When to tutor for the 11+?
One thing which many families ask us is ‘when should I start tuition for the 11+’? As with a lot of things in education, it really depends on the individual child, as well as which school you’re aiming for and just how competitive it is. For some of our families, it’s necessary to start gently from Year 3, whilst other families are able to wait until the January of Year 5 before starting sessions.
Another thing that we take into account at Tayberry Tuition and Consultancy is whether the school and entrance exams are the right thing for your child, and your family, in general. In this blog post, we will look at when the best time to start preparation for the 11+ is, and the advantages and disadvantages of each option.
Is it really necessary to have a tutor for the 11+?
Whilst not all families choose to tutor their children for the 11+, in some areas it can be assumed that the majority of families have a tutor or outside educational support ahead of the 11+ exam. Sometimes this support and preparation will be provided by the student’s primary school, but in many cases an external tutor will be required, particularly for the verbal and non-verbal reasoning sections which often aren’t covered in schools.
A good tutor will not only support your child’s educational needs, and help them to pass the exam, but will also be able to offer impartial advice to you as a family. They will be able to say whether you are making the right choice about your child’s schooling, such as the likelihood of them passing the exam, even with tuition, and also whether the particular school(s) you have in mind will suit your child and your lifestyle as a family. These are all topics which we discuss during your initial call to Tayberry, and then are further investigated during the assessment.
Starting late - when is too late to start sessions?
At Tayberry Tuition and Consultancy, we’ve worked with students who have only started tuition in the Spring Term before their exam in the Autumn, as well as students who choose to take an intensive course with us over the summer holidays to prepare them for their 11+ exam. It really depends on each child and whether they will be committed enough to learning so much information and refining it in time for the exam. It also depends on your budget and whether you’re happy paying in one or two lump sums for sessions, or whether you’d rather spread it over a few months or years.
Starting early - when is too early to start sessions?
Some parents choose to start readying their children for the 11+ exam from Year 2 or 3 onwards in primary school. It’s very much a personal preference and there are many variables you need to consider. Firstly, if your child’s primary school is already preparing them and acts as a ‘feeder school’ for grammar schools, you may be happy to start later on and get more personalised support. However, not all schools work on aspects such as verbal and non-verbal reasoning or creative writing, and this can take time to refine so we’d recommend starting around Year 4 to refine these tricky skills.
Choosing a tutor
Choosing a tutor is a very subjective choice. At Tayberry we have a range of tutors who are all highly experienced in tutoring the 11+ entrance examinations for schools all around the country. All of our tutors have different skill sets and areas of expertise, but more importantly they have different personalities and approaches when working with students. This way, we are able to work with a diverse range of students, with different learning styles and capabilities, and prepare them for the 11+ exam.
It’s important to consider your child and think about which of their teachers at school they’ve thrived with over their years of education. Do they prefer teachers who have a more ‘serious’ manner of teaching, or do they prefer teachers who have a more relaxed approach? One of the keys to our success is our unique ability to build relationships with our students, becoming a support for them not only in their academic life, but also personally too. Being somebody that they are able to trust, and most importantly enjoy their lessons with, is of fundamental importance to us.
It’s very important when choosing a tutor that you check that the tutor has worked on the particular exam before. Each 11+ exam varies, as does what is expected of the students once they attend the school, so make sure your tutor has the knowledge and experience to support your child. Equally, check that tutors are DBS and background checked, both for online and in person tuition.
Face to face or online tuition?
This question is one that comes up many times and again, and it depends on the student. At Tayberry, we have been refining our techniques for online teaching over a number of years, and our sessions are highly enjoyable and engaging. We are able to work with students from the age of 4 and above, with all levels of concentration and focus, and we have methods of keeping students entertained and focused on the task. We also have experience working with students with SND, including ASD and ADHD, and ensuring they are able to get the best out of their sessions and focus for the 30 or 60 minute sessions, with some of our students even upping this to 120 minute sessions.
We have a very high retention rate for our online tuition (95%), and we credit our fantastic tutors for this.
Most of our students prefer online tuition at all ages, as they are able to be in the comfort of their own homes and they feel happy and confident using technology. Many of our families who start off with our face to face options gradually swap to online when they see how engaging our sessions are and also like the flexibility of our online options. It also means that family life can continue around online sessions, rather than having to greet someone into your home or drop the kids off at a tuition centre.
For the 11+ exams, our students unanimously choose the online option, and we can tailor sessions around their extracurricular and social activities.
Is tuition for the 11+ a good route to go down in general?
One concern that many of our parents have when putting their child in for the 11+ is that they will get their child to pass the exam, but then their child will struggle academically once they start attending in Year 7. It depends which tutor you opt for, but at Tayberry, part of our programme is preparing our students for life at a grammar or independent school, both on an academic and personal level. This means that when our students start in the September of Year 7, they are very much able to transition smoothly to life at senior school.
After your initial assessment, we will offer an honest appraisal where we will say whether grammar or independent entrance is the best route for your child, and also what the best plan going forward is. We will also update our families throughout their time with us about progress, and if we feel your child isn’t best suited to the 11+ examination at any point, we will suggest a withdrawal of your application.
What does the Tayberry 11+ programme look like?
As each of our programmes is entirely bespoke and tailored to each student, our programme looks different for each child. The first step is always to book an initial assessment, which is an hour-long online session with our co-founder, Jo, and one of her assistants. Jo will then develop a bespoke plan, whether that’s two sessions per week, or one session every fortnight depending on your child’s confidence and knowledge of the content. We reassess this plan on a weekly basis, and can increase or decrease sessions as required.
We cover all areas of the examination, including maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning and creative writing, with sessions being focussed on the areas which the student is finding the most challenging. We also provide preparation for interviews as well, where applicable. We have a detailed knowledge of the entry requirements and also what each admissions department is looking for in potential candidates.
To book your initial assessment for the 11+, email us here.