Council staff secretly recommending 11plus private tutoring
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Re: Council staff secretly recommending 11plus private tutor
Yes the boys grammar near here does a very standard number of very standard GCSEs at a very standard time. I always wonder what the extra is they get there for having passed the 11plus. I suspect the added extra is making do with some very poor teachers in some subjects and still coming out with OK results. And a significant proportion of boys who do nothing for 5 years and still get a string of Cs and Bs.
A good comp in my hometown gets 15A* out of the able ones. There's just no comparison.
But not all grammars are the same and not all comps are the same and not all indies are the same, and not all GCSE results are the same.
A good comp in my hometown gets 15A* out of the able ones. There's just no comparison.
But not all grammars are the same and not all comps are the same and not all indies are the same, and not all GCSE results are the same.
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wonderwoman
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Re: Council staff secretly recommending 11plus private tutor
I'd much rather the grammar did fewer GCSEs, it would make for a far more enjoyable experience and as an added bonus for the school I'm sure the grades would go up, but I've had the conversation with them many times and have only managed to reduce the number by one for one of my DC.
Definitely this at our local grammar.
mystery wrote: I suspect the added extra is making do with some very poor teachers in some subjects and still coming out with OK results.
Definitely this at our local grammar.
Re: Council staff secretly recommending 11plus private tutor
In my area Trafford/East Cheshire there is not much difference at all in the number/type of exams taken GCSEwise between the comps and the GS. The main difference is choice as the comps do offer BTEC for those that want them but the GS do not. The after school activities are more varied at the GS so if for example you want to study Japanese in an after school club you would have to go the GS.
To go back to the original Q re tutoring it is endemic in this area so to level the playing field I would with hindsight definately consider a few sessions. We did not tutor our DD (just did familiarisation on the GL papers supplied by GS) and she did not pass the AGGS test despite being level 6a with a reading/spelling age of 18 years and CAT scores that ave 135. She was unwell on the day of the test with a viral infection but I think that had she had a few tutored sessions her mark and confidence may have been improved enough to counter the effects of the illness thus enabling her to gain the few extra marks she need to pass.
It is a lottery if she had not of been ill she may have passed regardless we will never know, but I really do think that a few tutored sessions may have given her the edge that would have helped her perform better.
I do not like to have to recommend tutoring as my idealistic beleif is that all children should be able to take a tutor proof test that would enable the brightest to shine whatever their background however I am a realist and know that some people will always try to find a way around the system to improve their DC chances.
To go back to the original Q re tutoring it is endemic in this area so to level the playing field I would with hindsight definately consider a few sessions. We did not tutor our DD (just did familiarisation on the GL papers supplied by GS) and she did not pass the AGGS test despite being level 6a with a reading/spelling age of 18 years and CAT scores that ave 135. She was unwell on the day of the test with a viral infection but I think that had she had a few tutored sessions her mark and confidence may have been improved enough to counter the effects of the illness thus enabling her to gain the few extra marks she need to pass.
It is a lottery if she had not of been ill she may have passed regardless we will never know, but I really do think that a few tutored sessions may have given her the edge that would have helped her perform better.
I do not like to have to recommend tutoring as my idealistic beleif is that all children should be able to take a tutor proof test that would enable the brightest to shine whatever their background however I am a realist and know that some people will always try to find a way around the system to improve their DC chances.
