How I helped my children.
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Guest
How I helped my children.
Hello all, this is probably my last visit to this site as my youngest has just received her 11+ pass letter so it is all over for us!
My approach with both my son (now in yr 10) and daughter (yr 6) was to start the prep for the 11+ in June prior to the test in September. I based all their work on practice papers and used all the free ones from this site, a number of e papers purchased from this site and a pack of 6 papers purchased from Waterstone's in Lincoln (also available from WH Smiths). The help from the excellent primary they both went to was less this year than 4 years ago but I guess that is just due to the pressure on the teachers.
I believe the key is to build their confidence in the different types of questions and (probably more important) the different ways the correct answers can be found for each type of q over a reasonably long period but at a leisurely pace.
I used the practice exam papers by getting both of them to do as many q's as possible in the time available and then working through the unanswered q's together. This way as they both got better there were fewer q's left over to work through together and we started to focus on which q's they got wrong. I really tried as hard as I could to make it fun and while the younger one was doing her paper her brother had a go as well (he is 14) and raced her (they are a bit competitive!). I also always got them to explain how they got each answer to detect guessing and getting the right answers by the wrong means.
We slowly built up the number of papers they did until a peak in the week before each phase of the test (VR and NVR).
Hope this helps someone for next year - but here's the 'kicker' my daughter is quite certain (tears and everything!) that she wants to go to William Farr
My approach with both my son (now in yr 10) and daughter (yr 6) was to start the prep for the 11+ in June prior to the test in September. I based all their work on practice papers and used all the free ones from this site, a number of e papers purchased from this site and a pack of 6 papers purchased from Waterstone's in Lincoln (also available from WH Smiths). The help from the excellent primary they both went to was less this year than 4 years ago but I guess that is just due to the pressure on the teachers.
I believe the key is to build their confidence in the different types of questions and (probably more important) the different ways the correct answers can be found for each type of q over a reasonably long period but at a leisurely pace.
I used the practice exam papers by getting both of them to do as many q's as possible in the time available and then working through the unanswered q's together. This way as they both got better there were fewer q's left over to work through together and we started to focus on which q's they got wrong. I really tried as hard as I could to make it fun and while the younger one was doing her paper her brother had a go as well (he is 14) and raced her (they are a bit competitive!). I also always got them to explain how they got each answer to detect guessing and getting the right answers by the wrong means.
We slowly built up the number of papers they did until a peak in the week before each phase of the test (VR and NVR).
Hope this helps someone for next year - but here's the 'kicker' my daughter is quite certain (tears and everything!) that she wants to go to William Farr
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Guest
Her sister goes to WF and it really is a great school - she has done very well and refused to transfer to a grammar for 6th form. My son goes to a GS and has also done very well (yr 10 top sets) but his school is less friendly. He told me yesterday that unless you are excellent at everything you do and get into the top sets (note achievement not just effort!) then the teaching you get is poorer (please understand this is his perception- not how it really may be). He has certainly been challenged, he needed to be, or he may have become bored and disruptive. WF on the other hand is so supportive even if individuals are not the highest academic achievers (This sound sycophantic so I am glad the post is anonymous but I am only a parent of a child at the school and this is my experience!)
My only concern is that the excellent headmaster at WF Paul Strong is, I think ,63 and when he retires the school will certainly be tested. I think from what I see is happening that he wants WFs 6th form students to achieve higher scores than some of the GS. This is I guess is his last major challenge (WF 6th form seems very high pressure at the moment).
It is a fine call between WF and the GS but the answer to your question is yes if that is what she really wants to she will go to WF... if she is fortunate enough to get a place!
My only concern is that the excellent headmaster at WF Paul Strong is, I think ,63 and when he retires the school will certainly be tested. I think from what I see is happening that he wants WFs 6th form students to achieve higher scores than some of the GS. This is I guess is his last major challenge (WF 6th form seems very high pressure at the moment).
It is a fine call between WF and the GS but the answer to your question is yes if that is what she really wants to she will go to WF... if she is fortunate enough to get a place!
