School 11+ familiarisation sessions

[Sally-Anne]

Hi Pippi

The "advice" given to Headteachers on this is around p10 of https://schoolsweb.buckscc.gov.uk/schoo ... r_2009.pdf. I think this advice places them in a very difficult position, and I'd be mildy interested to know what "Sally-Anne" would do in their position.

If I were the Head of a school where very few parents were either willing or able to pay for tutoring, and yet I knew that other local schools were filled with wealthy kids who were being crammed for the 11+, I would be angry on behalf of the children. It must be frustrating beyond words for some Heads to see bright and able children fail to qualify for the 11+ simply for the want of proper preparation.

The statement in the Heads' Manual is really extraordinary, and brings me out in a rash of disbelief whenever I read it:

Whilst there has been a change, therefore, in the professional advice we are now required to take account of, our advice to you, as headteachers is still not to make further practice or coaching available to your pupils. It is not your role. Therefore please still ensure that further repetition of the familiarisation and practice pack, or further practice or coaching with unregulated test materials is not undertaken in schools either during the school day or on other occasions.

Read: "We know that extra coaching helps, but we don't know what to do about it, so we expect you to do nothing about it either."

The proven benefits of coaching for a period of 9 months have been known for 8 years, GL Assessment made Bucks CC aware of the issue a year ago, but the ostrich still has it's head in the sand.

Further on in the Head's manual this statement appears:

Please do not recommend particular commercial coaching materials to parents.

I think that if I were a Head I would take the view that I was not being prevented from telling parents which materials are not appropriate for the Bucks 11+. I might also note that the statement is a request, rather than an instruction.

Sally-Anne

[Dad40]

Good post Sally-Anne.

Yes it really is extraordinary!

[Milla]

trespassing from Gloucestershire here, just to say that you are not alone. I don't know if there is such written advice as this but certainly there is NO help given within state primaries. There are NO familiarisation sessions within our school nor any whisper that such might be a good idea or possible. It's all a bit of a dirty secret. You glean from other parents the need to tutor and yet the private primaries are having tutoring, in some cases, as part of their curriculum from year 3. Level playing field it ain't.

[Looking for help]

I also can confirm that there is nothing in Berks - in our area we can feed into the Slough schools, and there is no mention of tutoring. And my experience with my older children was that there wasn't much going on at all. However my younger child seemed to have been up against vast armies of overly prepared children - I wonder how they will cope with the challenges of secondary school at all if they needed this much help to pass a test at 11. (Gosh I know I sound like sour grapes, but I can't let it go )
LFH

[Nicki6567]

That is a very interesting point, and one that I experienced, which led me to this web site!

Private Tutoring isn't 'big' at our school, and I have never heard any of the parents talk about it. I have only mentioned it to a few close friends who I know will not judge me. But a business colleague has a son who goes to a school less than 2 miles away. It is considered the norm to be tutored at this school, and all the mums have a number of a tutor lined up from Y3.

[yoyo123]

it's not that big here (east Kent) although numbers do seem to have increased since my children ( now 20 and 16) went through the 11+

I think it is quite important to familiarise the children with the format.

Whether you do that yourself or employ a tutor is a matter of personal preference, but as more and more children prepare I think thos ewho go into it cold are at a disadvantage.

I don't think tutoring from year 3 has any extra benefit.

[Y]

I don;t thinktutoring from year 3 has any extra benefit.

I think Nicki meant they have a tutor booked in Year 3, but for a later start. I know of parents in this area booking tutors from reception.

[yoyo123]

I don;t thinktutoring from year 3 has any extra benefit.

I think Nicki meant they have a tutor booked in Year 3, but for a later start. I know of parents in this area booking tutors from reception.

[pippi]

It must be frustrating beyond words for some Heads to see bright and able children fail to qualify for the 11+ simply for the want of proper preparation.

I'd guess that Heads of most state primaries in Bucks must encounter this frustration to a greater or lesser extent, the problem (ie the substantial score gains arising from extra preparation for this particular test) is endemic. Whatever, it's probably worth pointing out that the Headteachers' and Parents' manuals currently on the Bucks website are those for last year (for entry to secondary school in 2009) - the ones relevant to children taking the test this October will come out in ~September (?!) and could be different... Also, I think these documents are written by "Children's Services", but any changes to procedures etc would have to be initiated and approved by the Elected Members (or should I say ostriches or parrots?!). Either way, it's a mess.

I still get angry thinking back to my DS's head three years ago who disliked GS with a passion saying to a parent who was querying whether the child would be sufficiently prepared for the exam 'the familiarisation sessions the school provide are more than sufficient for a capable child, just make sure he turns up on the day of the exam, nothing more is required of your child'.

Sounds like your Head was guilty of quoting the official guidance given to them at that time! The rash inducers for me are the comments that are still emerging from the senior Elected Members, eg:

Marion Clayton, the councillor in charge of the schools system, insists that the test is fair. “It is designed carefully and will select the right children,â€