13plus entry

Independent Schools as an alternative to Grammar

Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators

Post Reply
Indiemum
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2019 4:00 pm

13plus entry

Post by Indiemum »

Hi all

So we have been round the houses trying to work out what next stage should be for our DS. He is Year 5, going into Year 6 in September. We are at the point of deciding whether to prep him for 11plus or transfer him to a prep school with view to going through to 13plus. We are leaning towards the latter as we feel that the extra time at a prep school prior to secondary transition would be good for him all round. He is academic but emotionally immature and unfocused. He is also summer born which I believe makes a difference (at least compared to the maturity of boys who are 12 months his senior) He is at a state school that do very little to push him and part of me would like for the school (i.e. a prep should he transfer to one) to bring him up to standard and take responsibility (in partnership with us absolutely) rather than relying on tutoring for 11plus and pushing him into something that he may not be quite ready for.

Would really welcome any experience of moving to a prep and sitting for 13plus.

Thank you IM
FAC51
Posts: 122
Joined: Fri Jan 29, 2016 11:38 pm

Re: 13plus entry

Post by FAC51 »

Indiemum

As other posters said on your “Common Entrance” thread, gaining entrance to prep school is the easy part. But as you are aware, many 13+ senior schools have a pretest in year 6.

Moving your son at the end of year 5 isn’t going to give the prep school much time to prepare him for this. You need to be doing that from now - unless you plan to restrict yourself to schools that don’t pretest.

The prep school will then prepare him for the 13+, whether CE or a school’s own exam. But don’t kid yourself into believing that tutoring is an 11+ curse only! It is just as prevalent at 13+.
Indiemum
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2019 4:00 pm

Re: 13plus entry

Post by Indiemum »

Yes so appreciate that unless he does the pre test a number of schools will be closed off to him. This is something I have specifically been asking the schools about to ensure that if he doesn’t do the pre test there will be enough options available. Apart from UCS most of the schools we are interested in allow applications in year 8 - so Habs, MTS, SA etc.

What is the difference between common entrance then and schools
own paper? With common entrance do they sit one exam for a number of schools?!
doodles
Posts: 8300
Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2009 9:19 pm

Re: 13plus entry

Post by doodles »

There is useful information here on the Ind Schools Council website parents info section.

https://www.isc.co.uk/schools/information-for-parents/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad !
drinkmoretea
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Oct 27, 2018 11:55 pm

Re: 13plus entry

Post by drinkmoretea »

A number of schools standardise on age for 11+, so that a summer born needs a slightly lower score compared to a September born. It would be worth checking whether this standardisation exists at 13+ - I don't have any info there but would assume that it is less likely.

How many of the other children in his primary school are also going for 11+ and being tutored? If half the class, or even a third of the class, are doing this, then he should understand that others are doing this too.

How would he feel about being moved twice (years 6 and 9) compared to once at 11? Especially if many of his new friends in year 6 leave at the end of year 6?
Daogroupie
Posts: 11099
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:01 pm
Location: Herts

Re: 13plus entry

Post by Daogroupie »

If you are looking at North London 13 plus preps a number of students in the class will do the 11 plus and leave at the end of Y6.

I know students from five different North London 13 plus preps this year who are doing this.

As the 13 plus for girls in the area has completely disappeared some families in 13 plus preps are preparing their dds for the 11 plus and then deciding to do the same for their ds even though he is in a 13 plus prep.

I can understand that for you it is tempting to have the school take control and not to have to organise it yourself. A current St Albans boys parent with a ds who did 13 plus prep and is now preparing his dd for 11 plus told me recently that he never even saw an exam paper for 13 plus as the school did it all for him.

It is just simply preparation whether the school does it or you do it yourself or you have a tutor come to your house, or if you go to a tutor's house or you use a study centre.

It is not tutoring if you do it outside school and preparation if you do it at school. It is the same thing.

If you do the eleven plus you can have two cracks of the whip for some schools. Some parents I know in 13 plus preps are planning to stay if they do not get offers from the 11 plus exams sat in the past few weeks.

You can stay at your current school and do 11 plus and then join a 13 plus prep if it does not work out for you. They will all have plenty of spaces in Y7 as so many students are doing the 11 plus and leaving at the end of Y6.

If you read some of the summary posts that are sent by parents after the 11 plus you will see that many do enjoy the experience of 11 plus preparation as they feel it brings them closer to their students.

There are many summer born babies who do just fine at the 11 plus.

Personally I am of the opinion that 13 plus is on the decline in the area. The 13 plus schools do not publish their intake at 13 plus and I feel that is because they want the freedom to decide how many to take at 11 plus and increasingly they are taking more at 11 plus as a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush and it is two more years of fees.

Students I know in Y9 at St Albans and Habs tell me that it is strange when the 13 plus intake arrives as nobody is leaving so the places in the orchestras and sports teams and chess and debating teams are all taken. The students are kept in a separate class when they first arrive.

With the new GCSE's being a lot harder many schools are starting GCSE preparation in Y9 so the 13 plus intake will not have had a chance to do the subjects and be taught by the teachers and decide which subjects to take.

In my opinion it would be far better to be taught the subjects in Y7 and Y8 by secondary school teachers in the school where you will be taking the exams rather than primary school teachers.. So much better to do the subjects for two years at secondary school and then decide which ones suit you.

DG
branmoment
Posts: 54
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2015 2:12 pm

Re: 13plus entry

Post by branmoment »

To add balance to the previous comment - MTS is a 13+ school so the majority intake is at that level. The candidates are interviewed first and on the basis of this and the reference are made a conditional offer which is confirmed by qualifying exams in Year 8. However, the year 6 cohort is the last that will go through this process. For 13+ 2022 (current year 5's) the process is brought forward in to year 6 with interviews in the autumn and qualifying exams in English, Maths and a General paper.

There is little doubt that there are tremendous plusses to spending years 7 & 8 in a 13+ school in terms of development, positions of responsibility etc. However, you need to check the numbers at some prep schools because classes can be very small if there has been a significant leave at 11+.
FAC51
Posts: 122
Joined: Fri Jan 29, 2016 11:38 pm

Re: 13plus entry

Post by FAC51 »

To add to branmoment's comment, if you are considering MTS your DS will face an Interview early in year 6, after which offers will be made conditional on passing the 11+ exam in Jan of year 6

There will be no 13+ exam!

If you are trying to avoid any type of exam in year 6, you will be limiting your options.
Indiemum
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2019 4:00 pm

Re: 13plus entry

Post by Indiemum »

Thank you all for the helpful information. I think based on everything we will probably try for 11plus and then consider moving for year 7 if necessary. I suppose if he passes that suggests he is ready and if not then we can look at giving him more time via 13plus albeit with potentially less options. That seems like the most sensible route.

DG I sent you a PM but not sure if you have received it? Its still sitting in my outbox. Thanks! IM
Post Reply
11 Plus Platform - Online Practice Makes Perfect - Try Now