When did you begin to train your child for grammar schools?

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fantasyvn2008
Posts: 32
Joined: Sun Apr 04, 2010 11:35 pm

When did you begin to train your child for grammar schools?

Post by fantasyvn2008 »

When did you begin to train your child for grammar schools?

I want to ask this question as I became more worried after learning about my two friends.

They, among others, always said that their children only had tutors in Year 4 or 5. Little pressure but still their children succeeded in 11 Plus Exams.

However, recently, through other friends, I was told in fact, one person requested tutors for her child at Year 2. Another had tutors at Year 3. And in the last two years (Year 4 and 5), the child had six tutors at the same time. And apparently for both of them, the children had to do maths and verbal reasoning exercises every day from Year 2.

How common is this for other parents? Do you really need tutors for your children from Year 2? Or at the very least, do you need to ask your child to do relevant exercises every day?

Thank you
Daogroupie
Posts: 11099
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:01 pm
Location: Herts

Re: When did you begin to train your child for grammar schoo

Post by Daogroupie »

I suggest you do not listen to strange myths that come to you 6th hand. Why would anyone need six tutors and how would they fit them all in?

I would be surprised if there were many Y2 students doing Maths and VR every day

Firstly stop listening to hearsay and focus on the exam format of the school that you want your dc to go to.

Then try and find some students in current Y6 who have got a higher enough mark in the exam to get a place and talk to their parents about their strategy for preparing their dc to sit the exam.

It is no use talking to parents at the secondary school as a lot of their exam formats are changing so their experience is no longer relevant.

Which school do you wish to apply for? DG
doodles
Posts: 8300
Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2009 9:19 pm

Re: When did you begin to train your child for grammar schoo

Post by doodles »

Excellent advice from DAO, please don't listen to rumour do some research yourself and work from there.

You don't say what age your dc is but if they are still young I personally would concentrate on reading, vocabulary and word games (scrabble, bananagrams etc etc) and maths games (rummikub, shut the box etc etc). Keep it FUN. At a young age this sort of learning will always be useful whatever route you end up taking for secondary school.
J50
Posts: 296
Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2012 10:35 am

Re: When did you begin to train your child for grammar schoo

Post by J50 »

Are you sure this isn't just another wind up merchant? After all, they did post this previously:
fantasyvn2008 wrote:Could you pls advise? My son is in year 1 (born in 2009). We go to work, so after he finishes school at 3.15, a childminder will take care until 5.30.

After we get home, I intend to have this timetable with him until bed time:

5.30 - 7pm: free play and dinner
7-7.10: piano
7.10-7.20: free play
7.20 - 7.30: handwriting

7.30-7.40: free play
7.40-7.55: maths

7.55-8pm: break
8 - 8.10: reading and then going to bed

I managed to do this timetable for two days with my child.

But I was wondering if it is suitable for his growth and well-being. Your advice is greatly appreciated.
mad?
Posts: 5621
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 6:27 pm
Location: london

Re: When did you begin to train your child for grammar schoo

Post by mad? »

J50 wrote:Are you sure this isn't just another wind up merchant? After all, they did post this previously:
fantasyvn2008 wrote:Could you pls advise? My son is in year 1 (born in 2009). We go to work, so after he finishes school at 3.15, a childminder will take care until 5.30.

After we get home, I intend to have this timetable with him until bed time:

5.30 - 7pm: free play and dinner
7-7.10: piano
7.10-7.20: free play
7.20 - 7.30: handwriting

7.30-7.40: free play
7.40-7.55: maths

7.55-8pm: break
8 - 8.10: reading and then going to bed

I managed to do this timetable for two days with my child.

But I was wondering if it is suitable for his growth and well-being. Your advice is greatly appreciated.
:lol: well spotted!
mad?
mystery
Posts: 8927
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: When did you begin to train your child for grammar schoo

Post by mystery »

Fantasyvn might not be a wind up (despite the name) as the timing fits - they are wondering now the child is in year 1 or 2 (when was the previous post?) if it is in fact time to get a tutor because they have recently found out that some other people do in fact do some regular stuff of the nature described from very early on.

