11 Plus Exams Forum

Hi Everyone,
We live in Bexleyheath and I believe I’m catchment but was wondering about options for other areas Iv heard of Kent, Medway, Sutton and Wilmington but wanted people’s opinions on them? Iv experienced a lot of DD peers sitting multiple and wondered what if any additional benefit for her. The obvious being practice but I see all their dates are after Bexley sit theirs.

Also she attends tuition x2 hrs weekends and I have vocab flash cards and the 10 min tests. Any guidance on best way to approach prep for the full tests and resource website as Iv already racked a pile of books for practicing. When doing the practices was % roughly would be pass ?

Check the Bexley Secondary booklet for last distances offered for more information, there is no defined catchment for the Bexley schools, it is top 180 or a pass and distance.

You know your DD best, two hours does seem a lot, but I've known people do more. It is whether it is effective as to whether it counts, so check if what you are doing is showing improvement in accuracy and speed, if not you need to change tactic. It is pointless going over and over the same things if those are the things she is getting right. Use the time wisely. DD did the Kent, Bexley and Newstead test a few years ago now and it was an hour a week, no tutor and that was fine. Although the tests are different types the core is very similar so if you are putting in the effort it isn't too difficult to sit multiple tests unless your DD is the anxious type. We only chose tests those for schools that were in easy commuting distance.

Bexley is quite time critical so do work on timing, DD was doing the ten minute tests in half the time and still found Bexley tough on time.

Her vocab was already good but we got her to mark any words she didn't know in books she was reading and we'd go through this together. This meant it didn't really feel like testing and was also something she enjoyed doing. It didn't need me to be around all the time either and working full time it was a strategy that worked for our family.

Consider some mock test providers to recreate the test environment and help with technique when on a small desk juggling question paper, answer paper and scrap paper. The good providers will give feedback on what types of questions your DD got wrong and where they came in the cohort.

Haven't a clue on percentages required, we just aimed for continual improvement until DD was getting consistently 80-90%, I think Kent and Bexley don't require as much but Newstead this about right, also giving wriggle room for the nerves of the real test. Some of the Kent modules really only require 50% of the questions right depending on birth month.

DD is very happy at Newstead, I know others at Chis n Sid who are happy there too. A friend's DD loves Wilmington and is thriving there, their places to those outside of the defined parishes seems to vary a lot so do check with the admissions people about likelihood of a place from where you live. Dartford Girls Grammar is also a popular choice, if you are OOC then you need to get a far higher score than just a pass. Have you visited any of the schools already? What did you think of any that you've seen. There were so many we did a large range of visits in the two years before the tests to motivate DD and then just visited a few top ones after the test and once we had results to re-confirm our choices for the CAF.

Good luck to your DD