and then unfortunately she retired after being on her waiting list for about 8 months we panicked bu managed to get a local primary school teacher to tutor but to be honest i did work with my ds as well and at the end of it all he said that h had learnt more from me than his tutor so i would advise if your dc is willing and with all the help you can get on this site and info on net i would advise def. diy

Madness

Getting to the bright candidates, not the tutored ones.