11+ Tutor for my GDD

If your granddaughter cannot pass the 11+ without a tutor how will she cope at a grammar school, if it is going to be too difficult for her she will need extra tuition throughout her time there?

Oh lots of parents pay tutors for their children when they sit the 11+ and then when they sit their GCSEs and A levels. How much you pay depends on where you live often. The best way to find a decent tutor is to talk to other parents which I appreciate is difficult if you are moving to a new area.
I just found 11+ exam papers on line and you can buy a series of "masterclasses" to tutor a child on-line exampapersplus.co.uk/masterclasses/

You can expect to pay around £50 an hour.

I agree with Elizabeth. If she cannot pass without a tutor she will probably struggle while there.

To me it will depend on whether the child’s school gives them enough practice in the type of test they’re going to encounter.

We lived overseas until dd1 was 10. She had precisely one term after we returned to the U.K. before the 11 plus. At the time it was all verbal reasoning tests, and although the English-speaking school she’d attended was very good, she’d never even seen such tests until the beginning of that term.

The school (an independent - we couldn’t get her in anywhere else at relatively short notice) gave them daily practice, and at the beginning she was scoring maybe 40-45%. Of course we were concerned, but a friend of MiL* - who ran a private prep school! - said the tests were designed to ‘detect potential’ so practice wasn’t necessary.

Which was obviously rubbish, since by the end of that term, dd’s scores were averaging about 90%. She passed the 11 plus, ended up at a RG university and later added an MA to the BA.

So yes, I do certainly think tutoring can help, and it doesn’t mean the child is necessarily going to struggle at a grammar.

*Of course we and MiL were livid with her for suggesting that dd lacked potential!

Greenfinch

I agree with Elizabeth. If she cannot pass without a tutor she will probably struggle while there.

Alot of children atlre tutored through the 11+, she will not be alone.
My daughter went to a Grammar School, she was not tutored, we are lucky though.

I might add to my pp that apparently a local grammar has switched from VR tests to the old-style maths and English papers.

I gathered that too many children who were scoring very highly in the VR tests, could barely write a coherent sentence, so a lot of remedial English lessons were needed.

Sadly because tutoring is the norm in most areas where there are Grammar schools it is very difficult to secure a place without it. Children need to be familiar with the style of test to obtain a really high score under pressure. Sad but true! In some areas the LA does not allow their primary schools to coach but teachers usually know who does the coaching and who gets good results. I don't know about cost but if I had a bright child and the local non grammar schools were poor I'd do my best to help with the cost as it will only put the child on level pegging with her similarly bright peers. It's not a fair system and it disadvantages bright children from poorer families but these days families learn to play the system.

Whilst I agree that many children are tutored for the 11+ and that may be the route you want to go.
My concern would be what will happen if your GD doesn’t get into the Grammar School, places are often limited and you say the Secondary schools are not good, in your opinion.
I would worry that a child put under pressure to pass would feel a failure if they had to go to the Comprehensive.
So I would be very careful and do my research before choosing a tutor.

Elizabeth27

If your granddaughter cannot pass the 11+ without a tutor how will she cope at a grammar school, if it is going to be too difficult for her she will need extra tuition throughout her time there?

It depends on the quality of teaching at her primary school.

I don't know what the structure of the 11+ is now but we did have some tutoring at my state primary school all those years ago, along with test papers.

Thank goodness there were no grammar schools where we moved to when my DC were that age.

Difficult one - if she doesn't get the grade to go to Grammar school with or without tutoring, would that money best be spent on tutoring to ensure she has a better chance at GCSEs later on?

A few years ago , my job was to manage exams in a senior school and I also used to manage the 11+ exam for our of county students, of which there were many. It was English and Maths based questions and some VR. It was run by using a CD and once the disc started you couldn’t stop it.

Speed is of the essence, and tutoring gives the child familiarity with the questions and therefore they don’t have to think ‘how do I do this’ as it is almost an automatic response.

Some parents find out the dates of the 11+ exams in the various counties and enter their child for those counties which are set earlier to give the child practice in these type of questions before the 11+ exam in their county’s exams. I was based in u is and had children from Kent and other selective counties taking exam at my school. If they passed the Bucks exam they could just refuse the place.

Bothe my daughters were tutored for the 11+, (they are now in their 30s) and it gave them the confidence that they could manage the tests. Which they did.

Based in Bucks

I know the area you mention and while there are plenty of grammar schools in Kent there are other good non selective schools too.
Most parents in the area have the children tutored and this would start at about 8 or 9. Expect to pay about £50 plus per hour.
Two years is a long time not to see your dd and gc. I might hold back and check when they actually do the test. It could be a bit late now to make any difference if it’s this year. Maybe there are other things you might help with. Hope you get to see them a little more often. .

My GD is in Kent and chose not to go to grammar school. She went through the secondary system, got a clutch of A*s and is at a leading Russell Group university. She outperformed all her friends at grammar; many of the heavily coached for 11+ in primary could not keep up when they got there.
I think it is useful to learn the techniques for 11+, but over- coaching is a seriously bad idea.
Kent has some excellent secondary schools.

I HATE THE GRAMMAR SYSTEM

The tests are in September for entry to secondary school in 2023 so that would mean tutoring all through the holidays.

The schools must be very poor if they cannot teach children to pass the 11 + without extra tutoring I m no brain box but passed my 11+ Without any extra help

JaneJudge

I HATE THE GRAMMAR SYSTEM

Trouble is, if you move somewhere where it's operating the child will probably have to take the 11+ anyway.

BlueBelle

The schools must be very poor if they cannot teach children to pass the 11 + without extra tutoring I m no brain box but passed my 11+ Without any extra help

The child doesn't live in an area where there are grammar schools at the moment so the pupils at her primary won't have had this added pressure.

Reading between the lines of OP, I wonder is she worried about how daughter and son-in-law might react to offer to pay for tutor?

She mentions that sil is always at home, daughter can't receive e-mails and when she phones she can only leave a message - sounds a bit odd. Is there another issue with the family?

They do not have to take the 11+, it is not compulsory. The 11+ today is nothing like the one we took and my GDs primary had pupil who had private coaching from 6. A lot of the independent prep schools coach furiously.

I don't want to hand my daughter a cheque. I would like to talk to the proposed tutor myself but how can I do this without offending my daughter.
Is there some reason to distrust your daughter's ability to choose a tutor and pay for it? Personally, I think wanting to take the lead on this sounds rather controlling.
You talk about her OH always being there as if that is somehow problematic. Does he know about you paying for a tutor? If not, I'd be very careful about getting in the middle of husband and wife.
Apart from that, a young person's self esteem can be negatively impacted by the pressure to succeed if they don't get a place they have worked so hard for.

In Kent not every child takes the 11+ it’s a choice.