when to start tutoring for 11+

[RabbitWife]

Hi, I'm totally new to this forum and still learning ropes on admission process etc. My DD is Year 4, doing quite well above her age level. She is in a state primary school but both DH and I come from public/grammar background, and really want to have independent school as a serious option for the secondary level. Her school participate in online math programme called Whizz, her teachers (both current, last year's and headmistress) are quite encouraging and think she'll do well but said they can't really provide different coursework or additional support understandably. From the class of 35, there usually is 2 or 3 kids who go to independent sector (very rarely selective grammar) but most others go to local state secondary. We have previously bought a few practice papers from Bond, but considering getting her a tutor toward 11+/common entrance exam. Sorry for a long-ish intro, but my questions are

1. At what age is it appropriate to start tutoring? Is summer btwn Yr 4-5 too early/waste of money? Wait till Yr 5?

2. Should I just consider using Bond or similar books? She's strongest on maths and non-verbal, weakest on English, esp composition.

3. Her school is not that keen on "topping up". They're supportive but the class teacher told me that she would be loathe to see my DD bored and not paying attention in the class because she has learned the topic beforehand.

4. If we go for the tutor route, do they cover all subjects? Is group (or shared) tutoring a viable option? (I think there's another mum aiming to get her daughter to a grammar school.)

TIA.

[lefol]

Hello and welcome to the forum. You will certainly enjoy this very exciting forum. Your DD must be approaching the end of year 4 and I would suggest this is a good time to start. I would suggest that you identify the schools that you want to apply to and the entry requirements as some indies are more selective than others.

In summary year 4 is an a good time to start . Depending on her end of year reports , you can give her some gentle coaching over the summer break and identify any weak areas in maths or english. If she is working at level 3a or 4 at this stage, then she will easily cope with entrance exams in two years time. You may have to practice verbal and non verbal reasoning depending on the schools you apply for. Non verbal is more tricky. Group tutoring may be better to start off with and then move on to one to one tuition if she requires that extra focus and attention. Do obtain sample papers for schools you wish to apply to.

[Kesteven]

My DS also used Maths Whizz online at home and we were extremely pleased with the progress he made over Year 5. We didn't start him working through the 11+ question books until around six months before the exam. One 10 minute test after breakfast each day. We hired a tutor for a single two hour session each week for the last ten weeks. He took all this in his stride and the burden never seemed to get too much. All along we tried not to build up the 11+ into something too daunting.

[flicka]

I use CIMT as well, which we find excellent as it covers foundation stage up to A levels so you can add in higher levels in some sectors for maths, but keep to the correct age group for others.
My DS is excellent with numbers, so is far ahead with them, but slower with things like data handling.