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When is the best time to start tutoring for 11-plus?

Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2010 9:52 am
by Villagedad
Hi all

I have heard so many different thoughts about the best time to start tutoring for the 11-plus, therefoire just wanted to canvass opinion.

The following are schedules that are most common:

* January year 5: 8 months before exam
* September year 5: 1 year before exam
* March year 4: 18 months before exam
* January year 4: 1 year 8 months before exam
* September year 4: 2 years before exam

I suppose the school of thought about starting earlier is that it will be less stressful as you will do it over a longer period.

Some of the people who start a year or 8 months before the exam then double efforts in the summer holidays before the exam, as seen in other threads on this forum.

Any thoughts welcomed..

Kind regards
Villagedad

Re: When is the best time to start tutoring for 11-plus?

Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2010 10:10 am
by yoyo123
it depends on your child, there is no right time, I wouldn't start formal tutoring until mid yr 5 at earliest.

spend time on building mental maths skills, reading/vocabulary, thinking/problem solving skills. The best way to do this is by games etc. make it fun.Otherwise you end up with child totally put off the idea by the time it gets to eleven plus. Make sure you give Dc chance to just be a child!

The skills you learn doing this will be useful in his general education as well as 11+.

Re: When is the best time to start tutoring for 11-plus?

Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2010 12:01 pm
by tiredmum
At the beginning of year 5 my dd was behind in her maths understanding so i started work with her then but only on maths, finding out what had happened in her understanding and putting this right. From the sept to the jan she jumped a whole level! It was then that i started on 11 plus work. She took the exam in the october.

So really it depends if your child needs to go over any basics before they move on to the 11 plus stuff? My dd is a natural at literacy so i didnt do any work at all here with her - funnily enough she scored her highest mark on the writing paper :lol: