An emphatic yes is the answer. Your daughter's 90% score on VR and NVR indicate she is accomplished at these tasks and need do little more than occasional revision to keep up that standard.

But is she's not yet touched the 11 Plus maths then she's likely to be in for a shock. The maths papers are invariably of a far, far more demanding standard than the school SATs she will sit several months AFTER the 11 Plus exam.

Unless your daughter is in an exceptional primary school, with teachers dedicated to getting their kids through the 11 Plus, then it is a safe bet she is way BELOW the standard needed to cope with the grammar school entrance exam in mathematics.

Unless you have good maths skills yourself then you should seriously consider getting outside help to bring your daughter up to standard. Even if she passes the exam thanks to exceptional scores on VR and NVR compensating for a poor maths score, she will find herself struggling badly at the new school.

As knowyourself has previously observed, being top of maths in primary school is very likely to be way below the standard required for the eleven plus.

Let your daughter try a realistic Eleven Plus maths test paper under timed conditions. You may may well be in for a very depressing surprise.

Let's hope you haven't left it too late...

You should make her study because if she is going to take an exam it is always best to revise for it if you want her to get good grades. Study with her for one hour and then for the rest of the day she can have fun.



From Yasmin Butt

Yasmin, if you treat study as a chore to be done so that the child can only have fun afterwards then you are going the wrong way about things.

Learning can and should be fun and part of any child's pleasure time. As a professional tutor I make sure my lessons are both instructive AND entertaining. My students look forward to my (two-hour long) lessons, and often want to do longer. That's how education should be.

If learning is a chore for the child then the teacher isn't doing their job properly!

yes i think so i think justa little bit of studying would do fine because when you go to high school you will forget alot of things so it is good to do a bit of studying.

No, Definately not if you are trying for Tiffin! I go there and it was such an easy exam actually ! I don't know why everyone says its so difficult to get in 2!I am already in tiffin and I didn't do any practice so you wont have to do any.

I can see why with the 11+ exam taking place soon after the children return from their summer vacation that some parents would want to usefully use the summer vacation as an opportunity to study with their children, especially those whose exam is in September.

While our town (Southend) holds 11+ exams late November, we took the view along with our son, soon to go into year 6, to do an hour study on each week day earlyish morning of the summer holiday (except when we went away for holiday) and combine that with a good mix of sporting and other activities (completely non study related). We only began preparing for 11+ after the Easter break and then it was with an emphasis on honing basic skills. I am glad too my son has chosen to read on his own volition (he has discovered Alex Rider and while not the children's classics I grew up with it is v.positive move). We also got him to do a summer school for 5 2-hour morning sessions and that has helped to give an independent perspective of what needs to be done.

I am pleased overall with the outcome of this approach. I have to say the Chukra materials have proved v.helpful. We plan to continue the hour each morning reading / study regime up to the exam, plus a focus on Saturdays doing one 11+ paper, rotating Verbal reasoning, English, Maths (in that priority order - according to where the need is) and going over answers and approaches. Interestingly, I found out at the end of last term that my son's school is doing special 11+ classes (which we will incorporate into the regime) at the start of year 6 - good but we would have liked this to have begun earlier.

We hope this will deliver the desired outcome. While I am wanting also to prepare him in case of failure in the 11+ (I want him to sail the exam and believe he has the aptitude to do so, yet no one can be sure and thus the preparation and pain to maximise chances) I am also v.conscious that passing means the difference between going to a good school and an inferior one. I keep reminding myself that education is far more than passing exams and the most important environment for learning will continue is the home and as the good book says "the fear of God of the beginning of wisdom" and this we covet most of all.

I hope these ramblings based on my experience not only helps this anxious (but trying not to be) parent (me) to offload but might prove helpful to others.