Children in year 5

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custard
Posts: 45
Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2012 9:27 pm

Children in year 5

Post by custard »

Who else on here has a child in year 5?

How are you getting on with preparation? My son is in year 5 and I'm going through the question types with him using youtube tutorials and then getting him to do some practise questions in various books. I'm also helping him to increase his vocabulary and learn his tables.

He is hoping to go to either Crypt or STR as we live about half way between the two.
stroudydad
Posts: 2246
Joined: Sat Oct 08, 2011 2:25 pm

Re: Children in year 5

Post by stroudydad »

Hi custard, I've not got children in year 5 at the moment (years 6 & 7) so have been through it twice. Mostly wanted to say good luck in your journey. One thing about tables, we found it better to learn not just the tables but also how the three numbers relate. Ie. not only 6*3=18 but also 18/3=6 and 18/6=3. Every second counts...(wasn't that a game show?)
custard
Posts: 45
Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2012 9:27 pm

Re: Children in year 5

Post by custard »

Hi Stroudydad, Thanks for your reply. Well done for getting two children through the 11 plus! That sounds like good advice about tables. I have ordered a Carol Vorderman pack about learning tables from Amazon but it hasn't turned up yet and the seller hasn't replied to my email.

I seem to have used a banned word in my first post as it has been censored!
stroudydad
Posts: 2246
Joined: Sat Oct 08, 2011 2:25 pm

Re: Children in year 5

Post by stroudydad »

Some words are, which can sometimes be a pain.. You wil see regular posters use different techniques to beat the censor where required.
willow_catkin
Posts: 144
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2011 4:49 pm

Re: Children in year 5

Post by willow_catkin »

My ds will be taking it next Sep but I am not planning to do much until next Jan when his school do exams anyway and then very gently move into the VR types, ramping up a bit from May ad then focussing on exam practice in the last month.

Being a boy tho we are 'working' on vocabulary all the time
PaterGloucester
Posts: 152
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2010 10:53 pm

Re: Children in year 5

Post by PaterGloucester »

Stroudydad, I appreciate that no-one understands children like parents, and don't question your judgement for a moment, but don't you think that for the majority of kids the beginning of year 5 is too early to start ?

If my children had needed to start right at the beginning of year 5 I would have questioned their suitability for GS. They would have been bored senseless after that amount of preparation. DS1 had had enough after four months, and would have achieved the same result after three; DS2 needed six months, but by the end he too had reached his plateau. In both cases I did an hour a week, plus verbal games on trips to and from school in the car.

I'm posting this not to disagree with you, but to point out that some children fare just as well with tuition beginning in April of year 5. I really think that any more than a year of preparation could be counter-productive.

Any other views out there ?

<edited to reflect Stroudydad's corrections>
Last edited by PaterGloucester on Wed Oct 31, 2012 3:47 am, edited 2 times in total.
stroudydad
Posts: 2246
Joined: Sat Oct 08, 2011 2:25 pm

Re: Children in year 5

Post by stroudydad »

Pater, have a read of your post and spot the deliberate mistake ;-). My Ds did less than six months but daughter did more,mainly because we knew she would have a problem with times. She did quite a few practise papers but ds did a lot less. Like you said each parent should know their own child best. My next Ds is in year 1 and if he wants to do the test we shall see closer to the time what is best for him.
Vio125
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2012 9:45 pm

Re: Children in year 5

Post by Vio125 »

I agree - it very much depends on the child and each one is different. It was my first year this year and I had to learn the question types, techniques and what was required generally - so a big learning curve for me too (I am not a teacher). As a result, I started my daughter too early (November) because she was ready to take the test in June. It is difficult to know what is best when you start and how much time you will need for your child to master the techniques - particularly when you know of children who are being tutored from year 4. I will start later with my next DC.
stroudydad
Posts: 2246
Joined: Sat Oct 08, 2011 2:25 pm

Re: Children in year 5

Post by stroudydad »

particularly when you know of children who are being tutored from year 4
This is of course no guarantee of great success, I know of a boy tutored since beginning of Y4 who got the exact pass mark for Crypt.
dr.watson
Posts: 153
Joined: Sat Mar 03, 2012 10:08 am

Re: Children in year 5

Post by dr.watson »

stroudydad wrote:
particularly when you know of children who are being tutored from year 4
This is of course no guarantee of great success, I know of a boy tutored since beginning of Y4 who got the exact pass mark for Crypt.
Well that's better than nothing!
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