11+ training at primary school

Dad40 · Post by **Dad40** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 11:53 am

Thanks again Catherine.

If correct, 30 hours familiarisation is somewhat different to the 2.5 hours familiarisation specified by Bucks.

I'd be interested to read NFER's full written recommendation (assuming it exists in written form).

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 1:57 pm

Is there any problem with governors offering tuition? Is there anything to say you can't tutor if you are a governor?

Catherine · Post by **Catherine** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 8:58 am

Dad40 wrote: If correct, 30 hours familiarisation is somewhat different to the 2.5 hours familiarisation specified by Bucks.

Guest55 will probably be able to comment on this.

Guest55 · Post by **Guest55** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 6:43 pm

My personal opinion is that if NFER, who write the tests, say 30 hours is about the optimum practice time I believe it! I don't think the time Bucks suggest is enough - I know Private schools do more so all children need to be on an equal footing.

hugh · Post by **hugh** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 11:22 pm

Some private schools do more - but some (my son's) did/do none at all other than the 3 practice papers Bucks send them.

Dad40 · Post by **Dad40** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 8:41 am

My personal opinion is that if NFER, who write the tests, say 30 hours is about the optimum practice time I believe it!

Likewise. But is there written proof that this is NFER's position?

katel · Post by **katel** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 12:54 pm

I posted earlier about a local school that coaches children intensively for the Kent Test. It is a state primary school but because of it's location (out of town, not walking distance to any of the big estates, lower than average number of freee school meals) 27 children from the school took the test - 13 passed. At our school (catchment includes two "difficult" estates, higher than average free school meals) and no coaching at all - a familiarization test the day before - 36 took the test and 11 passed. Not sure what this proves - if anything. Just more ingredients for the dicussion pot!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 1:10 pm

Isn't it the case that 'partner schools' (ie, ones where the children can sit the exam in the school premises) have to agree not to tutor beyond the standard 5-hours-plus-3-papers? This would mean that schools which are not 'partners' - ie whose children have to go to an exam centre - can do what they please? So some private schools could legitimately teach to the 11+?

Guest55 · Post by **Guest55** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 5:26 pm

Dad40,

I attended a briefing by NFER and took notes - I was particularly careful to note what they said as my child was at Primary school.

I did find this:

http://www.nfer.ac.uk/research-areas/as ... -child.cfm

Dad40 · Post by **Dad40** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 9:35 pm

Thanks Guest55. That link is sadly the one Catherine identified. It doesn't however state a number of hours, nor is it an NFER publication. In fact, we need to take a closer look at the reference cited in this article.

Firstly, this reference is a well-respected book published 27 years ago in 1980. That doesn't automatically disqualify what it says but does at least raise the question of whether things have moved on at all.

An examination of [a well-known booksite which keeps being blotted out] reveals that the book is 786 pages long. Therefore NFER are quoting or summarising a very short passage over a mere four pages of this great tome. As previously initimated, on quick reading the NFER article/quote appears to be saying one thing up to the third bullet point and something else beyond it.

The [a well-known booksite which keeps being blotted out] reviewers give the book a mixed write-up.

What all of this adds up to in my eyes, is that the familiarisation advice given to Bucks by NFER must surely go beyond this one reference: it is simply not adequate.

Perhaps we should be asking Bucks to reveal the actual advice from NFER......unless, of course, it is already tucked away somewhere on the Buckscc website ?

It would help to see this advice because, IMHO, the "saturation familiarisation" policy currently fails because no-one outside the confines of BucksCC appears to believe in it. Parents need to have confidence in the system.

And the fact that NFER have elsewhere suggested 30 hours of familiarisation (which seems quite reasonable) just raises yet more questions and concerns over where the minimalist Bucks policy came from in the first place.

Does anyone here have any more details of the history/background to this policy?