Kendrick Grammar 11+ Exams 2009 advice please
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Kendrick Grammar 11+ Exams 2009 advice please
Dear all, this is my first post on this forum and I wondered if i might get some help and advice.
I found the forum a few weeks ago after my daughter expressed an interest in taking the 11+ exam, earlier this year.
We are actually located in Hampshire, but, there appear to be no Grammar Schools at all in Hampshire, the nearest to us is Kendrick Girls School, which seems to have an excellent reputation, so, we are going to support her and let her, have a go!
my daughter is very keen to try for a place there and although she currently attends a "normal" mid town state junior school, her headteacher has been very supportive and given plenty of encouragement, for which i am very grateful !
I have bought her some NFER type papers and we are working through them, although trying not to put to much pressure on her at the moment.
What i would really like to know is, are there any other parents whose children currently travel from the Hampshire area to Kendrick, the school is only a 20 minute train ride from us, which i feel is perfectly do-able in the school day, but, i can't seem to find anyone local to us to ask about it.
Also any tips on preparation and test revision etc would be very gratefully received. thanks in advance[:)]
I found the forum a few weeks ago after my daughter expressed an interest in taking the 11+ exam, earlier this year.
We are actually located in Hampshire, but, there appear to be no Grammar Schools at all in Hampshire, the nearest to us is Kendrick Girls School, which seems to have an excellent reputation, so, we are going to support her and let her, have a go!
my daughter is very keen to try for a place there and although she currently attends a "normal" mid town state junior school, her headteacher has been very supportive and given plenty of encouragement, for which i am very grateful !
I have bought her some NFER type papers and we are working through them, although trying not to put to much pressure on her at the moment.
What i would really like to know is, are there any other parents whose children currently travel from the Hampshire area to Kendrick, the school is only a 20 minute train ride from us, which i feel is perfectly do-able in the school day, but, i can't seem to find anyone local to us to ask about it.
Also any tips on preparation and test revision etc would be very gratefully received. thanks in advance[:)]
Hi mollsmum,
Welcome to the forum.
Here is an interesting document I found a couple of weeks ago, Kendrick 2006 travel plan. Over 200 girls arriving by train, also gives right at the end some geographical breakdown, so if you get a place your daughter will not be travelling alone.
https://webmail.kendrick.reading.sch.uk ... 20Plan.pdf
Somebody with recent experience will hopefully be along shortly to offer guidance on preparation.
Have a look at previous Berkshire threads, lots of useful information on Kendrick not always on the most obvious thread titles but well worth digging around.
steve
Welcome to the forum.
Here is an interesting document I found a couple of weeks ago, Kendrick 2006 travel plan. Over 200 girls arriving by train, also gives right at the end some geographical breakdown, so if you get a place your daughter will not be travelling alone.
https://webmail.kendrick.reading.sch.uk ... 20Plan.pdf
Somebody with recent experience will hopefully be along shortly to offer guidance on preparation.
Have a look at previous Berkshire threads, lots of useful information on Kendrick not always on the most obvious thread titles but well worth digging around.
steve
thank you very much for the warm welcome !
and also the information, looks like it is perfectly acceptable to travel in by train from our area, so, that is a comfort, provided she gets in, of course!
we are very keen to support her in this, but, also don't want it to be the main focus of her life for the next six months, as competition seems to be extremely high and would not want her to feel a "failure" if she doesnt get in [:(]
and also the information, looks like it is perfectly acceptable to travel in by train from our area, so, that is a comfort, provided she gets in, of course!
we are very keen to support her in this, but, also don't want it to be the main focus of her life for the next six months, as competition seems to be extremely high and would not want her to feel a "failure" if she doesnt get in [:(]
We live south of Reading, but not quite as far as Hampshire. My DS will be traveling by train (10 minutes) and then bus to Reading School from September. In our village there are quite a few boys who travel to school this way. It is all part of a new adventure! 
And it is the same with Kendrick, although there are always fewer girls from here that get in each year. It is highly competitive as there is no catchment area. So the best approach would be "what will be, will be" which was my attitude for my DS. Best of luck to your DD.
And it is the same with Kendrick, although there are always fewer girls from here that get in each year. It is highly competitive as there is no catchment area. So the best approach would be "what will be, will be" which was my attitude for my DS. Best of luck to your DD.
thank you mortimerm
and congratulations to your DS for getting his place!
yes, i think that is totally the right attitude, my DD is very keen to give it a go and the study she is doing now will only help her in the future, whether she gets in to the school or not and we have made it clear that we are very proud of her for wanting to give it a try, no mattter what the result.
Yes, the train ride from our house to Reading is 20 minutes and then i understand it is a short walk to school from there , so not to bad travel wise.