It is probably true that quite a few people (but very low proportion of people) do as otherwise who is buying all those Bond books on non-verbal reasoning that start from some very young age upwards? They don't print them for the good of the publishers' health do they?

At this young age I'd be making sure that the child was learning to read, enjoying reading if at all possible, learning to spell, learning to write in a coherent fashion while enjoying it, maths was improving nicely etc etc and doing fun games at home to help as a well as a bit of formal stuff if it did seem to be needed because school was lacking in some way (some are).

But while a child of this age is at school full-time it is very difficult and hopefully not necessary or desirable to do anything serious and extra with them as the school day is generally quite long enough for a child this age.
scary mum
Posts: 8840
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2010 3:45 pm

Re: When did you begin to train your child for grammar schoo

Post by scary mum »

My assumption would be that the OP is in a very competitive area & becomes anxious when hearing school gate discussions about the 11 plus. I don't think it's fair to accuse them of being a wind up - people genuinely get caught up in the anxiety of the 11 plus.
OP, I wouldn't take any notice of the discussions at the school gate, a lot of it is scare-mongering. If their children really need multiple tutors from an early age, I would suggest that they aren't suited to a selective environment. Where does it stop? £20000 in school fees plus a tutor for every subject? what about at university, or even work?!
scary mum
fantasyvn2008
Posts: 32
Joined: Sun Apr 04, 2010 11:35 pm

Re: When did you begin to train your child for grammar schoo

Post by fantasyvn2008 »

Thank you for your replies so far.

I feel anxious as recently I found out, not just through hearsay, that quite a few friends are really competitive. Although they kept saying their children did not have to do anything until the last two years of primary school, it turned out they did have tutors much earlier. And the result? All of them got to the best grammar schools in this country. Not just any grammar, but the best grammar schools, including the Tonbridge Grammar School.

So that's why I feel anxious and worried.
doodles
Posts: 8300
Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2009 9:19 pm

Re: When did you begin to train your child for grammar schoo

Post by doodles »

Fantasy what area are you in and what year is your dc in?
PettswoodFiona
Posts: 2134
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2014 11:24 pm
Location: Petts Wood, Bromley, Kent

Re: When did you begin to train your child for grammar schoo

Post by PettswoodFiona »

I tend to have found from DCs who sat recent tests (most in our area sit for three grammar areas, one superselective, one pass and one is mostly just pass with a few superselective places). Those who needed tutoring to pass and those who just needed orientation and familiarisation were two different types of children. I know those who had four hours a week of tutoring for two years and failed two of the three tests and in the third only passed to a level that meant they would need to move to get a place. It depends at what level you are starting from and how competitive it is to get a place. I am glad I have a DD and not a DS as competition for the local boy's grammar St Olaves is brutal. We spent time with DD and whilst didn't 'tutor' did a fair amount of work with her, small amounts from the start of Y5 to a regular routine of half an hour five days a week in last term of Y5 and throughout the summer holidays with nothing once she went back to school in Sept as the first test was ten days in and we felt if she didn't know it but then she never would. She passed all including the Superselective. The major factor in the whole process was that DD wanted to do the tests, she had been to the open days and identified with the girls. We never had to nag her - just keep tabs on what she was focusing on and help direct her studies. A couple of mock tests helped with exam style and experience of exam conditions too.

The best way to stay calm and for your DC to not feel like a failure if (hopefully a big if) they don't pass is to have good non-selective choices too. I have seen other posters describe this as 'our favourite selective school is... And our favourites comp is...so either way they got a favourite. We had every confidence that DD could pass the tests but our alternatives were never talked down about either.

Ages before you need to really focus on this. The only thing I would focus on now is the desire to learn which hopefull you don't need to do anyway. Good luck.
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