Twins and the 11+

[twinmum2001]

I am the proud mum of twin boys, but with that the heartache of the 11+. They are due to start secondary school in Sept 2013, and we would love them to go to DHSB. We cannot afford the luxury of the tutoring which their friends are enduring, some seemingly willingly whilst others not that keen to do the work. But by not getting them formally tutor playground titter tatter becomes derogratory, and causes a lot of negative vibes. I did not agree with the whole tutoring thing as unless you can keep this up whilst they are in the grammar school who can be sure they would cope with the Grammar style education. BUT with competition as it is for just 174 places, it becomes almost obligatory in order to get your son a place.

My sons are both very bright, one performing exceptionally. But this alone does not guarantee that they will get places, and we obviously would want two. Who is to say that the pressure doesn't overcome them, or they just have an 'off' day...? The fever of the 11+ has taken over our lives, esp as the mock is only just over a week away. We find ourselves continually asking:-
What do you think the marks need to be?
How will they compare against the other children?
Have we really got potentially 2 Grammar school pupils in our midst?
AND the biggie...What happens if one gets in and the other doesn't??

We will continue to do what we can for young men and hope that we have given them the tools to reach their potential on the day...
ROLL ON OCTOBER THE 5TH!

[hermanmunster]

You don't need to get external tutoring for the 11 plus - some people will tell you that you do but that, like much playground opinion, is their own anxiety showing through.

There are plenty of resources on this forum for use at home and plenty of advice from others have DIY!

Best get someone else to pick the kids up - while you get familiar with the papers and the advice here.