The build up to National School Offers day in March can be one of the most stressful experiences as a parent. It may also be the last big decision you make about your child’s school career. With just 4 months until the entrance exams take place for grammar and independent schools, you may be worried about what you and your child should be doing to prepare. As specialists in preparing children for secondary education, KSOL tutors have provided some guidance about choosing schools, registering for the exam and preparation that will help your child.

1. Consider your options:

If your child is currently in Year 5, you should definitely be looking at all possible secondary school options. Make sure you do your research and narrow your options down to at least 5 or 6 possibilities; look at location/catchment area, check ofsted reports, think about your child’s needs (are they particularly sporty or musical for example?), consider entry requirements (again location, SAT scores, entrance exams) and if you are considering grammar or independent school, think about whether your child is capable of going through the more strenuous process of the 11 plus exam.

Remember to include your child in every step. After all, they will be spending the next 5 -7 years at this school, so their opinion should influence the end decision.

2. Making the decision

To help you make these decisions, there are a number of things that you can do. The first, whether your child is in Year 4 or Year 5, is to go to open days, which are taking place from now through to September. KSOL tutor, Julia says:

“The open days will allow you to explore the school and ask questions directly to those who work or study there. This can provide you with valuable information about the inner workings of the school.”

Another option is to talk to people. Talk to friends who may already have children at these schools or go online and find forums to get a feel for what current parents or students think about a school.

3. Registering for the exam:

If you are applying to Grammar or Independent schools, you will need to register your child to sit the 11 plus entrance exams. It’s absolutely vital that you remember to complete this process otherwise you will be unable to apply for placement at these schools.

Important: Registration dates for Birmingham, Warwickshire, Shropshire, Wolverhampton, Gloucester, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Kent etc will open during May 2017.
Schools in Manchester open registration between March & July. Please check individual school websites for further details.

Some local authorities such as Birmingham and Warwickshire now have an online registration process whereas others may still require a paper based application. You will find all of the details you need on the admissions section of each individual school website or consortium websites.

4. How should my child prepare?

The 11 plus exam varies across the country and may be written independently by the school or using the CEM format and GL assessment. Exams will cover all or some of the following topics: verbal ability, numerical ability, non verbal reasoning and creative writing. The weighting of each topic may differ, but essentially, your child can prepare with the right tuition.

As the exams are highly competitive, you need to help your child build their core skills and familiarise them with the style and content of the exam. Targeting weak areas and getting a child into the habit of doing a little bit of work every day is key to good 11 plus preparation.

 Lisa Di Placido, KSOL’s educational advisor says:

“It’s never too late to start your child’s 11 plus preparation. All of KSOL’s unique online programmes are designed to find and target a child’s weak areas and tackle them directly.”

Why not register for KSOL’s Year 5 online FREE week trial to gain insight into how the programme works and the type of work you child can expect to receive on a daily basis? For more information about the Year 5 Graduate Course, simply click this link.

KSOL is an award-winning provider of 11 plus education with over 10 years of experience teaching children. To find out more visit www.ksol.co.uk or call 0121 733 6558.

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