Having had a chat up with my daughter’s tutor recently, she has concerns about her speed in her maths and confidence in tackling the problem solving type of maths questions. They are having to work through the maths at quite a slow speed. As such she is saying that my daughter wil very much be a borderline case as to whether she passes come September.
I was a little shocked to be honest, my daughter is one of the brightest in her class and has always been a very capable mathematician. So would anyone have any suggestions as to how I can help with the confidence side of things? I am hoping if her confidence improves then things may fall into place a little more.
Thanks

Firstly, don’t be shocked. Being a capable mathematician and working quickly on numerical problems don’t always go together, there is a lot to be said for working methodically and accurately.

Secondly, I always have a nagging doubt about what some tutors say. “Borderline cases” are the perfect customers, aren’t they? Show just enough progress to justify the fees and just enough concern to keep them coming. Cynical? Yes, but not all tutors are as professional as I’d like them to be.

There are some maths specialists on here who may be able to point you towards some resources to help with confidence and speed, but parental encouragement and a sensible approach to tutoring (not overdoing it, making it a short, enjoyable part of the family regime) will go a long way to help. There are seven months to go which is plenty of time to help your daughter with her confidence and speed.

Stop the tutoring! This tutor is not helping at all by the sounds of it; confidence comes from a good teacher and clearly this person is not engengering it.

What sort of questions is she struggling with? What does her Year 5 teacher think about her maths?

I'll point you towards some resources when you elaborate on which aspect of probem solving she is struggling with.

Thank you for your reassuring words, perhaps that was what I needed! Her class teacher, when I mentioned she was studying for the 11 plus said she thought she would have no problem but we are (only just) out of catchment so the teacher has no real experience of the 11 plus. I do have a lot of respect for the tutor she came very highly recommended from a good friend whose opinion I trust and value, I think she is just being brutally honest and it rather surprised me. It is specifically word problems apparently she can’t seem to spot what the question is asking her to do and often doesn’t even want to have a go. I have bought the CEM 11 plus Maths word problems (the GL one doesn’t come out until 1st March) and we have started doing little and often with me next to her in an attempt to boost her confidence, I plan to move towards timing her eventually but don’t want too move too quickly. She really doesn’t seem too bad to me (I’ve had two other children pass previously so I’m not completely unused to the standards expected).

I DIY tutored my DS. I only started focusing on the timings during the summer holidays. In my opinion, it's far more important to focus on confidence and understating the subject matter.

Good luck, it sounds like you've got it all under control

Just bcause the tutor is recommended does not mean s/he is right for your daughter.

OK - this is a common issue. What I normally recommend is 'playing' setting her own problems.

Start with a basic statement such as 'A carton of juice costs 50p' [the numbers aren't important here]. What questions can we ask? Get her to start by making up simple one-step problems 'How much will 5 drinks cost?' etc

When she know whether multiplying or dividing is needed. Move on to multi-step with giving change etc. Old KS2 test papers have loads of these questions.

http://www.emaths.co.uk/index.php/stude ... ast-papers

[These won't be used in school as they are older]

Also http://www.nrich.maths.org has loads of interesting questions. https://nrich.maths.org/12662 has a curriculum map where you can find problems linked to what she is learning.

Thank you Guest 55 you may be right on that one. Thank you v much for the tips, I really like the making up your own ones, may make it a bit more fun!

Det234 - I agree with all other feedback

* Please remember accuracy is much more important compare to speed , I have seen couple of example in this forum where child got selected even after he/she has not able to answer all questions in Maths sections.
so right now, please ask your Daughter to take more time but encourage her to finish all questions accurately.

Speed will automatically start improving , once confidence start building up & due to more practice - it is still long way to go before exam.

* Maths has only 25% weightage this time so that will also help

Best luck !!

Det234 - Trust is the most important thing. If you don't have trust, there is no point in continuing the lessons with the same tutor.
Please bear in mind most children make amazing progress during last 2 months and it is well known fact.
But calling a child as a borderline case 8 months before the test is not a good sign. It appears to me that tutor may not have experience
in tutoring the kids with different abilities and only know limited number of ways or methods to help the child grasp concepts/techniques.
The speed issue can be easily addressed by employing very simple techniques and a tutor must know the right technique that should help the child.

I agree with the rest of your post, but is the bolder bit a well-known fact? Where did you get it from?