Best practice papers for Wallington/Wilsons

[Hedwig]

Anyone have any ideas on the best types of papers for maths/NVR and VR for Wallington and Wilsons.

Also any rough ideas on where your child should be with regard to CAT's to stand a decent chance?

I have a Summer born son and although his maths and reading comprehension appear to be good he is significantly weaker in writing compositions. He is dyslexic but has been identified as a gifted dyslexic.

Honest opinions on his chances and any ideas/tips/recommendations most gratefully received.

[Plum]

Hi

Both schools do their own papers so you need to practice all of the different types of VR. When we were going through this last year (can't believe how quickly time flies ) I got my DS doing Bond and Susan Daughtry. I also downloaded various papers off the internet and he practiced thosed during the summer holidays.

On the plus side neither WCGS or Wilson's test on NVR so unless you plan to sit your DS for another school that does test NVR, it's one less subject to worry about!

For Maths, DS worked his way through the Scholfield & Sims books - he was just finishing up Book 5 by the time he sat the WCGS test. Again, we downloaded various papers off the internet which he sat throughout the summer. You can find these on this website plus try googling 11+ and entrance exam papers (DS did some of the entrance exams for Dulwich/Allyns etc as well).

For English DS again did the Bond (I found these really hard but luckily he had a tutor for this bit!) Reading Comprehension books and I also got him writing 20 min essays. I found a number of titles on this website as well as others for ideas and he would have to choose one and write a story. He never really wrote more than a side of A4 but it was good practice for the exam as they only get about 20 minutes.

I can't comment on CAT scores but DS was at Level 5 for Maths & Science at the end of year 5 and I think he was a 4B for English (weakest subject).

DS got a guaranteed place at WCGS but just failed the Wilson's exam (have to be honest and say that we did slow down after the first result though and lost interest a bit!)

You may want to sit your DS for the Sutton Grammar mock test that their PTA run (have a look at their website) as it is good experience for the DCs. Also, visit the schools and see if they appeal to you and your DS.

Hope this helps - good luck.
Plum

[sherry_d]

Also any rough ideas on where your child should be with regard to CAT's to stand a decent chance?

They say 120+ is definate go at 11+ and between 110 to 120 is you need to worker harder but still worth a go. However time and time again people on the forum have said this isnt the be and all, some with much lower scores have done well and some with higher scores missed out. I have seen kids with great scores in the appeals section, some of it is also down to how they perform on the day

[Hedwig]

Many thanks for your replies Plum and sherry_d.

I went to see his teacher today to get a rough idea of his CAT scores and was met with a completely blank expression - he had no idea so that doesn't bode well!

I have been through this hideous process several years ago with my oldest son but didn't really consider WCGS as I thought it was too far. My DS1 now goes to Trinity and to be honest the journey would not be significantly different from our house.

Plum I do agree that Wilsons (and St Olaves) are particularly difficult and extremely competitive. My son did not get a place at Wilsons but passed some very tough independent school exams with flying colours. To be honest we did little or no preparation after Christmas and this had the biggest impact on the Wilsons exam. Also, I was so naive about the process and didn't truly appreciate just how much preparation others put in.

It is a shame about no NVR - he is excellent at this and just 'gets' it. I am particularly concerned about the English paper and VR as these are understandably his weakest areas.

Many thanks once again - I'll no doubt be back ...

[2outof3]

Hedwig,

Would Tiffin Boys be too far away for your DS? They do VR and NVR, so the exam might be a better fit for your son

[Hedwig]

Hedwig,

Would Tiffin Boys be too far away for your DS? They do VR and NVR, so the exam might be a better fit for your son

Thanks 2outof3 - I like the name (This is number 2 of 4 for us ) That kind of testing would probably suit him greatly.

To be honest I hadn't even considered Tiffin as I always thought that it was uber-competitive. In all honesty I think it is probably too far. We live in SE London right on the border of Beckenham and I don't think he would cope with such a long journey (Ha! always supposing he passed...).

As much as I'm keen to avoid two sets of school fees I don't think I could ask him to travel that far.

[isamum]

re:CAT
the reason may be that the CAT tests are done at the beginning of y7, not many primary schools are using them at all

[sherry_d]

re:CAT
the reason may be that the CAT tests are done at the beginning of y7, not many primary schools are using them at all

I think it varies from school to school when they do CATS, my DD did at the start of year 5 and they did them again in May (end of year 5) and we were told the scores last week.

[isamum]

sure - I saw them done for y7 for KS3 predictions and streaming