Prepare for Entrance Exams to Grammer schools

HappySad

I can see that you feel that no preparation is needed... but I disagree. I feel that with all exams and test the more preparation you do the better.. as long as this leaves the child with a good life outside the studying.

Our children go to school to learn all sorts of things and for the 11+ exam preparation will help.. which is why most private schools spend some time working on doing the test. For all exams that I do at what ever level I have prepared and I can't see any difference in preparing for the 11+.

MyUserNamesTaken

silvercar wrote:

This is not a level playing field. Many children at private primary and prep schools will be looking for places at grammer schools. They have been heavily prepared for these exams. Some schools will allow for this in the tests; most will not. Get a tutor for at least an hour a week for 3 months. You are giving your child vital skills in sitting exams and in catching up with the work that private schools have already covered in the key area that will be covered. Ask around to get the right tutor. You must find a tutor experienced in exam entrance, preferably one that has knowledge of getting state school pupils ready for grammer school exams.

I've got to say that I disagree with the above statement. I went to one of the top grammar schools in the country. Most of the pupils there did not come from private primary and prep schools (and that was not for want of trying!). Personally, I'd say that the 11+ isn't really something you can "prepare" for. You can help your child cope with sitting exams, but the exam itself requires real intelligence. If your child isn't smart enough, no amount of prepping or private tutoring is going to work. These exams are verbal and non-verbal reasoning tests - they are testing the child's natural intelligence. Oh, the school I went to does not issue past papers.


(It might help kids if their parents knew how to spell "Grammar" and "definitely" properly. )

MyUserNamesTaken

HappySad wrote:

I can see that you feel that no preparation is needed... but I disagree. I feel that with all exams and test the more preparation you do the better.. as long as this leaves the child with a good life outside the studying.

Our children go to school to learn all sorts of things and for the 11+ exam preparation will help.. which is why most private schools spend some time working on doing the test. For all exams that I do at what ever level I have prepared and I can't see any difference in preparing for the 11+.

See my reply above. Having been to a Grammar school, I can tell you that the preparation given by private schools does not really help those kids get in. In my year (90 students), only 4 came from private schools. Sure, teach kids about how to cope in an exam situation. However, these exams are about natural intelligence. No amount of preparation can increase your child's IQ. The other thing to note is this; if you have to get your child to study long and hard to pass the 11+, Grammar school is probably not the place for that child. That child will find Grammar school very tough going intellectually.

Queenie

MyUserNamesTaken wrote:

(It might help kids if their parents knew how to spell "Grammar" and "definitely" properly. )

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

I'm guilty of spelling definitely incorrectly

Madmel

Having attended a Grammar school, and now teaching p/t in one, I can honestly say that coaching is a complete waste of money. If the child has the intelligence to pass the exam, they will do so. If not, they won't. If a child needs coaching to pass the exam, it stands to reason that they will require coaching throughout their school career. This makes them anxious, and they will struggle to keep pace with their non-tutored counterparts.

However, I do not see the harm in getting some practice papers before the day so the child can see the type of questions they might face. I wouldn't make a big issue of it, but would let them have a look, or read them together with a parent.

At the end of the day, if the child is bright enough, they will get in. If they don't, it just was not meant to be. Sorry for being blunt!