Travel to Reading on the train - Anxious Mum

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Terri

Travel to Reading on the train - Anxious Mum

Post by Terri »

My lovely 11 year old girl will start at Kendrick next September and will have to travel by train (after 7 years travel by car to primary school).

I just wondered if anybody knew roughly how many Kendrick girls and Reading Boys are on the train and whether they travel together through Reading and what the train experience is like for them ? Are they mostly on buses ? Taken in by parents ?
We are going next week fro the taster morning on the train to spot landmarks and draw a map for her so that she will know where the school is (we will also have a several more attempts in the holidays to covince me she wont get lost).
I am quite worried about her travelling through Reading especially after school.Am I being over anxious ? Seeing her as she has been , not as she will be ?
Thanks, Terri
stevew61
Posts: 1786
Joined: Fri Nov 17, 2006 9:54 pm
Location: caversham

Re: Travel to Reading on the train - Anxious Mum

Post by stevew61 »

Hi Terri,

Can not help directly but, this came up at Reading School new parents evening, they said do not worry the boys soon group together to walk to and from the station. I think the girls might take a slightly different route. They said walking is quicker than the bus.

Suggest as always that if you register you might get more help from a private message, although the Kendrick crew have been quiet.

Reading at that time of day is safe, but you are right to plan ahead.

Ask Kendrick if they can put you in touch with somebody who travels on the same train? They are supposed to have a school travel plan. Or do the journey one day before end of term with your daughter and button hole a Kendrick girl and ask if they can help?

My boy has a single bus journey across town door-to-door to Reading School and will have a neighbours year nine boy to keep an eye on him, but we will still practise the route and have a spare bus fare in the rucksack. It's a parents job to worry. :)

I bet after three days your daughter will have it all under control. :D


stevew61

PS Could you shed any light on the format of Kendrick exam? Was the NVR split into timed sections? How many questions?
sloughmum

message for terri

Post by sloughmum »

My daughter is starting Kendrick in sept 2007 and will be taking a train from slough.I heard there are a group of nearly 20 girls who take that train from different year groups.I spoke to a girl from year 9 who takes a train from slough and she is very happy to accompany my daughter.Pl do let me know if you need any help.
Sophie

Post by Sophie »

My son is at Reading, changes buses at the station where the place is swarming with Kendrick & St Jo Girls as well as Reading Boys. The boys often get on the St Jo's bus as it stops outside their school as well.

Probably best to walk to Kendrick though - just follow the crowd!
Terri

Post by Terri »

Thank you everybody for your responses, I am sure I will feel better after Friday's first trip for the induction morning.

Steve61, I did post in Mar or Apr, about what my daughter remembered about the format of the exam but I can't search out that post it seems to have vanished, maybe you can find it ?

It was the case for the NVER exam that it was handled as discrete sections, pens down girls , read the instructions and look at the examples , pens up now you have X minutes, then pens down again.
My daughter said that they were very strict about this, so you couldn't gain extra time on the easier sections for the harder ones.

I have a boy who will be attempting the Reading boys exam in 2 years time and I wondered which English packs you used in the early and then later stages of your preparation ?
My sons maths is good already , we haven't attempted any reasoning as I thought I'd wait a bit longer for this as he probably isn't mature enough yet to be introduced to this and would struggle with things that in a 9-12 months time would not be so hard.
His English is wobbly though, this holiday I thought we would try to develop his vocabulary beyond'cool' or 'pants' I am struggling to think of someway to make English interesting, am considering bribery......
Thanks, Terri
Bewildered
Posts: 1806
Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2006 2:29 pm
Location: Berkshire

Post by Bewildered »

am considering bribery......
Always works for me :D

Bond do English workbooks, year by year....ie 7-8yrs,8-9yrs etc. So could start these now.


BW
stevew61
Posts: 1786
Joined: Fri Nov 17, 2006 9:54 pm
Location: caversham

Post by stevew61 »

Terri wrote: It was the case for the NVER exam that it was handled as discrete sections, pens down girls , read the instructions and look at the examples , pens up now you have X minutes, then pens down again.
My daughter said that they were very strict about this, so you couldn't gain extra time on the easier sections for the harder ones.
Many thanks for the above.

Reading School English paper we used everything we could find relating to eleven-plus as it was our weakest subject, including most of the E-papers from this site. I ignored the unopened KS2 papers on the shelf, with hindsight a mistake. Son complained after exam that we had not done enough comprehension of correct format. :shock:
Rather than one long comprehension it was several short ones ( like KS2 but multiple choice ) followed by the usual NFER sections on grammar/spelling/best word?. The paper was we believe sixty five questions in fifty minutes so a test of speed and accuracy rather than difficulty. The maths I would suggest again complete KS2 but not much further, my son claims he finished in twenty minutes, checked it twice and then had to wait. The VR/NVR , probably not as competitive as Kendrick and that just leaves a short essay. :)

Also plan for the unexpected, have been told some years you get an "odd ball section". Anything else please ask, if you register you can send a private message. 8)

We have Reading taster day on Tuesday 3rd, we are stuck between "what do you mean I have to go on the bus on my own" and "what if I see someone I know, having Dad with me will be embarrassing". I am sure we will all get there in the end. :D :lol:


stevew61
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