11+ advice for Essex newcomer

[Tigermama72]

Hi
I am just beginning my 11+ journey. It sounds wonderfully challenging and daunting! We have just moved to Chelmsford from Bromley a few weeks ago with DS in Y4 and DD in Y2. They are going to a reasonably good state school with a good Ofsted. DS is bright and is so far among the top students in his class. I have been doing the Bond English, Maths and Non Verbal 10 minute tests and assessment papers with him (for age 8-9). But I am wondering if I need to have a more structured and formal tutoring for him for the 11+ just yet or if it's too early? I am worried students from independent schools would probably have an advantage when the time comes therefore is my best bet to start now or wait a while? I am not entirely keen on home tutoring solely as I feel he would be better off with an experienced 11+ tutor. Any advice/feedback would be highly appreciated. Thanks!

[SlighlyStressedMum]

I can only speak from my personal experience. My son started doing booster maths & english in from the start of yr 4. He is a very able child but I did this because I was not convinced his school was teaching to all students best ability (and indeed Ofsted came in last year and rated it 'requires improvement'). He then at the start of yr 5 started an 11 + course at the same place he already attended (a place providing group tuition).
For him this was enough, he got a good score and I am hopeful he will get a place at Kegs when places are announced in March.

[Tigermama72]

Thank you SlightlyStressedMum for your reply. Are you in the Chelmsford area too? I think what you did sounds reasonable. Would you mind terribly if I send you a PM to find out about these group tuition classes please? Our first choice in theory would be Colchester Grammar for DS, however am I correct to say the commute would be difficult if there are after school activities and hence no school provisions?? Thanks!

[SlighlyStressedMum]

Yes I am in Chelmsford and yep you can pm me.

[KB]

Many boys travel from Chelmsford area to CRGS so its quite possible. There are plenty of after school activities but if you use public transport that isnt an issue in terms of getting home.

There are previous threads in this section which discuss the two schools. It's certainly worth going to the open evenings to see the schools in person.

[crashtestdummy]

My two children, aged 13 and 11 have both passed and it's a huge relief. It is a tough journey, no question, although with a methodical, fun approach, the whole experience can, in my experience, be far less painful. My main advice would be to keep practising previous tests as often as reasonably possible, as lack of speed was the main issue with our children and it's crazy to throw away marks by not finishing a test. Nearly all the children we know who did not pass failed to complete the test in time and left questions out. We were advised to use a tutor as they really know the test format and pitfalls - even if it is just one hour a week. In the final year, our daughter was doing a couple of practice tests a day and it paid off as she found the real exam very straightforward and even finished the the actual 11 plus test early. We used the Bonds books etc - in fact anything which mimicked the actual test they would do. We found that if we went away on holiday and had a week off, our daughter's speed would noticeably drop off. A little bit every day is far better than a final push at the end when time is running out. Read good books with your child and make sure they understand new words. Books of wordlists are good too and you only need to learn a couple of new words a day. Give your child plenty of encouragement and support along the way and tell them that all you expect is for them to do their best. As their confidence grows they actually enjoy the practice and seeing whether they can beat their last score. Hope that helps - good luck!

[Tigermama72]

Thank you KB. Do you know when the grammar schools normally have their open days?
@CrashTestDummy- Thanks a lot for the info. You must be so relieved all your hard work has paid off. In terms of past papers and word lists, is there one standardised brand/website from where one can buy these? What I am asking essentially is, as there are many different websites and tutorials etc which all have their own materials it might be difficult to trawl through them to decide which one is closest to the actual eleven plus tests or is there a standardised past papers/ word list site everyone uses? I have already started doing the Bond tests/assessment papers since end of Yr3 and we do them quite regularly. Also, how early does one need to register at group tutorials? Thanks again!

[ToadMum]

http://www.csse.org.uk/

KEGS tours for year 5 pupils and parents are in March and can be booked via the school website (link on right hand side of CSSE home page). At the moment, the 'open days' link on the CSSE site shows 2015 dates, but they tend to be at the same time each year, e.g. SHSG open evening will be on Wednesday 6th July this year.

[yoyo123]

useful material here

http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/shop/Essex/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[SlighlyStressedMum]

You can buy past papers / practice papers from csse.