11 Plus Exams Forum

dear all

please help me...i have a daughter who will be talking her 11+test in year 2012.my query is that she is youngest in her class and i worry that if she is youngest and she will be only 10yrs and 4 months old to take the 11+test,where as most of the children will be 11+ to take the test.

so please help me if my daughter can get in to grammer school as she is really working hard towards it and at school she is just average because she is very young.(may be iam wrong)
i am very confused and i really want my daughter to get into grammmer school for her good future.

is there any possible way that being too young to sit in 11+ will help her to reach her goal.

all answers are appreciated

reagrds
desparate mum

I think it will depend where you live. Certainly in Buckinghamshire it is weighted for age, so that if your child is younger to be considered suitable for grammar school they would have to achieve a lower score than an older child. You might be better looking in the correct area in the area specific posts.

age standardisation occurs in many different 11 plus areas - this breifly means she is compared in the test against other children her age not the older children.

My son was only 10 years and 2 months when he sat it. My concern was the maturity levels but he coped ok. I wouldn't worry too much they do surprise you.

I don't know which area you are in, but many areas standardise the scores according to how well children of similar age do. Remember, your daughter has had the same amount of education as everyone else in her year, so she is not at a disadvantage too much and as she is not sitting the test until 2012, there is still plenty of time to prepare her if you want to. There will be hundreds of other children of the same age as your daughter taking the test, and a lot of parents will be able to relate to your concerns. My son sat the test just two and a half weeks after his tenth birthday and I too worried about how he would cope, particularly as the test is now done earlier, but my worries were unfounded. You should get your daughter's CAT results towards the end of year 5, so you should be able to have a rough idea then as to whether she could manage the 11+, although I would not rely solely on these results when deciding whether or not she should sit the test. Have a chat with her class teacher to see how she is doing at the moment, and do bear in mind that children progress at different rates, and could make an awful lot of progress in the space of a year or two.

DS1 was 10yrs 3m when he sat the Bucks test. He passed for grammar school and is now in Y8. Don't worry, the age standardisation will bring her marks in line with older children so she isn't disadvantages by being young.

dear all

thank you for your kind replies.

now i am very clear and i am happy ................