We are starting to feel nervous...

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rocketgirl
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2012 10:55 pm

We are starting to feel nervous...

Post by rocketgirl »

Our DD1 sat the Kendrick exam this month, however since the initial smiles straight after the exam (relief that it's over, plus the effects of a 4-course carb-laden lunch at Pizza Express straight after the test, perhaps..?) and several days of blissful, mindless evenings of TV-viewing instead of VR&NVR prep, DD1 has started to relive the exam papers, talking about where she thinks she went wrong and is crossing off the days until her fate is sealed with the arrival of her letter from Kendrick (Will the letters be sent 1st or 2nd class? Do I lie in wait to intercept our lovely postie on the 23rd or the 24th?).

We're being very encouraging and supportive, we are buying her a special treat before the results come out because we are very proud of her efforts, but we are privately thinking about the numbers: approx 650 girls competing for 96 places..! And we left it very late to start prep; DD1 had never seen an NVR paper before the summer, whereas a few weeks lurking on this (fantastic but scary) site during the past month indicates we should have started a couple of years ago..!

We're keeping our fingers crossed for DD1 and will be starting straight after Christmas for DS (Reading Boys 2015 we hope) and DD2 (in infants, so a while to go). Cue sinking feeling..realisation that we are on the exam merry-go-round for the next umpteen years as we process 3 children through entrance exams, Bacs, AS and A-levels.

Any words of wisdom from any veterans out there..?
BaileyLane
Posts: 70
Joined: Thu Sep 01, 2011 3:13 pm

Re: We are starting to feel nervous...

Post by BaileyLane »

I fully sympathise as we are in similar position with DD who sat for Kendrick as well. She also came out happy (all the girls seemed too, which is fantastic but doesn't give you much indication of how your own DD might have done!), and once we had a debrief, I told her to forget all about it. Like you, we made sure she had a few treats, to emphasis that we were rewarding the hard work and, frankly, bravery of sitting for Kendrick when the odds in terms of numbers are so stacked against you!

Since then, my DD has mentioned it a few times and I've repeated that all she could do was her best, that the 11+ is a test of finding the right school for her, NOT anything to do with how clever she is, and that if there aren't enough places for her, there are plenty of other choices for schools that she will be happy at. We've also looked round a few schools together since the 11+ as I felt this would stop too much emphasis on Kendrick being the be all and end all. Perhaps these suggestions would also help your DD?

Can't help you with the date of the results as I am clueless, but I have been toying with the idea of telling my DD she passed the 11+ even if she doesn't pass highly enough for Kendrick. To me, this is a little white lie to avoid a fragile 10 year olds' ego.... My DD has needed lots of reassurance that we will love her no matter what the outcome, and it does remind you how little they are (bless!)

As for prep - we started doing some prep for the 11+ in January this year, an hour a week to begin with, some tutoring to help with technique, and some practice tests over the summer holidays plus lots of vocab building as this was a weak area. IMHO, this was the right kind of lead up - much longer and I think DD would have been bored, much less time and I think we might have overloaded her - there are so many practice papers out there!

For your DS, I'd recommend ensuring the basics are in place to start with eg time tables, good vocab, reading widely etc and perhaps starting to play games like Bogle, scrabble - rather than concentrating on VR and NVR too much at such an early stage in the game. You'll also find that this helps him enormously with his general school work, which will be to his benefit. I too have a DS, who will be sitting his 11+ in 2015, and this is what I will be doing with him.

Hope this helps
BL
Reading Mum
Posts: 1841
Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2011 9:44 am
Location: Reading

Re: We are starting to feel nervous...

Post by Reading Mum »

My DD also came out happy and I have been the model of restraint and not asked her a single question about it - no matter how much I wanted to dissect the whole thing. She said she finished with time to check through and that is the extent of my debrief.
We started prep some time after Christmas but it was very 'light touch' - I doubt it was as much as an hour a week and sometimes weeks went by with nothing. We did a bit in the holidays but I was mostly working and she was either in holiday club or staying with grandparents (she took some 10 min tests with her for that). The first couple of weeks back at school she did about 4 papers a week but then homework got too much so we stopped.
Our plan B is Indie as I am not happy with the state school we would get so we still have another exam to go through in January but I have no worries about that one.

I believe they post 2nd class on the 22nd so you might be lucky and find out on 23rd but 24th is more likely. I can't believe they penny pinch for something so important. I would happily have provided a first class stamp if they were that hard up.
DD can see on the planner when the exams might come but she seems amazingly calm about it all which I am really happy about - but then she would be happy with either plan A or B because she has no approeciation of the size of school fees (and nor should she).

Not long now and we might be a little wiser, or maybe not?
Tinkers
Posts: 7240
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 2:05 pm
Location: Reading

Re: We are starting to feel nervous...

Post by Tinkers »

http://www.kendrick.reading.sch.uk/abou ... Year7.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

At the bottom , it says sent by first class post.
stevew61
Posts: 1786
Joined: Fri Nov 17, 2006 9:54 pm
Location: caversham

Re: We are starting to feel nervous...

Post by stevew61 »

Tinkers wrote:http://www.kendrick.reading.sch.uk/abou ... Year7.aspx

At the bottom , it says sent by first class post.
Thanks. :D

I knew I'd seen that somewhere, searched and couldn't find it, thought maybe I'd imagined it. :lol:
Tinkers
Posts: 7240
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 2:05 pm
Location: Reading

Re: We are starting to feel nervous...

Post by Tinkers »

I thought I had imagined it as well. I'm sure it was in one of your posts Steve.
Tbh, I found it by accident, it's well hidden.
Reading Mum
Posts: 1841
Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2011 9:44 am
Location: Reading

Re: We are starting to feel nervous...

Post by Reading Mum »

good news - I wonder where i got 2nd class from :?
cestlavie
Posts: 76
Joined: Wed Mar 02, 2011 5:56 pm

Re: We are starting to feel nervous...

Post by cestlavie »

but I have been toying with the idea of telling my DD she passed the 11+ even if she doesn't pass highly enough for Kendrick.
I had also been considering that for my DS2, I don't think he has any realistic chance for Reading but don't want him to feel that he has "failed". He'd of course want to see the letter so some forgery would be required. 8)

At least he is away that week on a school trip, so we have until Friday to work out how to break the news. Ironically for us it would have been easier for him to get (hopefully positive) news from the Indie school first, as would have happened if the results weren't through until March.
Bewildered
Posts: 1806
Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2006 2:29 pm
Location: Berkshire

Re: We are starting to feel nervous...

Post by Bewildered »

BaileyLane wrote: but I have been toying with the idea of telling my DD she passed the 11+ even if she doesn't pass highly enough for Kendrick. To me, this is a little white lie to avoid a fragile 10 year olds' ego.... My DD has needed lots of reassurance that we will love her no matter what the outcome, and it does remind you how little they are (bless!)

Hope this helps
BL

What an excellent idea! :D

I agree IF, it came to that, that this is the best way.

At my daughters school, sadly rumors are abound that 1000 sat for Kendrick. I have tried to explain that historically it's been between 600-650, but unsure if they beleive :(

Not too much longer! :D
aliportico
Posts: 888
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2007 12:19 pm

Re: We are starting to feel nervous...

Post by aliportico »

I got told 800 at the weekend! Think these numbers are plucked from thin air :)

Feel for you all waiting, I've done it twice now and already not looking forward to next year. It's a horrible time, and seems to be worse at the moment with so many other areas getting their results and there still being a week to wait here :( Hope your kids are doing ok.
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