How to know if your child has a chance at a grammar school

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jinglesthecat
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2022 5:02 pm

How to know if your child has a chance at a grammar school

Post by jinglesthecat »

Hi there
I was looking for general advice please about putting my child forward for our local grammar school (I understand one of the most competitive ones)

My daughter is entering year 4 in September, summer born as well.

She seems very academically able - and extremely motivated to learn.

Her state primary has a very strong reputation and tests 3 x a year.

She achieved 118 for reading, 118 for SPAG and 115 for maths in her end of year assessments.

She was assessed as "mastered" for reading, spag, writing and maths, and secure in science.

My question is does this seem to indicate she could have reasonable prospects of getting into a grammar school.

I am aware she would be up against private school kids and kids that have been tutored from around year 3, and if not year 4, whereas I don't intend to formally tutor in year 4.

How do you start to assess whether your kid could get into a grammar, and especially an extremely competitive one.

Grateful for any tips to a complete novice!

Thanks
Daogroupie
Posts: 11099
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:01 pm
Location: Herts

Re: How to know if your child has a chance at a grammar scho

Post by Daogroupie »

We can help you more effectively if we know which grammar schools you would be aiming for.

For example in my area private school applicants do not dominate at all, far from it. The school both my dds attended have only 12% private school students in the year.

Science is not part of the exam. your focus needs to be on the exam formats of the school such as English, Maths and VR.

How many student from your primary secure a place at your preferred school each year?

Personally I feel the most important thing is does she actually want to go there?

DG
mad?
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Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 6:27 pm
Location: london

Re: How to know if your child has a chance at a grammar scho

Post by mad? »

The OP is talking about TIffin Girls DG
mad?
hermanmunster
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Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
Location: The Seaside

Re: How to know if your child has a chance at a grammar scho

Post by hermanmunster »

I'll move this thread to Surrey and lock the other post so that all the answers can be in one place
PettswoodFiona
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Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2014 11:24 pm
Location: Petts Wood, Bromley, Kent

Re: How to know if your child has a chance at a grammar scho

Post by PettswoodFiona »

We had the same dilemma many moons ago. DD is about to start upper sixth at the grammar she started in Y7. We had limited reference points as to how capable she was but we had a few inklings based on her conversational skills and input from teachers and friends. She had a reading age given as three years ahead from her first assessment at end of Early Years educational settings. We decided to aim high but plan for all eventualities, a philosophy that has held us all as a family in good stead throughout.

We’ve always held onto the idea of trying and also learning to fail, that if you don’t try you will never achieve. Yes DD made a superselective grammar but there have been other things she wanted and didn’t get (parts in plays, competitions entered, artwork overlooks etc etc) but she has learnt to live on knowing she tried. She is finding her strengths, the areas she has passion for.

She has friends who didn’t make it at 11 who joined at sixth form and vice versa.

I appreciate this is generic and my daughter goes to a grammar in a different region but much of the context may be relevant. Good luck.
Samurai
Posts: 131
Joined: Tue Sep 14, 2021 12:28 pm

Re: How to know if your child has a chance at a grammar scho

Post by Samurai »

jinglesthecat wrote:
My question is does this seem to indicate she could have reasonable prospects of getting into a grammar school.

I am aware she would be up against private school kids and kids that have been tutored from around year 3, and if not year 4, whereas I don't intend to formally tutor in year 4.

How do you start to assess whether your kid could get into a grammar, and especially an extremely competitive one.

Grateful for any tips to a complete novice!

Thanks
Its not really true that students getting into TGS are tutored from Y3/Y4 or Private. Given the format it’s impossible to “tutor” your way to success. No amount of tutoring can guarantee this. Surely Y3 or even Y4 Sep is way too early for formal tutoring. If you have to formally tutor then 12-15 months is optimal but again the format is so unique that it will see through the “basics” so it can be cracked without tutoring. What you need is focus only on strong basics and it will be fine. There are plenty of Mocks and tests to assess where one stands however exam day is very different so these mock tests results should be taken with a pinch of salt. What saves the day is reading a variety of books, avoiding silly mistakes ( concentration) and complete grasp of the basics. Being summer born you will have slight benefit from age standardization. Enjoy the prep. All the best
scary mum
Posts: 8841
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2010 3:45 pm

Re: How to know if your child has a chance at a grammar scho

Post by scary mum »

Age standardisation simply removes the effects of age, it does not give an advantage, that's the whole point of it.
scary mum
yoyo123
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Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: East Kent

Re: How to know if your child has a chance at a grammar scho

Post by yoyo123 »

scary mum wrote:Age standardisation simply removes the effects of age, it does not give an advantage, that's the whole point of it.
Exactly!
bridge
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Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2013 1:38 am

Re: How to know if your child has a chance at a grammar scho

Post by bridge »

Nobody gets into a super selective without tutoring, it's just not possible. And all the children that get into these schools have been tutored - despite the protestations of parents.

Any level of tutoring (whether formal or informal) will give a child an advantage. Weaknesses can be identified and help given. Therefore everyone does it. It's obvious - if you or someone else teaches your child the KS2 syllabus and gives them plenty of testing on it they will be in a better position should they sit an 11plus exam.

The proliferation of Tutors & Tuition Centres and self help books tells us that people realise extra help is beneficial.

The idea that the test is tutor proof is fanciful. It's based on the KS2 Syllabus!! How many ways can you test the basics? It wouldn't surprise me if the schools that write their own exams do so because they realise that no exam is tutor proof so why pay an external organisation to administer the exam.
Samurai
Posts: 131
Joined: Tue Sep 14, 2021 12:28 pm

Re: How to know if your child has a chance at a grammar scho

Post by Samurai »

bridge wrote:Nobody gets into a super selective without tutoring, it's just not possible. And all the children that get into these schools have been tutored - despite the protestations of parents.

Any level of tutoring (whether formal or informal) will give a child an advantage. Weaknesses can be identified and help given. Therefore everyone does it. It's obvious - if you or someone else teaches your child the KS2 syllabus and gives them plenty of testing on it they will be in a better position should they sit an 11plus exam.

The proliferation of Tutors & Tuition Centres and self help books tells us that people realise extra help is beneficial.

The idea that the test is tutor proof is fanciful. It's based on the KS2 Syllabus!! How many ways can you test the basics? It wouldn't surprise me if the schools that write their own exams do so because they realise that no exam is tutor proof so why pay an external organisation to administer the exam.
That's not entirely true if you know the content of the test. KS2 syllabus is quite different and the test at least the TGS test is quite different. I can tell exactly which book the comprehension came from this year but that's against the rules of the forum. The book was certainly not something one can read in KS2 or for that matter even otherwise. There's no way a 11 year old could have read such a book. Discounting the book itself even the pattern of questions is not in KS2 syllabus. Such question pattern are not in any tutor/self help book/ KS2 syllabus. I can't disclose the pattern but then I can say for sure no self help book/ mock test/ tutoring could have prepared one for such topics and patterns.

Regarding tutoring - it's a personal aspect and different from child to child but depending on the ability of the child the test can be cracked without tutoring (and usage of self help books is not same as formal tutoring).
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