How do parents find out if their child should sit the 11+

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jojo2305
Posts: 88
Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2013 6:45 pm

How do parents find out if their child should sit the 11+

Post by jojo2305 »

Our dd sat the eleven plus last September, our state primary arranged for an 11+ tutor to run a club once a week throughout y5(this was run before school and without any involvement from the school) The school did not select which dc took part, this was down to parents, as was the decision whether or not to put their dc forward to sit the tests. Luckily our dd has gained a gs place and after offers day many parents from our area (not just our primary school) have asked where our dd is going, and after we reply, we get told by them that their dc were not put forward (by their primary) to sit the exams. I thought that it was up to us parents to put forward their dc and nothing to do with our schools. Why do some schools seem to think that it is up to them to determine which children can sit the exams?
djy76
Posts: 131
Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2011 8:29 pm

Re: How do parents find out if their child should sit the 11

Post by djy76 »

Hi Jojo,

Do you think this is because they are parents that don't know the system and how it works, haven't bothered to find out (or don't know how to) or expect the school to provide them with guidance about senior school choices? My DD was encouraged to go for it only after we asked the specific question and we were advised differently for DS (which turns out in the end was an accurate call)...

I think if you don't know the options that are out there you may well end up going with the majority..

Having said that education is a passion of mine (inherited from my parents - guess what they did for a living!) and I make it my business to find out as much as I can and do as much research as possible it will 6th forms for us next....

Take care
djy
DC17C
Posts: 1197
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:34 pm

Re: How do parents find out if their child should sit the 11

Post by DC17C »

I think it may depend on the area - most have an opt in system and a small number of grammar school places so it is left to parents to work out which schools they want to apply for. It is unusual to have someone providing tuition at school even if as an out of school club. On of the local grammars here has been doing group tuition for the 11+ again it is opt in and paid for by parents.

With my dd I did ask school what they thought about doing the 11+ and I got the impression the teacher knew very little about it but DD was working at level 4a/5 in yr 4 so it seemed like the right thing to do - she passed the test - not brilliantly but is absolutely thriving in her grammar school and is happy. With DS coming along a year later I got a much more positive vibe from his school that he should do the test after his CAT tests and was also working at quite high levels. He did not get a pass score and did not get a GS place until we appealed. I also tutored DS's friend who had a less positive recommendation from his teacher but I felt he was capable and offered to help with some DIY tuition and he ended up with a better score than DS and was offered a place.
ahap
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Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2011 2:47 pm
Location: Ēastseaxe

Re: How do parents find out if their child should sit the 11

Post by ahap »

At first I did not know the system very well but knew there were GSs but thought since the nearest school is good they would thrive there but due to some reasons I thought a school like a GS would suit both of them as they like learning academic subjects and others and were good at the them. Higher sets and all that. We decided about schools after we spoke to a few people -a small research on the education system.

The state primary that my DCs went to chose about 11 children from a VR test for the 11+ club to help with preparation.
Most of them who were chosen may have had some form of outside tutoring from yr 4 on VR or had more vocab knowledge than DS which I did not know it was going to be on VR but just knew before 2 weeks but couldn't prepare for it in 2 weeks with DS.

My eldest DS did not get in to the 11+ club but my DD did because I knew what I had to do before she sat the school VR test. She got the highest and she was in. So that's how the school chose for their 11+club.

I sent my DS to a tutor to prepare him for 11+ because I knew he had something in him that a GS could help him in that kind of environment.DS is a quiet, friendly and friends with anyone and everyone and can adjust himself to any kind of environment sort of person and has some natural academic side to him. More towards science, maths, oratory, drama, and a passion for languages even though I think he is not that good at spellings but is okay at it. This is how I found out about whether he should sit the 11+test.

Anyway I had to change tutors twice before I came to a good one for DS at the last minute. Because I felt I ended up teaching. Teaching maths was like a chore. But teaching VR techniques and working out was manageable. I was also working. That is why I needed a good tutor. DS missed a place, so perhaps I should have started in yr 4 for him. Never mind........

