11plus from state schools? (bromley)

Discussion of the 11 Plus

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BLuedrop
Posts: 18
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2013 11:46 am

11plus from state schools? (bromley)

Post by BLuedrop »

Dear all,
My daughter goes to a very good state school in bromley. I overheard 2 mums on the train yesterday discussing how only independent school children crack 11plus exams... It seriously made me thinking if I made the right decisions. Mums, if your child went to a state school and cracked the 11plus exams, could you please share what you did to help your child reach it and also when you started preps? Thankyou.

-BLuedrop
hermanmunster
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Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
Location: The Seaside

Re: 11plus from state schools? (bromley)

Post by hermanmunster »

Hi Bluedrop and welcome

TBH Most of the kids who do OK in the 11 plus will be from state schools, indie pupils make up a much smaller percentage of the population than you might think and by no means all of them pass the test.


Overhead conversations like that are often more to do with them justifying paying the fees, explaining why perhaps their child has not done as well as they hoped etc etc ...

There is plenty of info on the forum and site re helping your kids and no doubt some locals will be able to help you!

Herman
PS disclaimer - I sent my kids to private primaries but am sure that they would have got to GS from state schools (if there had actually been any GS where we lived at the time.... :roll: )
Pumpkin Pie
Posts: 661
Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2012 7:27 pm

Re: 11plus from state schools? (bromley)

Post by Pumpkin Pie »

BLuedrop wrote:Dear all,
My daughter goes to a very good state school in bromley. I overheard 2 mums on the train yesterday discussing how only independent school children crack 11plus exams...
-BLuedrop

What a load of rubbish......this would suggest all GS's only have children who went to Independent Schools! :lol:
mystery
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Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: 11plus from state schools? (bromley)

Post by mystery »

Don't think those Mums are going to pass the 11plus.
BLuedrop
Posts: 18
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2013 11:46 am

Re: 11plus from state schools? (bromley)

Post by BLuedrop »

Pumpkin Pie wrote:
BLuedrop wrote:Dear all,
My daughter goes to a very good state school in bromley. I overheard 2 mums on the train yesterday discussing how only independent school children crack 11plus exams...
-BLuedrop

What a load of rubbish......this would suggest all GS's only have children who went to Independent Schools! :lol:
Sorry, I should have worded this correctly... They said something that meant most students who get into GS are from independent primaries....when I visited an independent school last yr, they too indicated something on these lines....
hermanmunster
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Location: The Seaside

Re: 11plus from state schools? (bromley)

Post by hermanmunster »

What I suspect the indie primaries mean is that their pass rates are high - well at least amongst those who take the exam! (not all get put in for it or go elsewehere)

private preps / primaries often advertise the GS pass rate as that is what many parents are interested in... send your child here and they are more likely to pass ... only way you will get in to the GS etc etc . it isn't true - the kids at indie primaries are pre selected by the fact that they are there at all and many will most likely have done just as well at a state primary


it can be quite enlightening looking at indie primaries in areas where the goal is not the local GS but various indies... they are far less bothered about the GS and don't prep for it - far more interested in how many scholarships they get etc.. All comes down to how they choose to attract parents!
crashtestdummy
Posts: 51
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2012 1:12 pm

Re: 11plus from state schools? (bromley)

Post by crashtestdummy »

We had been living and working overseas for a few years where children start primary school a year later than here. So we had to get a tutor initially to help our son catch up at the local state primary here. The tutor also helped prepare him for the 11 plus later on. He struggled but managed to pass. Honestly it was the best £20 a week I have ever spent. I was told by a council official that children, unless truly gifted, "don't stand a chance" of passing the 11 plus unless they get tutored or go to private schools as the state primaries refuse to teach the format of the 11 plus exam. To me, that seems ridiculous because the private schools do teach the 11 plus intensively.
Fingerscrossedmum
Posts: 133
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2012 10:39 am

Re: 11plus from state schools? (bromley)

Post by Fingerscrossedmum »

My son goes to a state primary in Bromley, of the 30 in his class, 14 took the selective exams - 2 are 'probably' for St Olaves, 2 (inc him) were top 180 in the Bexley 11+, 3 girls are waiting to hear re Newstead and 4 passed either the Bexley or Kent 11+ (or both) and are waiting to hear re grammar schools!