Yes, I have heard that competition to get in to Kendrick is now very fierce, although I guess the "no catchment area" is a good thing for us, in a way, since we are technically out of area and there is no other Grammar school option in Hampshire now, which is a real shame!
and congratulations to your DS for getting his place!
yes, i think that is totally the right attitude, my DD is very keen to give it a go and the study she is doing now will only help her in the future, whether she gets in to the school or not and we have made it clear that we are very proud of her for wanting to give it a try, no mattter what the result.
Yes, the train ride from our house to Reading is 20 minutes and then i understand it is a short walk to school from there , so not to bad travel wise.
Yes, I have heard that competition to get in to Kendrick is now very fierce, although I guess the "no catchment area" is a good thing for us, in a way, since we are technically out of area and there is no other Grammar school option in Hampshire now, which is a real shame!
Haven't worked out yet how my DD will travel to Kendrick (she starts in Sep) but on the prep . . . she took a variety of test papers (mostly Letts and Bond) but we were careful not to overprep her. She started taking 4-5 test papers a week in about early Sep ahead of the tests that Nov. We used the helpful charts in the back of the test books to chart her progress and highlight where she needed to focus her practice (Verbal Reasoning!).
I think we got the balance right for our DD, but her practice needs will have been different from everyone else taking the test - each girl is an individual. We also stopped all tests the week of the actual exam and kept her really chilled. She was relaxed and excited the day of the test which worked well for her.
It all feels very daunting, but just do the best you can to keep your DD feeling both relaxed and supported. You'll probably find this is harder for you than it is for your DD!
Good luck with everything.
I think we got the balance right for our DD, but her practice needs will have been different from everyone else taking the test - each girl is an individual. We also stopped all tests the week of the actual exam and kept her really chilled. She was relaxed and excited the day of the test which worked well for her.
It all feels very daunting, but just do the best you can to keep your DD feeling both relaxed and supported. You'll probably find this is harder for you than it is for your DD!
Good luck with everything.
thank you NaomiHi and congratulations on your DD gaining her place!
yes, i am trying to keep it all low key but also to encourage her at the same time.
I think you are absolutely right about the parents feeling more stress than the child, I am extremely nervous about even the thought of her taking the tests, whereas she seems very calm about it all, at the moment, although i realise it is a long way off yet and things may change.
I will certainly try to keep a lid on my own emotions and let her find her own way.[:D]
With regard to the practice papers, thanks for the advice, i will certainly try not to overdo it, although i have only got hold of a few of the Athey educational ones, at the moment and i am just letting her try out the VR and NVR tests, without any time pressures and see where she is strongest and what she find difficult, as I do not think this is the sort of testing she has done at her school before and wanted her to know what she is letting herself in for.
fingers crossed, should be an interesting few months [:)]
yes, i am trying to keep it all low key but also to encourage her at the same time.
I think you are absolutely right about the parents feeling more stress than the child, I am extremely nervous about even the thought of her taking the tests, whereas she seems very calm about it all, at the moment, although i realise it is a long way off yet and things may change.
I will certainly try to keep a lid on my own emotions and let her find her own way.[:D]
With regard to the practice papers, thanks for the advice, i will certainly try not to overdo it, although i have only got hold of a few of the Athey educational ones, at the moment and i am just letting her try out the VR and NVR tests, without any time pressures and see where she is strongest and what she find difficult, as I do not think this is the sort of testing she has done at her school before and wanted her to know what she is letting herself in for.
fingers crossed, should be an interesting few months [:)]
The train from Basingstoke to Reading has children from Kendrick, Abbey, Elvian, St Jo's, blue Coats and Reading boys.It stops at Bramley , Mortimer, Reading West and Reading and they get on and off at each stop.
The train is very quiet as it is a only travels from Basingstoke to Reading and then back again and the service is reliable and safe.If they want they can catch a bus to Kendrick from Reading Station or walk (about 12 minutes).
Kendrick girls are back in Basingstoke by about 4pm, so it is really do-able.
The train is very quiet as it is a only travels from Basingstoke to Reading and then back again and the service is reliable and safe.If they want they can catch a bus to Kendrick from Reading Station or walk (about 12 minutes).
Kendrick girls are back in Basingstoke by about 4pm, so it is really do-able.
thanks Terri
that is really good to know, Basingstoke is our local station, so that sounds perfect, it is very reasuring that several other children take this route and cope perfectly well with the journey.
i have yet to find any parents local to us whose children wish to take their 11+ let alone considering applying for Kendrick, so this forum has been really helpful and supportive.
thank you to all
that is really good to know, Basingstoke is our local station, so that sounds perfect, it is very reasuring that several other children take this route and cope perfectly well with the journey.
i have yet to find any parents local to us whose children wish to take their 11+ let alone considering applying for Kendrick, so this forum has been really helpful and supportive.
thank you to all
