Hello everyone,

I'm new to this forum and a bit lost! I have a child who has started Y5 and I would like him to sit the consortium 11+ entrance exam as well as the Kes exam. He is an able child but I'm not sure what type of resources I should be using at home.

I also have a child in Y4 but do not know where to start.

Anyone else in the same boat?

How about starting on this link on the forum.I would do your own research first and then ask any questions.

https://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/prepa ... -in-year-5

I forgot to say welcome.

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In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.

Abraham Lincoln

Hi Butterflies:

Someone named 'Newbie' posted in 2016 about starting out with the 11+ and I replied as follows:


Hi newbie

The 11+ is complicated but you've found this forum so you are halfway there.

Read the 'stickies' the first few discussions with a kind of splat symbol at the start of the Birmingham, Walsall, Wolverhampton and Wrekin region. The test specific content and the CEM preparation discussions are worth a careful read and occasional re-reads.

If it is all new and you're finding people difficult to talk to Bond does a lovely book called The Parents Guide to the 11+ - which explains a lot and has assessment tests for your child to help gauge if they're 11+ material.

I can't speak for everywhere in this region but in Birmingham tutoring is big business and some parents throw a lot of money at the 11+ campaign. We went DIY with 10 minute bonds (progressively working through age levels 9-10/ 10-11/ 11-12 in all 4 areas - VR/ English/NVR/ Maths, CGP CEM practice papers and 11+ essentials Cloze tests with my small fry from around March 2015 in run up to test sept 2015. Everyone seems to agree that reading quality fiction really helps - since vocabulary is key to success - good list of books here http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/advice ... ading-list

My genuine advice is that the time and money you can spend on your 11+ campaign is along the lines of 'How long is a piece of string?' So best to do some real soul searching about your aspirations, your commitment to support this and will it be worth it if the result isn't enough to get in.

If you can talk to friends who have been there and done that [it can really help].

I had my eldest not succeed to get in for sept 2014 entry and small fry has just scraped it into CHG this year [so for entry 2016 - editing this now in Sept 2017]. So I've got a mixed track record - but I think if you embark on this as an education improvement initiative rather than an all out battle to get into X grammar school, it does seem to help keep things in perspective.

Whatever else there's no preparing you for the worry of results or offer day. Nor any consolation when it's a near miss. So have a deep search of your feelings before jumping into this - it isn't easy, it can be frustrating but also it can be very rewarding. Reading and working with my girls has been a real pleasure and I know it's going to take some adjusting now I'm retired.

anyway the discussion/ suggestions from lots of regulars at the time is here: https://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/11plus/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=46110

Best of luck!

OT

Hello Butterflies

Yes, I'm doing it all again in 2018. We haven't recovered from this year yet and will be in a better position to assess our own methods after oct 13th! The sticky above 'CEM' preparation is very helpful - & generally browsing the forum you can pick up lots of tips but as OT says, treating it as an opportunity to improve all round education is probably the best advice.

Good luck!

Hi I'm a newbie too. DD just started year 5. I've said its her choice if she wants to do 11+, she wants to give it a go. Between beginning to look at secondary schools and looking into the 11+ I feel like my mind is going to explode! We will by doing the work at home and I'm not considering a tutor. It seems that there are so many different books for 11+ has anyone any recommendations on which ones are the best for Birmingham exams? Do anyone have any guidance who has been through this process please? It's all so new to me.

Thank you x

We liked the CGP 10 minute tests. You can get verbal reasoning, verbal - comprehension and non verbal. For maths we used the Schofield and Sims mental maths books, starting with 4 and going up to book 6. This seemed fairly representative of the standard required.

The hardest part is the verbal reasoning stuff to do with vocabulary. There are lots of lists on this site of useful synonyms and antonyms which we printed off and learned (not very successfully though - not sure of the best approach for this).

In the summer we bought sets of mixed tests (Letts, CGP) and did them timed - you probably wouldn't want to start this too soon though.

The bookshop on this website does helpfully divide resources into region.

It's important that you choose resources which are produced for revision for the 'CEM' exam rather than 'GL' or other exam boards.

CEM have in the past said that they are quite 'tutor proof' and to some extent I agree - children need to be genuinely literate to do well - ensuring that your child reads widely and is exposed to good language and vocabulary is probably more important than sitting working through papers, for VR at any rate.
That said - do use workbooks and papers - but they will not help if not combined with the reading and exposure to good language and literature, even in the form of audio books if necessary,
If a child does not receive a GS place at the end, nothing has gone to waste - they will start any secondary more confident and competent in Maths and English.
It's better in that sense than the 'old' GL where children could be trained to pass it without necessarily acquiring a decent depth of knowledge and understanding.

I agree with Um - reading widely is vital. My husband read 'Eagle of the Ninth' with ds - taking it in turns to read aloud. This was really useful - he would regularly stop to check that ds was following what was going on and to explain the meaning of new words. This book was particularly good as it's quite challenging - older children's books usually are in terms of complexity of language and vocabulary.

Ds and dd both did a lot of reading on their own too -but it's easy for them to skip words they don't understand.

We read a variety of books with DS2, trying to vary authors and genres; things like The Railway Children, The Roman Mysteries, Artemis Fowl, Tom's Midnight Garden etc. DS2 is not an avid reader, so generally it was me reading to him and us discussing the words and story to ensure he understood.

Due to us changing to an online course part way through the journey, we have a number of books which are only partly used if they are of use to anyone to get you started? They are completely free, I would just need you to collect from the Erdington area as there are too many to post (I went a bit mad and poor DS would have been working constantly to get through them all )! They all have the answer booklets apart from a couple of the Schofield & Sims.

Bond VR Assessment Papers Book 2 Age 9 - 10 - there are 10 assessments left
Bond VR 10 Minute Tests Age 9 - 10 - 32 tests left
CGP Comprehension 10 Minute Tests Age 10 - 11 - 17 tests left
CGP Cloze 10 Minute Tests Age 10 - 11 - 17 tests left
CGP NVR 10 Minute Tests Age 10 - 11 - 15 tests left
The Essential Spelling Book 3 - he only did the first few pages
CGP VR Practice Book Age 10 - 11 - this only has 5 of the assessment tests remaining, everything else was done
CGP Maths Practice Book Age 10 - 11 - this has 3 of the assessment tests left, and odd pages in the book
First Past The Post 11+ Cloze Tests Book 1 - about 1/2 remaining
Schofield & Sims Mental Arithmetic 4 - this is barely used, but does not have an answer booklet
Schofield and Sims Mental Arithmetic 5 - not used at all and has the answer book
Schofield and Sims Mental Arithmetic 6 - just done 1 page, but no answer book
Synonyms and Antonyms by Christine Draper - about 1/2 complete

We also have some vocab cards which has a word and the definition on one side, and the synonyms and antonyms on the other. We didn't use them as much as we should, but stuck them on doors and whenever DS2 went into a room he had to say what the word meant / give me a synonym / antonym etc. They were also good as a game on a car or train journey - he got the card if he got it right and then we'd see who had the most - him or his brother!

Just PM me if any of them are of use - if you only want 1 that's fine, anything to help others on this journey.

All the best.

The selling of secondhand materials is against forum rules. There are better site to do this that offer buyers and sellers protection that we cannot.
However this poster is offering these for free, so we have no issue with this. It is indeed highly commendable. - moderator

Helen0209. I will happily collect these free resources from Erdington please. Do let me know when is best, thanks

Now you have had your first post approved you should now be able to send a PM to Helen. - Moderator