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Finding out about the 11 Plus
These days it's not easy for parents to find out about the eleven plus. There is a lot of information around, but much of it is both confusing and misleading. There are very few areas of the country where primary school children are entered automatically for the 11 plus so usually parents must enter their children to take the test, either at a grammar school or at a test centre. Here in Torbay, children must be registered by the beginning of September, but in other areas it is much earlier, for example in Birmingham and Gloucestershire, children have to be registered by the beginning of July. Most grammar schools hold open days around about now (see the 11+ in Your Area section of the Roots 2 Success website for more information), but some, notably in Kent, hold their open days in October, just after the children have taken the 11 plus and, ironically, just about the time that many children start preparing for the following year's 11 plus exam, even though the grammar schools will be telling you that there is no need for your child to do any special preparation for the test.
Although most primary and grammar schools say that no preparation is necessary for the 11 plus, your child will tell you that most of their friends already have tutors. If you decide not to engage a tutor, you will still need to ensure that your child does quite a lot of preparation to ensure that they are not disadvantaged. There are number of publishers which produce 11 plus preparation materials, but how do you know which ones are the most suitable? Most bookshops will not be able to advise you and may well stock materials that are completely irrelevant to the test that your child will take. You need to ensure that your child is using materials relevant to the 11 plus format used in your area as the format of the test differs between different local authority areas and even, in some cases, between different schools in the same area. There are a number of online 11 plus practice providers; again, it is necessary to ensure that the tests your child completes are relevant to them.
At Roots 2 Success we have divided our online tests into sections so that it is easy to focus on the particular areas which your child needs to work on. We are always happy to discuss your requirements with you either by email, telephone or even by social media so please do not hesitate to get in touch!
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