In our previous blog post, we discussed how to know if your child is smart enough to pass the 11+. It was a great topic and we received sever messages from parents who found it to be useful. Today, we’re looking at a similar topic that was inspired by an email we received from an anxious parent. Take a look at her question below and scroll down to read our advice. As always, we love hearing your feedback so feel free to leave a comment sharing your thoughts below.
“We are currently preparing our son for the 11+ and everyone around us seems to insist that we need to have a tutor for our child. Is this really the case? Our son is bright and capable but we’ve never gone through the school entrance process before and we’re not sure what or who to believe. It feels like everyone has a tutor except for us.”
It would be great to hear your thoughts.
Many thanks, Kate.
This is a great question and one we get asked often. There isn’t necessarily a straightforward answer to this as every child is different and it’s important to factor in your child’s learning style and ability but hopefully some of the points outlined below will help.
To answer your question, it’s not essential to have a tutor when embarking on the 11+ process. There are dozens, if not hundreds of parents whose children have passed without the help of regular tuition.
Generally, if you decide not to hire a tutor, there are a few things you need to consider.
Do you have the skills, time and patience to teach your child yourself?
There are many parents that hire tutors simply because they don’t have the time to teach their child or because they lack the patience to go through each topic with them thoroughly. These parents tend to be busy professionals who have limited time and find that hiring a tutor can be a helpful way to ensure that their child is learning in a way that they enjoy, without parental pressure. If you’re a very busy parent then I’d recommend hiring a tutor as it will save you a lot of stress in the long run.
If your child doesn’t pass, will you regret not hiring a tutor or are you fine with the outcome regardless of how they do?
This is an important question to ask yourself. If you’re not too fussed about the outcome of your child’s results in the 11+ then it isn’t essential that you hire a tutor for them. If however, you have all your hopes on them winning a place at a top school then it’s worth investing in a few tuition lessons.
Is your child naturally very bright?
If your child is performing ahead of National
Curriculum targets then there is a probability that they’ll do well in the exams without needing to have an extensive amount of support. As a rule of thumb, children who are naturally very bright tend to need less support in order to do well in the exams but this isn’t a hard and fast rule.
Here are some things that all parents should consider when preparing for the exam:
All children, regardless of their ability, need to be familiar with the 11+ exam questions, structure and format. We never recommend that any child goes into the exam without doing any preparation whatsoever.
The exams are tough and are becoming increasingly more competitive so it’s crucial that if you’re not hiring a tutor, you purchase the right tools, materials and resources needed in order to ensure that they are familiar with the exam process.
Your child will most certainly need to have someone explain the logic behind questions, guide them through how to fill in answer sheets and show them how to strategically answer questions within the time frame given. Timing is one of the most important aspects of the exam so it’s essential to focus on this, especially if you choose not to hire a tutor.
There are some parents, many in fact, who ensure that their child is heavily prepared for the exam. Such parents book dozens, if not hundreds of hours of tuition lessons and often enough, their child passes. However, once their child starts at their chosen grammar or independent school, they often find themselves struggling to cope with the workload and the complexity of work taught or given. Such children tend to be less intelligent academically and have been pushed extensively which results in them passing the 11+ but struggling once they’re in secondary school.
When embarking on the 11+ process, be honest with yourself about your child’s abilities and their ability to cope if given the opportunity to attend a selective school.
Here are some quick solutions:
✔️ Hire a tutor for a few hours a week
✔️ Hire a tutor for a month or two before their exam
✔️ Book your child into a mock test or assessment
Finally, remember that comparison is the thief of joy. By comparing yourself or your child to others, you’ll end up far more stressed and worried, which will only make matters worse. Instead, focus on your child and do what you believe to be best for them. If that’s hiring a tutor for a few weeks each month then that’s great. If it’s teaching them yourself then that’s just as good.
We hope the advice above has been helpful and if you have any questions, leave a comment below and we’ll do our best to help.
