Working Parents & Preparing for 11+

[Reading Mum]

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".

I am not sure top 30% is quite right - seems too high. Bucks is more like 30%. The stickies at the top of this section have historic data for Reading school:

For 2017 entry (test 2016)
2) 138 day places
3) 697 sat at Reading, 184 elsewhere meaning a total of 881

For 2016 entry (test 2015)
2) There are 138 day places (note this is an increase on previous years)
3) 675 boys sat at RBS and 746 elsewhere meaning a total of 1421 sat

not everyone will be in catchment of course

[Aethel]

Sorry, should have been clearer. For Slough consortium, 30% of entrants are "passed".
BUT due to huge numbers sitting the test, this means many children are "elegible" for a GS place yet will not achieve one as there are not enough places, hence the variable cachements/cut-off-scores requirements to stratify who gets a place. "Passing" does not equal "getting into the school". Numbers for Reading may be different.
Last year according to elsewhere on this site, 4800 children sat Slough (I think) for 590 places. So 1600 children would be deemed "passed". Then the criteria and CAF placing will determine which of those children get places.

[grgygirl]

I would say little and often is also the way if you're working full-time. Perhaps a ten minute test in the morning and then in the evening another one, building up speed as time goes on. At the weekends we would knuckle down a bit (although ds did go to a group tutor too). We did at least an hour on Saturdays and Sundays and built up the speed from March onwards.

[BlueBerry]

Hi Grgygirl,
Thanks for the ideas. I have been trying to get my son up earlier than usual in order to do some 10mins test in the morning before school. He's just doesn't want to do it! Currently, I'm not pushing him but I am now starting to panic about his lack of input into these blasted exams.

[Aethel]

Have you tried apps, Blueberry? There are some "official" apps but they tend to be a bit dry: I found more success with fun game-based apps. Try wurdle (like an app version of Boggle), app Scrabble, four letters, or word domino.

We very much shoehorn little bits in here and there. I think at this stage it's very hard to get a gague of how well theybare progressing as it's so far to go. And remember that pushing too hard too early risks them getting bored too soon and point blank refusing to practice nearer the time. Better to start slow and work up I think!

[BlueBerry]

Aethel, I have tried the official apps and he's not that keen. Thanks for the suggestions, I'll look into the fun based ones, maybe that will do the trick.

I don't think that I am pushing him, so there is absolutely no chance of him rebelling..... though he easily gets bored.

I'm also beginning to have problems with his behaviour - it's like I'm living with a blooming teenager!

[Aethel]

We just couldn't get going with the proper apps: too dry.
It's not going to build vocabulary, but try "where's my water" (problem solving),
"Unblock me" (spatial awareness) and "hi words" (hidden words in piles).

DD has been eschewing practice in favour of ploughing through "back in time for dinner" on iplayer, so I hope that social history is covered in next years' syllabus!....

[BlueBerry]

I still haven't had the time to download the apps...... But I have booked him for a mock test.

[relaxedaboutit]

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.

Please don't let comments like this scare you. Every child is different and each need more or less preparation. I thought my son would never pass when I heard how much work other children had done. We only decided to apply two months before the test, he went to a primary school that was in special measures for 2 years when he was in years 4-6 and we did a sum total of 2 hours practice of NVR and two sets of practice papers. And he passed. If your child is top of his or her class across the board, you probably don't need to do that much preparation, so please don't panic. It's a complete myth that they need to be tutored for a year or two or do hours and hours of prep and mock exams. If your child needs this much preparation, is a grammar school really the best place for them anyway? My son has friends who are struggling to keep up and having to do extra homework every day in order to stay afloat. Who wants this for their teenager?