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11+ study plan (8 months)

Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2011 6:58 pm
by Naulakha
My DD (Yr 5) will take her 11+ in November in Verbal Reasoning (GL multi-choice), Maths (GL multi-choice) and English (set by the school- comprehension and creative writing). She is currently 4b in Maths (definitely her worst subject) , "very good with excellent vocabulary" (teacher) at English and luckily seems to be quite a natural at VR and loves it (as she managed a good score in a Bond paper 4th in VR with no preparation). In the last month we have practised times tables and worked through a couple of untimed Bond 5th Maths papers but not really got going in any organised way.
This seems a fantastic site but I am currently overwhelmed regarding all the resources and need to compile a study plan to take DD through the next 8 months.
Could anyone direct me to a typical study plan I could use anywhere on the site, or have used themselves? I had planned to do around 1-2 hours a week on a Saturday- does this seem about right do you think?

Re: 11+ study plan (8 months)

Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2011 11:24 pm
by vasu
Hey! We are in the same boat. Although my My Ds started with the 11+ prep in year 4 but that was just build up. I used bond books for maths and English then. But now we use Athey, gl assessment, Susan Daughtrey, first aid in english. Please go through the forum, you will get excellent suggestions. Which schools are you thinking of applying?

Re: 11+ study plan (8 months)

Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2011 12:35 am
by Pushy Dad
My kids did 4 hours a day during the summer break before Year 6 and when school restarted in Sept this dropped to 2 hours a day during the school day and 4 hours a day during the weekend (their state primary is not very academic hence the workload). At the other extreme, you have parents who don't tutor their kids at all and they still pass. So only you will know whether 1 to 2 hours a week is enough for your child.

Re: 11+ study plan (8 months)

Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2011 9:55 am
by scarlett
It can seem overwhelming, can't it ?! but you sound like you are doing really well and have everything under control !

If you let us know the area you live in and the schools your dd will be trying to get into...I think it makes a difference to the papers etc ? and then I'm sure someone will come along who will have more individual advice for you !

I tutored my son last year ( he passed with a really high score ) and my next one will be taking the Kent test in 2012. Of course it's different for each child...i.e their strengths and weaknesses . My son isn't at a particularly great primary and I had to spend a lot of time catching up before I started the 11 plus prep. I noticed with the maths how important times tables are, they crop up everywhere...so they really do need to know them back to front ! and then it's just focusing on bits they don't understand and then practice, practice, practice ! I don't know what your maths is like, but I found it hard explaining fractions etc so my friend who is a maths teacher did some work with ds for a couple of months before the test. Lots of reading is a must too...not sure what the english paper entails as my ds didn't have to do one.
The bond books are great for practice...I didn't start the papers until about 2-3 months before, but I didn't want my ds to get fed up and burnt out, if you know what i mean !

Pushydad is right ....it depends on your child re the amount of time you practice.Maybe you are in a highly competitive area ? I didn't want to push, push , push my son because I just knew he would just get fed up. I think little and often works better for him...but of course it is individual.

Good luck with it all !! On a different note, self tutoring your child is really special...My son and I bonded really closely through the ups and downs and I really think it changed our relationship for the better ( I like to think ds would agree ! :? :lol: )

Re: 11+ study plan (8 months)

Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2011 10:43 am
by First-timer
One or two hours a week for eight months sounds fine. As others have said, it depends on your child. I tutored my DS for three months before the exam
and we did some work most days. Often this would be from the ten-minute-test type books. We only did full mocks in the weekends running up to the exam. During the October half term holiday we did around two hours of work each day. I think little and often is a good way to tackle the work. Otherwise you risk a mutiny! We didn't change any of our usual activities and the whole experience was very positive. I'll start sooner with my younger DC but hopefully won't have to dedicate hours of the half term holiday to exam prep! We too have a primary school which cares little for academic achievement - it seems to be a common story. :(

Re: 11+ study plan (8 months)

Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2011 3:59 pm
by sonic1
My son just got a place at WGSB. We did a lot of prep BUT always take the lead from your child. I think a little but often is the key particularly with maths. One week they totally get fractions- the next week they look totally blank. It takes time to grasp mathematical concepts as I pointed out to my impatient husband. He was more pushy than me! Make the most of the summer holidays to get to grips with the year 6 curriculum for maths. Once term starts 1-2 hours just at the weekend wasn't enough for my son. We started doing timed practice papers which you can download or purchase from Amazon. Variety is the key.
To avoid burn out - if your child says they are not in the mood one day go with that and pick up again the next day. Good Luck!

Re: 11+ study plan (8 months)

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 10:53 am
by Naulakha
Thanks for all your replies- I guess there is no "one size fits all" plan- I will spend some time and come up with one I think will suit my DD.

Re: 11+ study plan (8 months)

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 11:23 am
by tiredmum
scarlett wrote:. I think little and often works better ...but of course it is individual.

self tutoring your child is really special...My son and I bonded really closely through the ups and downs and I really think it changed our relationship for the better ( I like to think ds would agree ! :? :lol: )

I would agree with this - At the 8 mth point we did 20 min for 4 weekday nights and 1 hour at the weekends. This fitted in with her clubs and social life! I also found that she needed the repetition of nearly daily work even for a short time - this seemed to help her get to grips with difficult topics.

And it really did help our relationship - i think we both found it rewarding. Good luck.

Re: 11+ study plan (8 months)

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 11:45 am
by DIY Mum
tiredmum wrote:
scarlett wrote:. I think little and often works better ...but of course it is individual.

self tutoring your child is really special...My son and I bonded really closely through the ups and downs and I really think it changed our relationship for the better ( I like to think ds would agree ! :? :lol: )
I couldn't agree more...and ofcourse, the DC do appreciate it. Brings tears to my eyes when out of the blue they hug and kiss you and tell you how grateful they are for all your help. :D