How to best support your child through Year 5 ahead of 11+ Exams!

Entering year 5 can feel a daunting step, for both children and parents alike! Chatter around entrance exams, catchment areas, and new types of reasoning questions can seem constant, and, especially for parents going through the process for the first time, it can be difficult to know if you are doing the right thing! Ultimately, there is no formula for 11+ success; however, I've compiled several ideas to help you give your child the best chance of scoring highly, from a tutor's perspective.

1. Have a look around together!

Keep your options open and visit as many local secondary schools as possible, including comprehensive and grammar options. The beginning of year 5 is a great opportunity to do this, with many schools hosting both daytime and evening open events. Taking your child along with you will boost their motivation to work hard in school, as these tours make secondary school appear very exciting, and could give them a particular school to aim for ahead of a busy year preparing for entrance tests. There will be further opportunities to tour schools in the summer of year 5 or the autumn of year 6. Still, the earlier the better, as then you can always revisit schools you liked multiple times to find out answers to questions that come up during the year, or to help you feel certain about your first choice!

2. Once deciding on a shortlist of schools, find out exactly what style of exams your child will need to sit and when/where they will be taking them.

There are several types of 11+ exams, including GL-style and CEM-style. It is important to find out what your local area uses so you can practice with the correct resources. Independent schools may use the standardised ISEB online test format or their own individually designed papers, so again, it is good to check early on and find example papers to know what your child is working towards. Often, assessments consist of maths, English, and non-verbal, verbal, and spatial reasoning papers, but some may only cover a couple of these disciplines.

Next, note down both the registration and examination dates for each exam you are considering, as schools and county councils often have a strict deadline and failing to register by that date will leave your child unable to sit the exam they have been working towards. Many primary schools will allow students to sit their local 11+ at school, but do check, as external centres are available. This is particularly relevant if you are considering schools outside your catchment area.

3. Reading at home

Reading regularly is my single biggest tip for 11+ success; however, this is often interpreted as simply sending your child away with a book to read alone. Whilst this is important, there are several things you can do to make reading time even more effective:

Reading trickier books to your child so they are exposed to more ambitious vocabulary.
Encouraging them to read to you so you can explain any words they haven't seen before on the spot, and allow them to grow more confident with literature as a whole.
Ensuring texts are a mixture of both non-fiction and fiction as the 11+ could include either!
Do your best to integrate asking them questions - e.g., why might the character have said that, what was their motive? What do you think the main message of this news article was? Examining the text together helps develop comprehension skills and encourages children to think more deeply about it. You can also discuss synonyms (words that mean the same) and antonyms (words that mean the opposite).
When reading alone, set your child the challenge of finding 5 words they don't know the definition of to look up and discuss with you after. A common area students struggle with is the broad vocabulary required for verbal reasoning and the English sections of 11+ exams

4. Practice' everyday life skills maths' at home

This can take many forms:

Get your child involved with cooking/baking, where they will need to measure correct quantities of ingredients in different units.
If planning a trip on the bus or train, can they help you with choosing which services will get you there by a certain time, and calculate how long the journey will take?
Can your child estimate how heavy objects are or how tall something or someone is?
Considering money - could they budget shopping for ingredients to cook a dinner, or work out different combinations of their favourite snacks they could buy with a £10 note?

These questions come up a lot in maths and are best remembered when taught through practical work on a normal weekend at home, rather than in a full lesson on the topic! Ultimately, this is setting them up well for a lot more than just the 11+.

5. Useful resources for 11+ exam preparation

Corbett Maths Primary (website) 5-a-day Maths worksheets (separated by ability). Silver is roughly aimed at year 4, gold at year 5, and platinum at year 6, so you can work through the levels over the year and address any issues early on.
Bond 11+ Practice papers and 10-minute test books. Great for a little-and-often approach throughout the year to help your child hopefully not feel too stressed over the summer as they go into year 6.
BBC Bitesize. It can help you as a parent understand some of the trickier grammar and punctuation they are covering at school! It also includes short quizzes to test your child's understanding.
Countdown and Wordle. Interactive online games that are good fun, and the whole family can take part!

The Teenage Tutors are always here to support you and your child throughout their 11+ preparation and beyond. Whether that's with regular weekly sessions or ad hoc classes to tackle a tricky topic or to make sure they feel 'exam ready', our friendly and experienced team is here for you!

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