Home tutoring guidance?

[Zeinabtwaij]

One other question please, from your experience can this be done at home? I’ve spoke to some tuition centres/tutors and have been made to feel like it’s impossible to do it yourself?! Of course this may be their way of signing me up but has left me in despair as I’m currently in wales and have no access to tuition groups/tutors with Surrey schools experience!

[Stroller]

Yes, it is possible to get into one of these schools without engaging a tutor. Streathammum’s advice is spot on though:

...it's definitely possible to get through the Sutton exams without a tutor as long as the child has been consistently at the top end of their class and the parents doing the DIY have themselves a strong grasp of the English and Maths concepts they're meant to be teaching.

The exams do cover areas that won't yet have been done in most primary schools, so in maths, for example, you need to be able to teach techniques as well as give support in areas that the child will already know. You'll also need to be pretty confident in areas such as comprehension, which has previously been quite a big chunk of the English test.

I don't want to put you off but it's important to be realistic. These are difficult exams and most children who sit them don't get through. The schools may say that any bright child will do well and that they only cover material from Y6, but the exams are at the beginning of Y6 and the material they cover includes things from the end.

Good luck.

The parent(s) or guardian(s) involved must also be willing to put in the time and effort necessary to figure out what needs to be done. Being good at exams yourself helps because you understand (and hopefully can explain) how staying calm under pressure and working through questions methodically at an appropriate pace is crucial.

If I were you, the first thing I’d do is read the determined admissions arrangements of the specific schools you’re interested in and be crystal clear about whether your application would have ANY realistic chance based on those criteria. Are you moving anyway? If so, work out to where and by when and make sure you pick an area that has good alternative non-selective options.

[RuedeWakening]

It definitely can be done at home, we did it and DD is now in year 7 at WHSG.

Good luck!

[Irisa]

Definitely could be done at home, provided that you have the time to do it every day of the week. We have done it with our daughter and had weeks rather than months to do it.

Not so easy to do it yourself if both parents work full time though and come home in the evening. Also, the format of exams had changed after our eldest went though the process years ago (everything had been multiple choice then - no essay to write). So for the next child we took our friends' advice and decided to try one of the local tuition centres in Wallington, in addition to what we have been doing ourselves during weekends and holidays. They do cater for 11+ preparation, although they offer small group sessions - not one-to-one.

It was useful for English preparation - we had weekly sessions. On the other hand, mock tests run currently by 3 boys schools in Sutton were much more useful and significantly less expensive than the mock tests done by the tuition centre.

It has worked for 2 children, now waiting for the outcome this week for the next one.

[viejita]

Definitely could be done at home, provided that you have the time to do it every day of the week. We have done it with our daughter and had weeks rather than months to do it.

Not so easy to do it yourself if both parents work full time though and come home in the evening. Also, the format of exams had changed after our eldest went though the process years ago (everything had been multiple choice then - no essay to write). So for the next child we took our friends' advice and decided to try one of the local tuition centres in Wallington, in addition to what we have been doing ourselves during weekends and holidays. They do cater for 11+ preparation, although they offer small group sessions - not one-to-one.

It was useful for English preparation - we had weekly sessions. On the other hand, mock tests run currently by 3 boys schools in Sutton were much more useful and significantly less expensive than the mock tests done by the tuition centre.

It has worked for 2 children, now waiting for the outcome this week for the next one.

Hi Irisa - can you tell me which Wallington tuition centre you used please? And presumably you were happy with the progress your DD made?