Starting Early

[guest201]

Is it worth getting the Bond 10 min tests Verbal, Non Verbal etc for younger children to get them familiar with these subjects? My DD is in Y3 and I wondered whether to get the 7-8 books for her to look at over summer holidays.

[no_ball]

always a good idea to get kids used to Bond at an early age. Half an hous is neither here or there, compare against how much time is spent watching TV and/or playing with toys. The rewards at the end of the 11+ process if DC gets into a good school is time well spent. We are living in an ever increasing competitive society.

[fatbananas]

I had heard somewhere that once you reached a certain level, you couldn't improve on VR/ NVR scores. Would people on here say it is worth starting before year 5, to stop it all being a rush?

[Bloomers151]

We got the Bond 'The Parent's Stress Free Guide to the 11+' first. As well as the guide, it has a few assessments and test papers in it to see what level your child is at as well as getting their spelling age (which I'd never heard of before). It will give you an idea of what test papers you should get as they could be at different levels for different subjects so you'd get the age level of papers accordingly - and my son found the assessment good fun!

[um]

The 'parent's guide' is very useful but I would also caution that children get bored of one type of book and format, quite easily, and variety can help.
Great as Bond is, if a child is doing them from the age of 6 (which is when they start!) I would guess that by the age of 10 they will be sick to death of them, unless they're a saint! And this is the age at which you don't want them to be fed up with Bond.
In Year 3 and Year 4, why not try looking around the bookstores/web for other publishers that are also covering the basics of literacy and numeracy?

[JPH1]

Our son started on the bond books in year 4 and this was cutting it fine for the 11 plus so my advice would be to start as soon as possible. The two years we had before the 11 plus flew just flew by! The bond books also help with school work and increase confidence no end in both maths and english, so you end up with a double bonus, great school results and the 11 plus pass!

[fatbananas]

JPH1, was that just Bond maths and English, or did you also do Bond VR and NVR as well? If so, did you think that the VR/ NVR also helped with problem-solving/ comprehension in maths and English?

[DarkEnergy]

If I was to do it again, I would start with simple stuff in year 3 (little and often) maybe 10 mins a week. Gradually increase into year 4 and 5. However, there is a real danger of DC getting bored with the whole thing and switching off and this can only be sorted by parents knowing just how much their own DC can take and at what pace. Lastly, while I am a firm believer in DIY, in hindsight, I would also have liked a tutor in some of year 5 to give a different slant on 11+. Good luck with your preparations.

[JPH1]

Sorry for the delay - work issues!

I would go for the bond books for Maths, VR and NVR and another book called 'First aid for English'. I'll find out the ISBN number for you. Our son and I went through all this together, which is important as it keeps the flow going, plus children like to think your doing the work as well!

Also when the school has a open evening then visit as this gives the child an insight to the next school and a bit of a drive!

For the 11 plus / extra work I would recommend the following Bond books in - VR - Maths - NVR. The NVR was a nightmare for me but the son soon picked this up! NVR does make up a great deal of the 11 plus - so become a master!

Our son passed the 11 plus but due to location we had to appeal but he'll start at LSS in September so if you need appeal advice as well then I can offer some good pointers?

Have you thought of a private tutor?

Cheers.

[Thingsbehindthesun]

Sorry for the delay - work issues!

I would go for the bond books for Maths, VR and NVR and another book called 'First aid for English'. I'll find out the ISBN number for you. Our son and I went through all this together, which is important as it keeps the flow going, plus children like to think your doing the work as well!

* ISBN-10: 0340882875
* ISBN-13: 9780340882870
* Our code: AID-ENG-QUE
* Publisher: Hodder Murray
* Author Angus MacIver
* Published on: 30 Apr 2004

That book can also be bought from here too!