Preparation for Grammar school examinations warrants the need to develop comprehension, quantitative and reasoning skills at speed and these can only be developed through rigorous practice and the application of effective techniques.
Any committed child who is prepared to dedicate effort and application of techniques can develop the required skills for a Grammar School place. The real challenge is if they can develop these skills and peak at the age of 10 when they sit the Grammar school entrance examination.
Different children develop at different times as they grow older and it is really important that every child understands that not passing the Grammar examination is not the be all and end all of life. It is simply a test that enables like-minded children who have similar abilities and have matured academically by the age of 10 to be grouped together and receive a faster paced education in school. Some children will peak at 13 and others at 16. It is important that every child tries their best and that is all that any parent can wish for.
In some areas of Birmingham, competition for Free Grammar School places can be 20 to 1 and competition year on year is getting even harder with the last child passing level going up steeply in recent years.
All this is no surprise. Due to the proliferation of Tuition Centres encouraging parents to start earlier and earlier and a growing culture where tutors are looking facetiously at parents who might go and make an enrolment enquiry 9 or 12 months before the 11 plus examination. All these cultural changes reflect in parents starting in year 1 or year 2 for 11 plus preparation. Our own approach is to allow 24 months in the current environment to allow a child to fully prepare themselves for the 11 plus examination on a specialist 11 plus preparation course. The pre 11+ Year 3 class has only been brought about by parents who would otherwise have signed up to a service that could have irreparably damaged the confidence of their child, being asked to allow us to build their confidence and enjoy schooling BEFORE embarking on our structured 11plus program.
In our experience 24 months preparation offers an easy paced program of study that should allow the child to peak at the end of 21 months to see if they can handle the rigours of the 11 plus and the pressure of the Grammar school. ALL year 4 children will follow the same program and then based on the quarterly examinations and the end of a year 4 mock 11 plus examination. We will have a strong idea of how your child will cope at a Grammar school and it is at this point that we ramp up to ensure the child is fully committed towards passing the 11 plus and if they do not then, they have absolutely no confidence issues. If they do not get a Grammar place they should have no confidence issues because we all know they have tried their absolute best.