Advice on Tution

[tumpa]

Hi all
Would like your views/experience on tutions vs Home DIY.
My DS is in Yr 5, currently preparing for Bucks test. He goes to a prep school which is doing a reasonably good job iin VR, english (they follow Susan D books at school).
I am torn b/w the idea of shall I continue home tutoring or shall I gove some extra boost through tutions.
I have heard a lot about AE tutions in Slough. Is there any other 'known' tutions around especially around Amersham/Chesham?Are these tutions really worth it - what is it that they do is special/different from home DIY + prep school study?

Will I be missing out on something obvious if don't give him for tution?

would appreciate if I can get collective views on this topic

[hasmum]

Hi,
If you are only preparing for bucks and only VR then what you are doing is fine, as long as you are doing the recommended papers for bucks, Patricia has recommended relevant papers under DIY tips on this site.

We joined A e tuition in slough because I couldn't get my head round some of the NVR hence found them in a panic, we joined them late. Course started in Feb but we joined end of May. We were intending to take the bucks, slough and Tiffins exams which require NVR.

The tuition centre provided a very intense course, with loads of homework and testing and mock exams. They actually do around 35 types of questions for VR as they prepare for alot of schools. They teach VR and NVR and a bit of maths and vast amount of vocab work. The classes are around 2 hours and 30 mins.

I think you will be ok with what you are doing at present, unless you are doing exams where they require NVR.
Good Luck.

[Guest55]

Avoid if they teach NVR and 35 types - Bucks only use the 21 types .. could be confusing!

[crunchie]

I can only give you my thoughts on my experiences with Tuition. I spent huge sums of money on a private tutor who came highly recommended. I wanted to give my child tutoring as this was very much widespread in our school and I did not want my child at a disadvantage. I now regret it. I spent hundreds of pounds only not to qualify. This was also the case with a lot of pupils who were tutored in our area. I wish I had home DIY.

It has to start from the basics Vocabulary and Mental Maths from an early age. My child struggled with vocabulary and this led to the downfall when taking the 11+.

Also my child told me that the 11+ Bucks papers last year were harder than anything she had seen.

[faitaccompli]

Vocabulary vocabulary vocabulary!

NOTHING can help with that unless your child sits down and learns synonyms, antonyms etc.

Other areas such as coding and sequencing etc can be taught - tips and techniques for all of that. My son is capable of 100% on every area on a VR paper ... Apart from vocabulary. And don't be fooled by reading and spelling ages of 13.5 years and above - he has that and STILL did not know what the words meant!!!

My advice is start on Patricia's word lists and get the vocab under the belt at home!

[scary mum]

I would echo some of what crunchie said - when my DD was going through the 11plus we knew nothing about it and I hadn't found this great site. She had a tutor who was very out of date and we didn't realise (we thought any practice would be good and knew that our daughter read a lot etc etc). My advice would be that if you do get a tutor who is not following roughly what patricia advises (ie ONLY 21 types, not using the old Susan Daughtry books etc etc) run for the hills while there is still plenty of time to DIY. Personally DIY wasn't for me, but plenty of people do it and get a lot of satisfaction from it.

[crunchie]

I totally agree you Faitaccompli.




[quote="faitaccompli"]Vocabulary vocabulary vocabulary!

NOTHING can help with that unless your child sits down and learns synonyms, antonyms etc.

[hasmum]

Just to reiterate and upon reflection I wouldn't recommend the above tuition centre if you are only doing Bucks as they do alot of work which would be irrelevant.

We also spent a huge amount at this place and I wouldn't say it wasn't worth it, but we did do loads at home, meanings/opposites/similars/families/groups/compound words etc. etc.

I found this site/forum in May last year and it definately gave me a vast amount of knowldege re the 11 plus, as this was the first time we were going through this process.

I don't think ds would of got through if we did'nt do work at home, you can't really rely on tuition alone, I know a fair amount of kids that didn't make it on outside tuition alone.
My ds would get very miserable and would not concentrate at home and we were struggling on the NVR hence opted for this centre.

I'm glad it is all over as felt sometimes was'nt giving the younger 3 siblings enough time. It was hard work and I'm glad it paid off. I felt like I was on a course myself

[heartmum]

... Vocabulary vocabulary vocabulary! ... don't be fooled by reading and spelling ages of 13.5 years and above - he has that and STILL did not know what the words meant!!! ... My advice is start on Patricia's word lists and get the vocab under the belt at home!

I'm with you 'faitaccompli' .. my Y5 DC has reading age of 13.5/spelling age 15.5, however doesn't always know the meanings of words. Patricia's word list is fab we are going through about 15 words a time and gradually my DC is learning what these words mean, how they relate to other words. These words may seem obvious to an adult but not to a 9 year old!

Sure enough, in a recent practise paper, DC recognised some words we had covered on Patricia's list and could answer correctly A real confidence boost

[Lillie]

Please could you send a link to Patricia's vocab lists? A very handy book for some of the more "old fashioned" words is The New First Aid in English. Originally written in the 1930s and it has some very dated names in it, but excellent on many other fronts. Waterstones in High Wycombe now stock it.