I DIYed DD at first because I knew what was needed and what to teach by that time and then sent her to the tutor (that I found at the last minute when looking for DS) to brush up and for mocks.
Because again I figured the school 11+ club wasn't doing enough, they did some past papers and some easy papers for VR & I had to teach as well if a mistake was made, it wasn't all taught, only the common ones that most of them got wrong got taught according to DD. However they do very well in yr6 SATs. The school 11+club started in January and ended in June after the mock test.
DD also did mocks at home and did the school mock and she is doing fine at a GS. In fact she loves it and feels the girls are like her sisters.
Last edited by ahap on Sun Apr 13, 2014 4:39 pm, edited 29 times in total.
'What we have learned is like a handful of earth; What we have yet to learn is like the whole world.' Auvaiyaar.
Brum Mum
Posts: 604
Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2013 6:27 pm

Re: How do parents find out if their child should sit the 11

Post by Brum Mum »

We got no indication or advice from the school at all and certainly no 11+ club.

DS is academic and enjoys learning. He said that he wanted to try the 11+ so we decided for ourselves. It is interesting that the school choose / can nominate DC's in other areas of the country though.
jojo2305
Posts: 88
Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2013 6:45 pm

Re: How do parents find out if their child should sit the 11

Post by jojo2305 »

I think that it's sad that there are children who would do so well at gs but because of lack of encouragement will never even sit the exam. My dh and I both sat the exam(both failed) and always knew that we would let both our dc try the 11+ and if they got in, great and if they didn't then they would go to the local comp but at least give them the option.
mystery
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Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: How do parents find out if their child should sit the 11

Post by mystery »

It is never the primary school's decision even if they like to make it look like it is. And selecting children in a state primary school for an 11 plus club or suchlike is shocking.

I have a child in year 5. Some parents are going to ask at parents' evening whether or not to enter their child. I learned within the first few weeks of reception not to take into account anything much at all that our school says about my children's academic ability or otherwise. It is a principle which has served me well for over 5 years now.

Make up your own minds.
optimisticmom
Posts: 107
Joined: Wed Feb 09, 2011 12:09 pm

Re: How do parents find out if their child should sit the 11

Post by optimisticmom »

mystery wrote:It is never the primary school's decision even if they like to make it look like it is. And selecting children in a state primary school for an 11 plus club or suchlike is shocking.

I have a child in year 5. Some parents are going to ask at parents' evening whether or not to enter their child. I learned within the first few weeks of reception not to take into account anything much at all that our school says about my children's academic ability or otherwise. It is a principle which has served me well for over 5 years now.

Make up your own minds.
I fully agree with you mystery. Unfortunately, it does come down to what happens on the actual day. So even if the kids underperform at school but can perform very well on the day, Bob's surely your uncle and vice versa.

Keep going peeps as not long to go now....
yoyo123
Posts: 8099
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: East Kent

Re: How do parents find out if their child should sit the 11

Post by yoyo123 »

it very much depends what area you are in. Kent is an opt in system, Bucks an opt out and for other counties , which do not have county wide grammar schools, itis very much up to you to find out details of tests etc.
Peridot
Posts: 2195
Joined: Thu May 16, 2013 5:02 pm

Re: How do parents find out if their child should sit the 11

Post by Peridot »

I've always wondered how it works in areas with a grammar and upper school system where children go to one or the other. Is it normal for schools to tell parents whether or not their children should apply? I've only heard of private schools doing 11+ coaching before.

Certainly in our area the primary schools have nothing to do with applications to grammar school. It's up to parents to decide, and to prepare their children. I was given some idea quite early on at school (year 2/3?) in parents' evenings that mine were pretty bright, but I didn't think about grammar school until significantly later as I thought it was far too early to tell. I've heard of at least one primary teacher in the area doing secret winks and palming the phone number of some famous tutor or other across the table at parent consultations to the parents of so-called likely candidates. Did not always turn out to be accurate predictions...

If your child is at the top of the top groups at school, and significantly ahead of the expected level for their year group, with a high reading age and strong maths skills, that should tell you if they are suitable to try for a so-called superselective grammar. Again I expect this will vary a lot by area - it all depends on the percentage of children who go on to grammar school where you live.
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