Essex Mums

Did you or are you getting private tuition for your child for the eleven plus? What helped you make your choice?

I'm hearing lots of people talking about getting tutoring already (year 4) which has surprised me. Felix's school do an 11+ club from year 5 so I had planned for him to do, and he is doing some Bonds books at home, which he's enjoying and is doing well with, usually scoring in the 90s for most of the tests. I spoke to his teacher last week who said he thought Felix was a good candidate for the eleven plus, but that he recommends tutoring for anyone interested, ideally from spring term of year four, just to get them up to scratch, and because it helps all round.

His teacher has offered Felix a place at a small group tuition he is starting from January, he said he only really wants kids he knows will work well towards it etc. so it sounds like a good opportunity. We are strongly considering it, I think he would enjoy it and he really likes his teacher. Plus I like that it's a small group but not as expensive as individual tuition!

Just interested in hearing what others have done!

I have heard a few children in jacks year have tutoring, I am not totally against it but feel that you can be trained to pass a test whether you can cope in the grammer environment is another matter. We were told last year that Jack is also a capable candidate but we are not getting him a tutor, the school offer sessions for the 11+ Next year which helps with technique and how the test is set up. Plus he is doing a couple of sessions at westcliff high, but as yet he is still undecided if he wants to actually sit it. I'm not going to push him to do it but will support him if he does. The whole secondary school selection process is so complex, a score to pass the 11+ then a score to get in to a grammer school and it all depends on pass levels etc - well that was my understanding following a brief talk.
I think you have to think what Felix will respond to, would 18mths of tutoring benefit him or would he resent the extra tutoring? Doing a group session, would also depend on the levels and commitment of the other participants - what would Felix say if you asked him?

Felix is actually really keen. We reviewed a tutoring session a few months ago and he really enjoyed it so is surprisingly enthusiastic about doing it. It will be just down the road so not too much of an inconvenience, and his best friend might be doing the same session which will no doubt keep him keen too! We certainly wouldn't force him if he wasn't happy to.

I totally agree with you about being tutored to pass but not doing well at a grammar and remember girls in my class at Westcliff who had been at schools that did really full on tutoring and so passed even though they weren't really grammar material - they were bright girls who would have done really well at a comprehensive but struggled at WHSG and were always bottom of the class.

His teacher said he's only taking pupils for tutoring who he is sure are grammar material and will work well together, and basically said that Felix is an obvious grammar choice it would be a shame for him not to pass because he was unfamiliar with the test, when others might pass because they knew the test even though they weren't as capable, which I guess makes sense.

I'm not keen on the whole thing really, and wish it wasn't even something we were having to think about, but I do feel that his teacher could be the right person so it seems like a good opportunity.

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