Could a child be unsuccessful because of a tutor?

[Rainysunshine001]

What a blessing this forum is! Thank you all kind people for your replies.

[Araucana girl]

I have known of many very hardworking and bright students over the years who have not gained entry into our local selectives. One of the main problems has been parents thinking that all they need to do is pay for a tutor and that is the ticket in. Unfortunately many of our local tutors are generalists who have not kept track with the changes in the exams and the substantial rise in the pass mark. Some of them have never been to the schools and certainly do not keep up with their admissions criteria. Some of them are still using past papers from years back when there has been a new set available for some years and the past papers no longer reflect the actual exam. There are plenty of students still revising VR and NVR for QE even though we are in the third year since both these subjects were abandoned. But can you say that these children are unsuccessful because of a tutor or because their parents did not do their homework properly? Every school has a website with a very detailed admissions policy and an annual open day. There are plenty of existing parents at the school who got their children a pass mark in their exam. But these parents choose to trust the tutor to do everything instead of doing their own research. How much is the tutor actually to blame for this? Many of the parents can't even tell you what materials the tutors are using. I would say that a child can be unsuccessful because their parents used a tutor who did not know enough about the exams they were taking. It really is buyer beware. If I wanted to get a dc into a selective school my first stop would be the parents who had already got their dc into the school, not a tutor. I even know of tutors who claim they got a dc into a school when in fact the dc left that tutor and got into the school using another tutor. But the parents did not check with the parents of the dc that it was that tutor who actually helped their dc gain a place. Parents need to be invested in the process and not think that a cheque book can buy a place at a school. Like everything else there are great tutors and some really really awful ones who give wrong advice and don't use the right material. Parents need to do their homework and get the great tutor not the awful one! DG

That sounds like my dd's tutor, we took her away from him 3 months before exams as he was not tailoring for the new exam in Essex for CCHS, was giving her maths sheets on areas we knew she knew well and wasn't concentrating on her weak areas. I am DIYing ds

[sonasona]

I have known of many very hardworking and bright students over the years who have not gained entry into our local selectives. One of the main problems has been parents thinking that all they need to do is pay for a tutor and that is the ticket in. Unfortunately many of our local tutors are generalists who have not kept track with the changes in the exams and the substantial rise in the pass mark. Some of them have never been to the schools and certainly do not keep up with their admissions criteria. Some of them are still using past papers from years back when there has been a new set available for some years and the past papers no longer reflect the actual exam. There are plenty of students still revising VR and NVR for QE even though we are in the third year since both these subjects were abandoned. But can you say that these children are unsuccessful because of a tutor or because their parents did not do their homework properly? Every school has a website with a very detailed admissions policy and an annual open day. There are plenty of existing parents at the school who got their children a pass mark in their exam. But these parents choose to trust the tutor to do everything instead of doing their own research. How much is the tutor actually to blame for this? Many of the parents can't even tell you what materials the tutors are using. I would say that a child can be unsuccessful because their parents used a tutor who did not know enough about the exams they were taking. It really is buyer beware. If I wanted to get a dc into a selective school my first stop would be the parents who had already got their dc into the school, not a tutor. I even know of tutors who claim they got a dc into a school when in fact the dc left that tutor and got into the school using another tutor. But the parents did not check with the parents of the dc that it was that tutor who actually helped their dc gain a place. Parents need to be invested in the process and not think that a cheque book can buy a place at a school. Like everything else there are great tutors and some really really awful ones who give wrong advice and don't use the right material. Parents need to do their homework and get the great tutor not the awful one! DG

Trouble is where we are it's all very secretive when it comes to 11+ exams especially with the intense competition for Reading's one and only girls grammar school Kendrick (let alone its huge catchment area!!!). Nobody talks about any tutors they use or have used and nobody wants to discuss the content except for 'oh, it varies year to year and they can test for anything....!'

The worrying thing is of the 2 local tutors I've actually heard of are mothers of girls who have successfully passed Kendrick tests in the past. Sadly, their success rate has been less than 20% from what I've worked out over the 4 years I've heard of them. That includes last year when one of them even quoted to a Parent she was 100% confident of Kendrick content because she had confirmed with Tinkers Duffers guide on EPE.........unfortunately the girl did not make the qualifying 109 score but had been inundated with loads of photocopied papers so had done huge amounts of prep!

I despair to think what these tutors are feeding Parents now that Kendrick have changed their exam format/timings for this year!

Take a grip on the situation before it becomes too late

[Tinkers]

The worrying thing is of the 2 local tutors I've actually heard of are mothers of girls who have successfully passed Kendrick tests in the past. Sadly, their success rate has been less than 20% from what I've worked out over the 4 years I've heard of them. That includes last year when one of them even quoted to a Parent she was 100% confident of Kendrick content because she had confirmed with Tinkers Duffers guide on EPE.........unfortunately the girl did not make the qualifying 109 score but had been inundated with loads of photocopied papers so had done huge amounts of prep!

