hello & omg!

Eleven Plus (11+) in Kent

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ardvark
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2013 3:31 pm

hello & omg!

Post by ardvark »

Hi I am a new poster here and mum to a said bright 9 year old year 4 girl. I found this site some months ago whilst looking for an idea of sats scores for year 4's with regards to sitting Kent test (I didn't want to approach the school about it then) and read posts with great interest. Our daughter is our eldest child so this is all very new to us. That said I, myself sat the Kent test but it was in the 'olden days' when we were simply taken into the school hall and told we were doing 'a test' and that was that we were all clueless as to what it was really all about lol!

I have to be honest whilst I was pleased to find a forum, I feel daunted by all the information and feel a bit lost! Is there a course we can do to help us navigate our way through this nightmare that is called the Kent test/11+ lol!

Jokes aside, where on earth do I start here mums and dads? I am not anti tutoring per se don't get me wrong but I am of the opinion that the system is not fair, nor equal when it comes to opportunity to access (lower income families for eg) I am of the thinking that to not tutor her in some way (either me or pay for tutor) then she will be at a disadvantage to all the kids out there that get tutored. I am feeling lost and would greatly appreciate some guidance from those going through the same and all those who have previous experience. Please would you help me make some sense of it all and give me a path to follow lol! I have her sats scores from last term to go on and a teacher that gave me the nod for her to sit the test saying she'd be 'fine' that's all :?: I didn't want to persue the conversation any further at parents' evening for fear of being labelled a pushy mum! All we want as parents is to do what's best for our daughter and ensure she's happy to the best of our ability, and right now we are uncertain of where to go with it all. Thanks for reading my ramble :D x
stroudydad
Posts: 2246
Joined: Sat Oct 08, 2011 2:25 pm

Re: hello & omg!

Post by stroudydad »

Just wanted to say hi and welcome. I cannot help with the Kent test but I can assure you there will be many that can, also your thoughts regarding the prep/11+ are not at all uncommon.
SD.
ardvark
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2013 3:31 pm

Re: hello & omg!

Post by ardvark »

:) hi thanks so much for your reply. I didn't think I'd be alone in my thoughts or worries either and doubt I'm not the only one confused about it all. Unless you are a teacher or really know the system, then as a parent you're kind of at the schools' mercy with regards to honest and reliable information giving, plus the delivery and quality of teaching. :roll:
pheasantchick
Posts: 2439
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 10:28 pm

Re: hello & omg!

Post by pheasantchick »

Hi,

Welcome!

The Kent test currently covers Non verbal reasoning NVR), verbal reasoning (vr), and maths. I say currently, because there is a review being carried out about the exam.

If you want to tutor your child yourself, then all good bookshops stock relevant material, or look on this website for resources.

There is also a story which is used in borderline cases.
ardvark
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2013 3:31 pm

Re: hello & omg!

Post by ardvark »

thanks so much pheasantchick. I understand there is some talk of change and we're looking at almost two years until dd sits the test so alot *could happen. For my own interest I'd really like to look at some test papers from previous years, is that possible? Also how will I know which set of work books do I get as I though different areas focused on different things? Obviously I can see what you've written is that all of what the tests cover-those 3 sections? Thanks oh also how will I find a good tutor in my area?
Okanagan
Posts: 1706
Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2011 9:20 pm
Location: Warwickshire

Re: hello & omg!

Post by Okanagan »

If you've got 2 years to go I'd look at age appropriate NVR and making sure maths is up to speed. That's fairly independent of publisher. Don't worry about VR until there's a definite announcement about which way Kent are going as if it's CEM (which seems likely from some of the official soundbites) you probably won't be getting anything which resembles conventional VR. The best thing you can do for that at this stage is an activity you can think of which will enhace vocabulary.
ardvark
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2013 3:31 pm

Re: hello & omg!

Post by ardvark »

Hi, that's helpful thanks. She's currently a 4b and does year five extensions and is one of a few who sits the year 5 tests at school. Maths is her best subject, but closely followed by the others. Her writing has really come on but I would like her to increase her word knowledge/vocabulary and punctuation too. Any exercises or ideas for this? When she does spellings i always get her to put the word in a sentence to reinforce them.
pheasantchick
Posts: 2439
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 10:28 pm

Re: hello & omg!

Post by pheasantchick »

Unfortunately there's not past papers to look at.
Okanagan
Posts: 1706
Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2011 9:20 pm
Location: Warwickshire

Re: hello & omg!

Post by Okanagan »

ardvark - one of the best things you can do at this stage with CEM in mind is vocabulary building - have a look at the excellent Freerice or you can get vocabulary building software.
mystery
Posts: 8927
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: hello & omg!

Post by mystery »

Aarvark, please see the other threads about possible changes to the Kent test. People are guessing that Kent might go for CEM in Sept 2014. We don't know yet. There are threads on other sections about CEM if you search around e.g. Birmingham, Bucks, Bexley, Warwickshire.

If it stays the same there are papers in VR, NVR and maths (see the stickies at the beginning of the Kent section). There are practice papers published by GL Assessment - 8 in each subject. They are on sale in the elevenplus shop and elsewhere.

It seems unlikely t hat the test won't change in some way in Sept 2014 but whether or not it will be CEM we do not yet know.
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