Moving to Bucks and daughter will be taking 11+ in Oct ' 12!

Eleven Plus (11+) in Buckinghamshire (Bucks)

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TLC11
Posts: 61
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2011 12:01 am

Moving to Bucks and daughter will be taking 11+ in Oct ' 12!

Post by TLC11 »

Hello everyone!

I am moving to South Bucks with my family due to a job transfer. We will be moving down from Scotland in the summer holidays, and my children will be starting school in Bucks in September 2012. My daughter is 9 and will be going into year 6 as of September (April birthday). I have realised she will be sitting the 11+ exam weeks after starting a new school :(. I am now in a major panic that she will be at a complete disadvantage as the school curriculum in Scotland is totally different to that in England, and also that the move may affect her ability to perform well in her exams. I also have no idea what school Bucks will place my children in.

Tonight I gave her a sample verbal reasoning paper I found online and timed her, just to see where we stand at present. I did help her a little by prompting her (Did not tell her any answers, but assisted her to work out the formulas in a few questions) and she got 100%. Had she done it on her own with no help from me she would have scored about 75%. Her timing was about half hour over what it should have been.

I am trying to work out what the best thing we can do is. Today I have ordered some books from the bookshop on this website. Can anyone recommend the best ones to use? I am also looking at sending her to an intensive summer course when we arrive in July, can anyone recommend any?

I am just totally clueless as we have nothing like this in Scotland, and I want to ensure my daughter stands a fair chance like everyone else. She is doing really well at school in Scotland and is currently in the top 3 group in her class, so I believe she is best suited to a grammar school. Where do I start in my preperation in Scotland before our move?

If anyone could offer any advice I would be most gratefull. Thank you in advance :)
Sally-Anne
Posts: 9235
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: Moving to Bucks and daughter will be taking 11+ in Oct '

Post by Sally-Anne »

Hi TLC11, and welcome!

From what I know of the Scottish system your daughter will be fine - the differences are not sufficient to have a major impact on her likely chances of performing well in the 11+.

For preparation, the recommended materials are here: http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/shop/Bucks/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; If you have ordered any incorrect books by mistake, please contact our office and I am sure they will accept a return of unopened materials.

Patricia's "DIY tutoring tips" http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... =12&t=4782" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; will help you to get started. I also suggest that you read, read and read on both our main website and this forum. There is plenty of information about the 11+ in Bucks and more generally that will help you to familiarise yourself with the prcoess.

Please do come back and ask us any questions as you go along.

Sally-Anne
TLC11
Posts: 61
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2011 12:01 am

Re: Moving to Bucks and daughter will be taking 11+ in Oct '

Post by TLC11 »

Thank you Sally-Anne,

You have reassured me. We can now make a proper start! This is very nerve wracking...for me! My daughter is taking it in her stride! :)

A few things I wanted to clarify...

1. Will I have to make an application for her to sit the test when we move down in July, as she will not have a school until September? If so, am I right in saying the closing date for aplications in the begining of September and I make the request through the county council?

2. Can we apply to sit the 11+ in two counties, such as Slough aswell to increase her chances? (I much prefer Bucks, this would just be a back up)

Thank you :)
Sally-Anne
Posts: 9235
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: Moving to Bucks and daughter will be taking 11+ in Oct '

Post by Sally-Anne »

TLC11 wrote:1. Will I have to make an application for her to sit the test when we move down in July, as she will not have a school until September?
As you may have worked out, the Bucks test is "opt out", so normally she would be automatically entered for the test by the school, but she will not actually be on the roll by the deadline of the start of September. I would advise you to speak to Admissions nearer the time (and confirm everything by email) to see which route you should take. The "safety bet" would be to apply directly and for her to take the test along with other non-Bucks pupils, but it may be that you can apply through that route but Bucks will then allow her to take the test at her new school.
If so, am I right in saying the closing date for aplications in the begining of September and I make the request through the county council?
Yes, that is correct at present, but you do need to bear in mind that all the Bucks grammars are now academies (or almost, in one case) and they may well make changes to some of their admissions criteria. There is no sign at the moment of them administering their own 11+ tests but, quite frankly, anything could happen for 2013 admissions! Watch this space ...
2. Can we apply to sit the 11+ in two counties, such as Slough aswell to increase her chances? (I much prefer Bucks, this would just be a back up)
Yes, you can. Once again though, you need to watch out for changes in the admission rules ...

We live in turbulent times down here!
EloiseB
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:02 pm

Re: Moving to Bucks and daughter will be taking 11+ in Oct '

Post by EloiseB »

Not got much advice to offer yet I am afraid, but just saying hello because we are in a similar position - my boys (same year as your daughter) will be moving with us in about July (from Spain) to somewhere around Aylesbury-ish. If you look at my post from a few weeks ago (headed something like Daunted newbie!) then you will see some of the very helpful replies that people kindly made, a lot of which may be useful for you too. Good luck, and let's hope for both our families that it all works out best for the kids.
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