I despair to think what these tutors are feeding Parents now that Kendrick have changed their exam format/timings for this year!

Take a grip on the situation before it becomes too late

All adds to my belief though, that regardless of how much prep DC do or tutoring they get, some of them just aren't up to it, for whatever reason. Some will just have an off day, but others just haven't got it.

In some cases it isn't what you teach but how you teach.

I know someone who used a local well know tutor, who has an excellent success rate. Their DC was unsuccessful.

I also dread to think what tutors are teaching now the exam is going to change. How many will completely miss out because they have essentially been let down by both parent and tutor.

[parent2013]

I have known of many very hardworking and bright students over the years who have not gained entry into our local selectives. One of the main problems has been parents thinking that all they need to do is pay for a tutor and that is the ticket in. Unfortunately many of our local tutors are generalists who have not kept track with the changes in the exams and the substantial rise in the pass mark. Some of them have never been to the schools and certainly do not keep up with their admissions criteria. Some of them are still using past papers from years back when there has been a new set available for some years and the past papers no longer reflect the actual exam. There are plenty of students still revising VR and NVR for QE even though we are in the third year since both these subjects were abandoned. But can you say that these children are unsuccessful because of a tutor or because their parents did not do their homework properly? Every school has a website with a very detailed admissions policy and an annual open day. There are plenty of existing parents at the school who got their children a pass mark in their exam. But these parents choose to trust the tutor to do everything instead of doing their own research. How much is the tutor actually to blame for this? Many of the parents can't even tell you what materials the tutors are using. I would say that a child can be unsuccessful because their parents used a tutor who did not know enough about the exams they were taking. It really is buyer beware. If I wanted to get a dc into a selective school my first stop would be the parents who had already got their dc into the school, not a tutor. I even know of tutors who claim they got a dc into a school when in fact the dc left that tutor and got into the school using another tutor. But the parents did not check with the parents of the dc that it was that tutor who actually helped their dc gain a place. Parents need to be invested in the process and not think that a cheque book can buy a place at a school. Like everything else there are great tutors and some really really awful ones who give wrong advice and don't use the right material. Parents need to do their homework and get the great tutor not the awful one! DG

Very well said. We trusted (blindly) based on word of mouth and nearly burnt our fingers. And I am talking about the ones in Bromley region where parent queue up one year in advance. The classic example was that the comprehension in Olave's is a multiple choice which our tutor wasn't aware of. The other tutor could not guide on the Creative writing element. On challenging, they were happy for us to discontinue which we did.

The lessons for any new parents are:
1. Just because the tutor has been recommended by your close friend (whose ds has got into GS), don't buy that straightaway.
2. Ask for credentials from the tutor (how many children taught, how many qualified & references). The same that you would do if you hire a childminder for your child.
3. You know your child best. So get involved closely in the whole preparation and continue DIY.
4. Consider tutor as only a facilitator.
5. Keep a close tab on child's improvement (on monthly basis).
6. Lastly, see if the child is getting confident or demotivated by the homework (and tutor's way of teaching). That's what decide whether it is working in your favour or time to pull the plug.

[JaneT]

Hello all. Does anyone know what the format for the 11plus entrance into Kendrick is?? Multiple choice of Standard answer?.

Thanks in advancc for your helpful comments

[Tinkers]

Hello all. Does anyone know what the format for the 11plus entrance into Kendrick is?? Multiple choice of Standard answer?.

Thanks in advancc for your helpful comments

See the links in the duffers guide. There are a couple of familiarisation papers with example of questions and answers sheets.

The real thing will be harder though.

[dlb]

I heard that one local tutor tests the children before she will accept them for tutoring for the 11+. If she thinks they are borderline, she won't tutor them!!! So basically she takes the cream so as to keep her reputation! Madness I say!

[kenyancowgirl]

There is part of me that says - good on her - if she is specifically tutoring for the 11+ and has experience, if she is assessing kids at the beginning and, in her experience, they are unlikely to make it, at least she is not conning the parents into paying for something that may very well not make the difference!! However, if she is a general tutor, then she could help any child improve generally but not necessarily enough to pass the 11+ well.

[mystery]

Yes, I used a mahts tutor like that for a short while. She did an old NFER maths test on my daughter and she scored very well - it gave a standardised score at the end. So she said my daughter would be very likely to pass. She gave me a copy - there was nothing special about the test - it just showed she had been taught the stuff she should have been to be in the top whatever percent at that age (I had done some catch-up at home during a previous holiday as school doesn't teach them much).

Then it became very strange. She never seemed to teach my daughter anything new and she kept asking me what I wanted her to do with my daughter. I said "please teach her something new that might come in handy in the eleven plus". She mumbled lots about peaking too early etc etc. In the end we parted company as I couldn't work out what I was paying for.