11+ practice during holidays

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talea51
Posts: 522
Joined: Sun Feb 06, 2011 5:10 pm

11+ practice during holidays

Post by talea51 »

How much time on average is your child spending on 11+ practice during the school holidays? Per day, per week?

I am worrying that dd isn't doing enough. I work and therefore she is in holiday clubs most days. I pick her up at 4:30 so we are home by about 5:00. Then I get her to do an hour or so of practice papers but I am really worried that this is not enough at this stage. I am wondering if I should try to get her to do an hour in the morning as well.

What do others think?

I am conscious of the fact that she is only 10, this is her summer holiday and I would like her to relax and have fun but this exam is only 5 weeks away! Eeeeek!

I am also conscious of the fact that at some schools, there are children going to summer school for part, if not all, of the school holiday. I don't know how advisable this is, but it worries me that these are the children that my dd will be competing with and I worry that I am not doing enough with her. The problem is that I think I will most likely feel that nothing is enough. If she were to work all day every day, I'd worry that it isn't enough but I am trying to balance doing 11+ studying with her enjoying her holiday.

I'd like to hear the opinions of others please.

Thanks!
future
Posts: 168
Joined: Sat Jul 20, 2013 11:31 am

Re: 11+ practice during holidays

Post by future »

we feel very guilty not going for holiday this year so that DD can have enough prep for her exams in September.
She is doing circa 4-5 hours a day with past papers in English, Maths and VR. This may seem like a lot but by the time you go through corrections, methods etc, it is not actually enough. She is only 10 and we feel for her but it will hopfully set her up in a good school for the next 6 years. We are hoping to go away in Oct half term to make up.
IronMikeTyson
Posts: 612
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2011 1:52 pm
Location: Shamballa

Re: 11+ practice during holidays

Post by IronMikeTyson »

My dd is doing 2 hours a day for exams in September. I mark her work in the evenings so have a good grasp of how she is performing.

Making her do more work would not improve her scores and would eventually demotivate and tire her.
"To err is human;to forgive ,divine"
Araucana girl
Posts: 492
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:48 pm

Re: 11+ practice during holidays

Post by Araucana girl »

My dd is doing somedays two hours and others a bit more, others she is doing absolutely nothing!
For example, this week she did two hours on Monday, two hours on Tuesday and then nothing on Wednesday as she went to guide camp - she won't be back until Saturday but then it is dh's birthday so she won't be doing anything then either. She has a mock on Sunday at 2pm so that will be it for this week.

Next week we will revert back to working for at least 2 hours a day. Future, when did your dd start preparing for these exams? It does seem an awful lot to make a 10 year old do in a day. My feelings are that I am trying to get her up to a decent mark in the papers, more would just not be fair for my dd - she has been working for this since year 4 so slow and steady and all that. If she cannot do it on steady prep over the summer without intensive prep then she will just be more suited to the good local comps :)

We are going on holiday a week after the results come out :D We will have a good time whatever!
"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere."

Albert Einstein
Araucana girl
Posts: 492
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:48 pm

Re: 11+ practice during holidays

Post by Araucana girl »

IronMikeTyson wrote:My dd is doing 2 hours a day for exams in September. I mark her work in the evenings so have a good grasp of how she is performing.

Making her do more work would not improve her scores and would eventually demotivate and tire her.
You have made me feel so much better - just what we are doing :D
"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere."

Albert Einstein
KB
Posts: 3030
Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:28 pm

Re: 11+ practice during holidays

Post by KB »

There have been studies done that show that once children get to a certain point in their preparation there is very little or even negative progression by pushing too much.
My personal view is that anything over a couple of hours of actual working is counter productive - there are many stories of children who have been put under huge pressure building up to the day who freak out in the exams.
Certainly good to keep momentum rather than fall back over the summer holiday but don't let them burn out either!
future
Posts: 168
Joined: Sat Jul 20, 2013 11:31 am

Re: 11+ practice during holidays

Post by future »

I note your comments. There is also conclusive evidence that when children return to school in September, it takes two-three weeks to get them going again because they switch off in the 6 week summer break. Hence the reason schools are looking to control their own calenders and in effect shorten the summer break. Her first exam is first week in Sept and would hate for her to live with regrets. We do one of each paper every day and only corrections on top of that. If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.
sleeplessinhalstead
Posts: 119
Joined: Wed Feb 29, 2012 12:42 am

Re: 11+ practice during holidays

Post by sleeplessinhalstead »

I am finding it a really struggle in the holidays, we aim to do 1 - 2 hours a day, but do skip a few days. Sometimes dd just won't concentrate so I would say we have days where we have a productive 1 to 2 hours and others where it can take a bit longer than that just to do 1 paper as she just won't get on with it.
Daogroupie
Posts: 11099
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:01 pm
Location: Herts

Re: 11+ practice during holidays

Post by Daogroupie »

It is encouraging to see these posts so that the op can appreciate that there are many people spending their summer holidays preparing. It is a first past the post system so the more other people do the more the pass mark goes up. I think one summer holiday is a small price to pay for a good education, 7 years at a great school and 3 years at a great university. As future says you can make up for it at half term, you could even take two weeks as nothing much will be happening in late October of Y6.

I have mocks all next week and no shortage of able students happy to take advantage of the opportunity to pick up more marks. When my elder dd sat one of the teachers told me that however much preparation we did there would be others who would do more. We upped our game after that and have never regretted the extra hours we put in. It meant she hit the ground running in Year 7. Nothing is wasted, it just leaves you better equipped for KS3. As to the argument that if you need to do a lot of preparation you are not suitable for selective school, that is rubbish. You are preparing to run a one off race, to compete against hundreds, in some case thousands, of other students who are all try to win one of a small number of places. You need to be as ready as you can be but I think it is very hard to keep that in mind working away by yourself at home. Much better to be in a class full of other students. Much more fun and a good guideline to how you are doing. There are plenty of mocks around in each region, many advertised on here. Take advantage of them because if you do not others will. DG
Last edited by Daogroupie on Fri Aug 09, 2013 7:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
moved
Posts: 3826
Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2007 1:42 pm
Location: Chelmsford and pleased

Re: 11+ practice during holidays

Post by moved »

When mine were younger they learnt a lot during the summer break. Half an hour a day when they were 6-8 (French HW from school), a little more as they got older, and the summer prior to the 11+ an average of 1hr per day.

I am reminded of it now as DS is working through maths in prep for VIth form and DD is revising yr 10 so that she can start yr 11 running!

A little and often still seems to be working. It is very similar with a musical instrument, a little every day and throughout the year.

Good luck!
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