New to site....early advice needed please?
Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 12:29 pm
Hi,
I have just discovered this site and am sure I will be a frequent visitor in the coming years. I am a mother of three (daughter nearly 9, son aged 6 and a 1 year old) and am considering the local grammar for my daughter. I attended the school myself, as did my own mother, so naturally would like my own child to have the same opportunity. However, it seems that times have changed. I was accepted to grammar school following an eleven plus exam. I recieved no support from my primary (in a disadvantaged area) and was tutored by my mother, who I remember sitting me down a few times a week with some books from WHSmith. This was 1988. There was no private tutoring and I simply turned up for the test and that was that.
These days, it seems that many girls applying for the school come from prep schools and/or have recieved private tutoring for some time. My daughter is currently year 4 and is doing well, meeting all expectations and enjoying school. She is in the top set in all subject areas, though she struggles with maths. Her school is LEA and is very good and I know from chatting to other mothers that the teachers are supportive of grammar education for those children they feel would be well suited.
Having gone through the system myself, I feel that the education on offer at the local grammar would suit my daughter, as she performs better when closely supervised and pushed. The local comps are performing very poorly and seem to leave pupils "to find thier own way", which I do not feel would suit my daughter at all.
I have no wish to "groom" my child or to push her in any way. However, I also want to ensure that she gets the best possible chances and that, should we all feel that she would do well in grammar, that she is well prepared and confident. I do feel somewhat anxious that other children are being tutored quite early on and are therefore often at an advantage when it comes to the exams, despite not necessarily being suitable grammar material.
Any advice or support would be gratefully recieved. Thanks
An anxious Jayne
I have just discovered this site and am sure I will be a frequent visitor in the coming years. I am a mother of three (daughter nearly 9, son aged 6 and a 1 year old) and am considering the local grammar for my daughter. I attended the school myself, as did my own mother, so naturally would like my own child to have the same opportunity. However, it seems that times have changed. I was accepted to grammar school following an eleven plus exam. I recieved no support from my primary (in a disadvantaged area) and was tutored by my mother, who I remember sitting me down a few times a week with some books from WHSmith. This was 1988. There was no private tutoring and I simply turned up for the test and that was that.
These days, it seems that many girls applying for the school come from prep schools and/or have recieved private tutoring for some time. My daughter is currently year 4 and is doing well, meeting all expectations and enjoying school. She is in the top set in all subject areas, though she struggles with maths. Her school is LEA and is very good and I know from chatting to other mothers that the teachers are supportive of grammar education for those children they feel would be well suited.
Having gone through the system myself, I feel that the education on offer at the local grammar would suit my daughter, as she performs better when closely supervised and pushed. The local comps are performing very poorly and seem to leave pupils "to find thier own way", which I do not feel would suit my daughter at all.
I have no wish to "groom" my child or to push her in any way. However, I also want to ensure that she gets the best possible chances and that, should we all feel that she would do well in grammar, that she is well prepared and confident. I do feel somewhat anxious that other children are being tutored quite early on and are therefore often at an advantage when it comes to the exams, despite not necessarily being suitable grammar material.
Any advice or support would be gratefully recieved. Thanks
An anxious Jayne