Confused - Recommendations for workbooks please.

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Sugarbeach
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 2:36 pm

Confused - Recommendations for workbooks please.

Post by Sugarbeach »

Hi. Newbie here. Well, or maybe not so newbie, I did the 11+ nearly 30 years ago and went to grammar school, and TBH I am a bit shocked at how different it is these days, at least compared to how I remember it.

Last year at the end of DD's year at Reception, we left the UK to go to the U.A.E. DD is currently attending a British Curriculum school and is, as far as I could tell, progressing well. Although I still have concerns and anxieties about the level she should be working at with the aims of: firstly, making sure she has a solid foundation in English and Maths in the next few years and secondly, be prepared for 11+ entry tests for private schools. The first aim stems from my suspicion that some of the teaching is patchy, although exactly where I do not know. I also feel the teaching is too "loose" and lacks structure. In addition, the National Curriculum as taught in her school in the U.A.E. is, I fear, a very much watered down version. Plus I'm hearing that the child needs to be working above the NC year level to pass the entrance exams.......all these things are making me panic somewhat. The second aim of passing the 11+ entrance tests I will think about later…baby steps for now.

So I'm really writing to ask for any advice or recommendations on what I should do to support her learning at home to make sure the foundation is solid. As part of this, I’m looking for good, comprehensive, concise, well structured workbooks in Maths and English (spelling, grammar, comprehension etc.) that DD could work through steadily to make sure she has the basis covered. However, I have been somewhat confused by all the various schemes and publishers out there, Bonds, Letts, Nelson Thornes, Schofield & Sims etc..

I would be grateful of any advice or any recommendations for a recognized work book scheme for Maths and English.

Thank you very much in advance for your help.
doodles
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Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2009 9:19 pm

Re: Confused - Recommendations for workbooks please.

Post by doodles »

At that age I would use the Schofield and Sims books. They cover English, maths, problem solving etc and DS2 uses the mental maths ones at his prep school as part of the maths teaching. They are also useful to give practice and consolidate what is being learned in school.

When prepping for the 11+ with DS1 we moved on from these to the Bond books for VR, NVR, English and Maths. However, what you use will be very much dependent on which area's 11+ you will be aiming for as I understand not every area does all the papers.

This is what we did but I am sure everybody who answers you will have done something slightly different :wink:
Sugarbeach
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 2:36 pm

Re: Confused - Recommendations for workbooks please.

Post by Sugarbeach »

Thank you Doodles. I've also seen Schofield and Sims mentioned quite frequently. Are you preparing your DSs for grammar selection or private school selection, if you don't mind my asking.

And should there be a difference in approaches between preparations of 11+ for grammars vs private schools?

TIA
doodles
Posts: 8300
Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2009 9:19 pm

Re: Confused - Recommendations for workbooks please.

Post by doodles »

No problem. Ds1 went to indie prep and is now at grammar, ds2 is in year 4 at the same prep school and will hopefully follow his brother to grammar.

Here in Kent the 11+ is done at the beginning of Year 6 and covers Verbal Reasoning, Non Verbal Reasoning, Maths and English. Other counties do a different combination of papers. Around here the indie secondary schools mainly start at 11 for girls and 13 for boys with the girls schools tending to set their own entrance papers and the boys taking the Common Entrance.

Obviously, there are exceptions to this, aren't there with everything, so you need to look at the individual schools that you like if this is your preferred route.

Did I mention that this is a complete minefield! Do you know which area you are interested in because that will really help people to give you more specific information.
Sugarbeach
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 2:36 pm

Re: Confused - Recommendations for workbooks please.

Post by Sugarbeach »

Thanks for the info D. Yep, I have gathered that this is a complete minefield, that's why I'm here.

At the moment the thinking is that we will return to the UK for DD's senior school, we haven't got solid plans as to whether we will move back to our old house in Newbury or to move somewhere completely different (jobs depending), but for sure we will stay in the South East.

Kendrick in Reading I've dismissed as just too difficult, esp as we would be applying from the UAE, so not going there. I've always had this hope that she should go to my old grammar school (Beaconsfield High), but cannot see how that's going to happen, as we don't have our house there.

At the moment, I have my sights set on St Helen & St Katherine (Abingdon) or Abbey (Reading). So any specific advice on those would be much appreciated.
andyb
Posts: 645
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2007 10:27 am
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: Confused - Recommendations for workbooks please.

Post by andyb »

Sugarbeach wrote:I've always had this hope that she should go to my old grammar school (Beaconsfield High), but cannot see how that's going to happen, as we don't have our house there.
Bucks 11+ for grammar school entry is verbal reasoning only - just as it was when you took it :wink:
Sugarbeach
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 2:36 pm

Re: Confused - Recommendations for workbooks please.

Post by Sugarbeach »

andyb wrote:
Sugarbeach wrote:I've always had this hope that she should go to my old grammar school (Beaconsfield High), but cannot see how that's going to happen, as we don't have our house there.
Bucks 11+ for grammar school entry is verbal reasoning only - just as it was when you took it :wink:
Thanks AB. It's all a bit of a blurr to me thb.....but I had zero tutoring by my parents and there certainly wasn't this level of stress and anxiety around the whole thing then.
mystery
Posts: 8927
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: Confused - Recommendations for workbooks please.

Post by mystery »

Oh I think that Schofield and Sims is a bit confusing - there's a plethora of books and they are all rather unappealing looking in my view. If you have the opportunity to go to a bookstore with everything on display in the UK or UAE I'd be inclined at that age to select on appeal - maybe the Letts Key Stage 1 guide that have some kind of magical mystical fairy appeal to them - can't remember but if you look at the covers on ****** you'll see the ones I mean.
scarlett
Posts: 3664
Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 10:22 am

Re: Confused - Recommendations for workbooks please.

Post by scarlett »

The Letts Mythical Maths and Enchanted English books ? My DS who's 9 actually likes these which he's working through at the moment ( they start at age 5 through to age 11 )....he obviously still enjoys the stickers too !
Belinda
Posts: 1167
Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2007 10:57 pm

Re: Confused - Recommendations for workbooks please.

Post by Belinda »

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Last edited by Belinda on Thu Nov 01, 2012 12:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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