Working Parents & Preparing for 11+

[quasimodo]

Based on GCSE and A-level league results

In my opinion, the "top" school for a child is the one that is the best fit for that child. Not a school chosen by a parent based on GCSE/A level league tables - or any league table, for that matter, as they are all flawed in some way and do not compare like for like. (eg a selective school "creams" off the academic students, those that would be expected to get A/A*s therefore success at GCSE/A level is not necessarily as impressive as a school that takes a very average student and brings them up from an expected D to a B/A.)

KCG you are in one sense articulating no more than what some Universities are already doing when contextualising GCSE and A level results from different schools before making offers to candidates,I know some do not like this obsession with Oxbridge for many understandable reasons but I use this years offers by Oxford as an example to make a point which is that they have made offers to about 60% of state school candidates in all their offers.Their highest ever. I have heard offers being extended to schools which had previously never ever ever sent candidates to the University.This is all contextualisation amongst other factors in their outreach programme. When the lists come out on their website it will be interesting to see the extent of the new schools from the area around us.

[kenyancowgirl]

It will certainly be interesting to see if those increased offers actually translate into actual grades made/accepted places. In my past I have known candidates from poorer achieving state schools being made offers but making the decision that they didn't feel "comfortable" attending. Their impression was that Oxbridge was predominantly attended by students from wealthy backgrounds and they didn't want to be set up to fail. This is something they still have to address.

But this is off topic - apologies OP.

[Walthams]

Honestly, I wouldn't like to scare you, but it seems to me the preparation you are doing is not enough. If you want to know if you are doing enough for your son to have a realistic chance, start counting the percentage he is getting from the tests you are doing with him. Do a full CEM test with strict timing and if he scores around 50-60%, that means he needs to improve. Then identify his weak are, be it maths, vocabulary or whatever he lost most points in, and focus your preparation on this. If he is scoring around 70% or up then you can be more relaxed in your preparation. Otherwise you might be up for a disappointment.

[kenyancowgirl]

Walthams, the reality is your child could be gettting 90% in tests and still be up for disappointment. You cannot account for what happens on the day - children prepared to within an inch of their life have not succeeded in CEM - others have done, with very little preparation. It depends a lot on the cohort you are up against too, which you can never really know. The snappy, quick change nature of CEM, lends itself far better to the little and often preparation than hours and hours of sitting around, most of which the child isn't really focussed or, worse, is getting more and more turned off from learning.

Have a sensible approach to any 11+ preparation. Do not buy into the panicmongerers who believe that it is GS or bust - they are just schools - they have good and bad teachers - good and bad pastoral - good and bad facilities - and, dare I say it, good and bad children (in the sense of behaviour and also those who, very quickly, even the children will identify may have got in more by luck than judgement). Speaking anecdotally, there are a couple of boys in my son's school whose parents pushed and pushed to get into the school and they have openly spoken about how unhappy they are as they are so far behind that they have almost given up - for these boys, arguably, being the top of the tree in a comprehensive school would probably do more for their self esteem and confidence than their current situation. Work positively with your child - any thing they do now will stand him in good stead, wherever he goes, and maintain a positive family relationship above everything.

[Aethel]

What kenyancowgirl said!

It's about a combination of which school fits your child's needs, your location, and -dare I whisper it- what your child actually WANTS!

The obsession with the "best school" based on grades... sure, we're all trying to get our children well educated, but that shouldn't be at the cost of their mental health and self esteem.

I know a girl at a well regarded Grammar school (not saying which!) who honestly didn't seem enthusiastic when we mentioned we'd been to her school's open day...
She said that while she knew the education at her school was excellent, there was constant pressure to achieve on all the children there, and as a result they rarely socialised outaide school, folk were either miles away or caught up with extra "tution" or homework or revision. She will graduate with a clutch of a* but I'm not sure it will have been a lot of fun.... is this really what we want for our children?

[BlueBerry]

Honestly, I wouldn't like to scare you, but it seems to me the preparation you are doing is not enough. If you want to know if you are doing enough for your son to have a realistic chance, start counting the percentage he is getting from the tests you are doing with him. Do a full CEM test with strict timing and if he scores around 50-60%, that means he needs to improve. Then identify his weak are, be it maths, vocabulary or whatever he lost most points in, and focus your preparation on this. If he is scoring around 70% or up then you can be more relaxed in your preparation. Otherwise you might be up for a disappointment.

This makes me want to weep and hide

Where can I get a full CEM test from please?

[Bee]

Honestly, I wouldn't like to scare you, but it seems to me the preparation you are doing is not enough. If you want to know if you are doing enough for your son to have a realistic chance, start counting the percentage he is getting from the tests you are doing with him. Do a full CEM test with strict timing and if he scores around 50-60%, that means he needs to improve. Then identify his weak are, be it maths, vocabulary or whatever he lost most points in, and focus your preparation on this. If he is scoring around 70% or up then you can be more relaxed in your preparation. Otherwise you might be up for a disappointment.

This makes me want to weep and hide

Where can I get a full CEM test from please?

You can use CGP practice test paper for CEM, there are 4 test papers in total

[BlueBerry]

Thanks Bee. I've googled and already bought pack 3 & 4 CGP CEM 11+. papers.

Hopefully they'll arrive in time for next week.

[Aethel]

Full CEM tests already? Bit harsh!! By all means do them if it will make you happy, but only if you think it won't stress your DC out if they find the timings difficult/will be upset if they get a low mark. The past papers are useful, sure, but it is a full 7 months until these tests and children learn/progress at such a variable rate it's difficult to know how you can interpret their score at this stage.

The fact remains that there is no "pass mark" for Berks, it's a cohort test, your child needs to be in the top 30% of the children tested. So no percentage is a "shoe-in".
It might be kinder to wait until Easter for a single timed try. But up to you of course.
My DD1 had tutored friends who were sat down weekly to do a so called "past paper" and they were so sick of it by the end I'm not sure it really helped them much. Just do what's roght for you and your DC.

[BlueBerry]

Hello Aethel,

Thanks for your thoughts. I sort of agree with you in that it's far too early to do the full CEM test. But I will do one with DS over the next two weeks just to know to where he's at. I am not planning to start testing him on a weekly basis just yet..... maybe I'll start this in the summer holidays.

I understand that there is no pass mark for Berks. However, he's already at a disadvantage because of where we live and he needs to score highly in order to secure his place at Reading Boys - well, that's the plan anyway.