Is year 4 too early

[SleepyHead]

Dear Forum Members,

I am starting to home tutor my daughter for the 11+ exams , we are doing bond 8-9 books for maths, english, VR and NVR

Is this too much? Also since we are interested in the independent schools is the Bond English appropriate, it seems not to focus on story writing and the comprehensions are very simple.

Looking forward to any replies
SleepyHead

[Reading Mum]

which area are you - Bond is not always the best option

[SleepyHead]

thanks for your reply, we are in north london, so looking at the northlondon consortium schools.

Any ideas on which publishers to use for the north london consortium schools?
Thank you
SleepyHead

[leanmeamum]

Bond, GL etc are ok to start with but you need to practise from school past papers as well at some point. You can download free past papers from lots of indies so you might want to do that.

[Sallyltb]

In terms on English (and we are not far away from you in South Herts) my daughter found that the best prep for the exam was reading good books and discussing the plot, characterisation and language used. If you look at some past papers, you wil see the sort of thing they ask and cn write your own questions on a passage from a book.

I can't remember ll the books that she covered with her tutor, but they include goodnight Mr Tom and War horse (before it became so popular!).

Once she is a little older, you can then set a short writing task and again you will get ideas on the titles and styles from past papers.

Different schools have different types of English papers, so the important point is to get her used to thinking about language, what it means, what style is appropriate in different settings and what makes a piece of writing good to read.

[SleepyHead]

Thank you for your replies.

leanmeamum - when would I start doing past papers, I was thinking the second term of year 5?

Sorry for so many questions, but am at the start of the 11+ journey and I am just trying to gauge when/where/how to do this... it's quite daunting

Sallyltb - thank you for the info about English ideas.

SleepyHead

[leanmeamum]

about 6 months before the exams is a good time to start past papers. Before that make sure that you have covered all the maths syllabus. Also use mental maths books to keep revising everything so that it is fresh.

For English, start chatting about what your child is reading - quality is more important than quantity as comprehension tests understanding of text. Empathy and reading between the lines is what you are trying to teach. Reading lots and variety of material is the key to success in English.

For writing - pick any topic and try to write a passage with lots of descriptions, feelings, adjectives, similes, advance punctuation, etc without sounding unnatural. Discuss mundane objects like a lamppost, pencil, etc and try to write a paragraph on them.

Most importantly discuss everything you read or see to build up her analytical skills and articulation which are important for interviews.

[SleepyHead]

Thanks leanmeamum, that's all really good advice. With half term coming up soon, it's an ideal opportunity to write (descriptively) about a castle we've visited or a train journey.
Thank you
SleepyHead

[bromley mum]

We had questions about current affairs in our interviews (I say " our" interview but it was only DD who was interviewed!). They were asked things like which news story caught your eye in the last week? I found Newsround to be really good for this. It covers important news events in an age appropriate manner. So, get your DC to start watching that and then discuss with you what was talked about. I know it's a bit daunting, but as you've started in Year 4 you can take it slowly. Keep it light hearted and enjoy the journey. Good luck.

[GuidingStar]

SleepyMum, it depends on individual girls and what they already learn at their schools. Most selection tests cover whole ks2 national curriculam, some school complete them as early as by end of yr4 whereas some school dont cover everything even by the end of yr6, so the gaps have to be filled out of school. Assuming she is at an average state primary, yr4 is the normal time to start preparation, and there is quite lot to learn.

To begin with, i think u should first teach completely the ks2 topics before starting the test papers. For maths, Stephen Curans 6 maths books covers everything. For Verbal Reasoning, Grammar and punctuations, Susan Daughtery is quite good and comprehensive and very good to begin with. For English, widely reading is the key. I think you should spend first 6 months to complete these, and see how she copes. Then next 6 months of yr 4 to practice general papers like GL, Bond, Letts. Bond books are good for their comprehensiveness, but depends on school you are interested in. Once she starts yr5, you can start with past papers availabe from many schools. The last term of yr 6 and part of summer holiday can be used for final revision.

But make sure you take it as easy as possible, i know there may be a lot to cover but you should not let her feel any pressure.

Hope that helps.