Applying to Bournemouth School (Boys)

[Bourne Mum]

Wow that's extremely impressive!!!!!!!!!!!

I understand your concern though. So many factors come into it at the end of the day. It's so difficult when you don't know how much weighting the essay is given.

You also need to make sure he is mentally prepared for the test itself. Some kids were puking and crying and some refused to take the test but i'm sure your son should be fine since he's been tested recently.

You also have an added advantage that you can use his current levels & results should you ever need to appeal.

A lot of boys tend to be very good at maths but struggle with the english & comprehension tests. Bond has a very good book on comprehension.

[BournemouthDad]

Didn't think to look for a Bond book on comprehension. Had a look at GL and couldn't find anything. Thanks for that, we'll grab a copy and work with him on it.

He actually enjoys tests so that should work for him but I'm sure he will pick up on our nerves (especially mum!) which won't help. We do really like Bishop as well though so I keep having to remind myself that its not the end of the world if he fails in the tests.

He's had a "trial run" when he had a music theory exam at BSG in full test conditions and while he passed it, he didn't get the distinction that he'd had on every home mock test in the lead up so we are definitely concerned about a % drop in what he will achieve on the day. Although I'm very sure that its the same for all the kids.

Sorry, I do waffle on when I start stressing about something

[Bourne Mum]

Sorry, I do waffle on when I start stressing about something

No worries at all. Glad to be of some help. This forum was dead same time last year when I needed help. Coming back helping others helps me pass the time while we wait for the March allocation day. We're just weeks away

[Bomoboy]

Hi,

Couldn't believe it when I logged and and saw so many replies.

Thanks for the information Bourne Mum. Well done to your son, sounds like he has done really well. I haven't really looked at the Bond books as I was just concentrating on the GL Assessment papers. Are they just as relevant?

BournemouthDad - I know what you mean, I would rather there was no competition too! But as there is it is nice to be able to chat a bit about it online as I don't really talk about to parents that I know!! Your son sounds like he is doing really well. My son sounds like he is a similar level to your son. I too am worried about entry being based on one relatively small exam especially if he gets nervous!

I am torn between trying not to pressure my son to thinking we are not doing enough. I think speed will be the main issue for him in the exam.

[Bourne Mum]

Hiya. Both schools suggested bond books so we went with that then used the GL papers to assess progress

[BournemouthDad]

Cheers guys. Great to hear from others on this journey. Thursday night is mock test night in our house so its English paper tonight

[bumblebee]

I have two boys at BS.
At the time of 11+ (2009 and 2011) they were both level 5 for most sats. Importantly though second son was barely a 4b for English.
It is useless to try and make any sense of the scores and percentages etc. Think in terms of your son being in the top 150 in each test. If he is in top 150 for all tests he will get in. If he is in top 150 for two of the three (english/maths/VR) he will go into the grey area where things start to get confusing but high scores in two tests will help bolster a weaker third.
On both occasions my sons sat the test there were approx 400/450 candidates for 150 places (this is slightly swayed now by the introduction of a 130 cutoff with last twenty places going to Bournemouth residents - I think that's correct - check website).
Again, on both occassions I never witnessed any tears or stressed out children. Its a very full on test day but they are looked after very well and if your child is used to testing and is eager to succeed then there is every reason to be optimistic.
If he is achieving the levels you state then with a reasonable amount of familiarisation of the papers (we did six months of one hour a week) and a couple of timed 'mocks' leading up to the test he should be fine.
I have heard (and I emphasise this is not verified in anyway and could be wrong) that the creative writing element of the English paper is only used in 'tie break' scenarios. In any case it is better to concentrate on interesting content and ideas rather than super grammar and spelling - there's plenty of that in the comprehension paper. On both occasions my two had a choice of two subjects to write about and both chose a holiday themed option.
Its a great school. Good Luck.

[Bourne Mum]

Thanks for the insight bumblebees. It's interesting that you say you did not see any children crying. I saw quite a number this past sitting. I wonder if parents are putting too much pressure in their kids nowadays. The BS staff members were absolutely lovely though

[BournemouthDad]

Thanks Bumblebee!

Appreciate the experience and advice. Can I ask, did you have re planned create writing ideas before they went in? Were the holiday ones already something you'd done at home?

[bumblebee]

They had loosely formed scenarios, landscapes and characters which they could employ if they had a mind blank. The time given is very short for planning and execution (about 30 minutes if i recall) so it is very useful to have these loose scenarios to hand. The best advice though is to choose an option that allows you best to use first hand experience from which to draw such as holidays. If in thirty minutes they can write two thirds of a page of engaging content with interesting vocabulary then great! If it has a beginning a middle and an end then so much the better. My level 4 child went in with a fully formed character to use if needed called Pete. This does really help. As far as the actual test goes I advised five minutes thinking and planning, including making a very rough list (or mind map) of what they were going to write about so they could refer back to it when they ran out of steam. Three paragraphs (beginning middle end) and then just go for it.
Its also useful to practice writing in different genres such a newspaper report or a diary entry etc as well as standard story or recollection formats.
As well as practicing the writing talk to your son about things you've done together, places you've been and things you've done and discuss the sort of vocabulary you might use if you were writing about those occasions "Remember when we went to Cornwall and the waves were crashing onto the shore like thundering horses" sort of thing. Think about describing sounds smells and feelings.