The private school children do have an advantage that their schools do practise the 11+ papers but you can do that at home and if the children have experience of the types of questions they will see and are academically able, then they should do well.

Disclaimer - obviously this is based on this years eam format, it will be very interesting to see how/if this changes now the Bexley test has chnaged.
Daogroupie
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Location: Herts

Re: 11plus from state schools? (bromley)

Post by Daogroupie »

I am not in your area but nationally only 7% of children go to prep schools and as the majority of them stay in private education that does not leave enough students to fill the selective school secondary places. Your train mums need to brush up on their basic maths. I run classes for students to help them secure selective places and I have prep and state schools students. Some parents have paid 12 thousand plus a year since their dcs were 4. I have had about 50 students so far and I have yet to have a prep school student who can touch some of the state school students. Some prep school parents don't want their students to come to the classes and want one to ones. Personally I think sometimes they dont want to sit in a room and find out that they just spent over one hundred thousand pounds on school fees when all the time their dc's would have done better in the state school. Our local preps really struggle to get students into the local state selectives and don't really try as they want them to stay in the private sector and they must know by now how bad their pass rates are. The preps in my dd's classes have been used to having everything done for them and do not fare well in the more competitive environment where the cheque book does not buy you a place in the play, the orchestra/band or sports team. Prep school certainly gives students and parents the belief that they are superior as you have found out with your train mums but the reality is quite different. Study the structure of the exam, do lots of mock papers, sign up for the sutton mock and you have just as good a chance of any student in a prep if not better. DG
Hopeful2002
Posts: 28
Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2012 12:32 am

Re: 11plus from state schools? (bromley)

Post by Hopeful2002 »

Hi all,

I think the type of school isn't necessarily the key. In my experience, the specific school and the specific child are what matters (in my experience). A bright child in a state school that is supportive and encouraging will do well. A not very bright child in an indie school might not. A bright child in a not very good indie, equally, might not do well.

My daughter is in year 6 at a prep school in Bromley. I moved her from a "good" (according to OFSTED) state school (also in Bromley) at the start of year 4. In her case, going to a prep school has been a transformative experience. She ended up scoring well on the Newstead and Kent tests and getting a top 180 score in the Bexley tests. I think it very unlikely that she would have scored so well had she stayed at her last school but that isn't because it was a state school per se - it was because the school was badly managed and there were a lot of internal problems. There is no comparison between the prep school she attends now, and that last school. She is infinitely more confident and the prep school was able support and nurture her talents, whilst her last school barely spotted that she was pretty exceptional (she was bored at her last school and they didn't have the time to really challenge her). As soon as she started her current school, they put her on the gifted and talented programme. Obviously, going from a class of 32 to a class of 14 made a difference, too. For me, it is the best money I have ever spent. I had to scrimp and scrape - and we are by far the poorest family in the year (and probably the school), but I wouldn't change it - and neither would DD. If I'd been able to get her into one of Bromley's well known "outstanding" state schools, however, I expect she would have had as good a result. But you have to pay a premium to live in the catchment of those schools in any case - and they rarely have places coming up "in year" - so, for me, an indie was the best option.

It's worth noting that for the last few years, around half of the year 6 girls at DD's current school have gone to Newstead which is a bit crazy! There is another indie school in Bromley which seems to have around a 100% pass rate for Newstead and Olave's each year! So yes, it can make a difference - but, as I say, there are very bright kids doing well from all different school backgrounds. My advice would be, if your child is happy, keep them where they are and give them some tuition (either DIY or with a tutor) to help familiarise them with the exams. It's very stressful trying to get your child into a grammar school so best of luck and use this forum for advice on the best preparation materials!

:)
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